Flat Spins

Is there a primary way to recover from a flat spin?

 

I've heard some hangar stories where the pilots had to sit way forward on the seats and lean on the panel (and moved their flight bags from the back seat and put them on top of the panel) to get enough weight forward enough to break the spin and go into a dive and then recover.

This would be in light, single-engine trainer aircraft that recover easily from a spin but because of too much weight in the rear and not responding to the typical spin recovery technique.

Other than that, I think using a parachute or ejection seat is the only option for certain aircraft, such as fighter jets.
(Although I have no jet training experience to base this on - just the hollywood movies).

 

Depends on the aircraft. Some can't recover.

 

Rudder opposite to the rotation, stick or yoke forward, pray?

 

Interesting. A friend of mine has recently got a 172 and is an ex commercial pilot for Continental. I'm lucky enough to get some time flying with him every once in awhile and spins and flat spins have always been on my list to ask him about. I've got a lot of time in the back seat of military aircraft such as F-100's, F-5's, ( T-34's), A-37's, etc. for the Air Force a cazillion years ago as a photographer but never really thought about a flat spin and if it was recoverable other than popping out.

 

Plus a long blast or two of power in a prop plane to stop rotation and to try to get the nose down, I have been told.

 

Plus someone told me to also neutralize the ailerons.
I've never done a spin yet. Plenty of stalls, but no spins.

So, my purely theoretical recovery steps are:
- power out (if still in)
- rudder opposite of rotation
- ailerons neutral
- when rotation slows or stops, push yoke forward
- recover from dive

Of course, to me the ultimate nightmare would be a spin, at night, in IMC, and end up inverted. Yikes.

Here's a short video of an Extra 300 doing a flat spin.
You can see the nose pointing at the horizon as it goes around and around.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJp6WAEVlwY&feature=related[/ame]

 

I have spun quite a few airplanes and in one case I would not have recovered if I had not used a blast of power to get some flow over the tail feathers. Ailerons are useless in a total stall.

 

Makes sense, and obviously I defer to your many years of flying experience.

I've also heard that in a small Cessna (152, 172, 182), if you have enough altitude, as a last resort, you can let go and the plane will get itself out of the spin.

By the way, the "neutralize ailerons" step for spin recovery is mentioned in the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook:
http://www.alphatrainer.com/handouts/new%20learning/FAA-H-8083-3A/pg_4-15.pdf

 

A Stearman will recover hands off as will a Cub, Champ, C120, C140, C150, and a few others. A fairchild PT-19, PT-22, BT-13 will not. I'm no expert but I did mess around in the old days when I was young and dumb. Scared hell out of myself in a PT-19 a few times. Beautiful smooth flying airplane but designed to handle like a heavy horsepower type and it could bite awful hard at times.

 

What were you piloting when that happened? Sounds a little scary!

 

A PT-19 and it was scary. I have been challenged about this but I let it wind up in too many turns and it had locked into a very tight spin and I felt that I had to get out of it. It didn't respond right away so I had full forward stick, opposite rudder, and a blast of power to get something to happen.

 

If the airplane is going to recover, it usually will, with no hands on the yoke. Opposite rudder is far more important than doing anything with the stick or yoke.

The power thing seems like a good idea as well-- I've also heard of using power to get out of a deep stall.

I've never done a flat spin, but I've done plenty of normal spins.

 

They only did one intentional spin with the F-111, and they lost the aircraft. Aircrew made it, but are about 1/2" shorter now.

Taz
Terry Phillips