CA.VIII.E. Spin Awareness

Question 1

What causes a spin?

Answer 1

An aircraft stalls and yaws simultaneously, causing one wing to stall more deeply than the other.

Question 2

What are some common ways a plane will being to yaw during a stall?

Answer 2

• Being uncoordinated
• Turbulence/wind shear
• Torque / p-factor / slipstream, gyroscopic precession.
• Improper aileron usage
• Wake turbulence
• adverse yaw (during a slip)
• asymmetrical thrust.

Question 3

You’re in a climbing right turn and the plane stalls. You stomp on the left rudder at the point
of the stall. Which direction will the plane spin?

Answer 3

In the direction of the yaw, which in this case will be to the left because left rudder was applied.

Question 4

Do spins require both wings to be stalled or just one?

Answer 4

At least one

Question 5

Are the wings producing any lift in a stall and/or spin?

Answer 5

Yes, in both a stall and a spin the
wings are producing lift, just not nearly enough to maintain level flight.

Question 6

You’re in a spin, what would happen if you try to turn using ailerons?

Answer 6

Aileron in direction of spin: spin tightens
Opposite direction: Spin flattens

Question 7

What’s the difference between a spin and a spiral?

Answer 7

In a spin the wings are stalled.
In a spiral the wings are not stalled - the plane is just flying in a spiral dive toward the earth.

Question 8

You’re in a spin in IMC - how can you determine the direction of the spin?

Answer 8

Rate-of-turn indicator - bank in direction of the spin.

Attitude indicator in G1000 - uses solid state sensors, not gyros that can tumble.s

Question 9

What are the stages of a spin?

Answer 9

Entry
Incipient - first 2/4 turns
Fully Developed - equilibrium
Recovery

Question 10

What is the generic spin recovery method?

Answer 10

REMEMBER PARE.
Power - Idle
Ailerons - Neutral
Rudder - Opposite direction
Elevator - Brisk forward

Neutralize the rudder once the spinning stops and gradually apply back pressure in order to
return to level flight.

Question 11

Per the AFH, approximately how many feet are lost in each 3 second turn in a spin?

Answer 11

The first spin
rotation loses approximately 1,000 ft.
Once established in the spin: 500 ft (this translates to a 10,000 ft/min descent).

Question 12

What effect does an aft CG have on spin recovery?

Answer 12

Makes it more difficult.
Aft CG makes lowering the nose and breaking the stall more difficult.

Question 13

What effect does a forward CG have on spin recovery

Answer 13

Easier. The nose naturally want to lower itself. There is also a longer
arm between the CG and the control surfaces that are used to arrest the spin - i.e., the
rudder and elevator - translating to more leverage.

Question 14

Where and when are unintentional spins most likely to occur?

Answer 14

• Base-to-final turns
• Go Arounds
• short field takeoffs and approaches
• Delayed recovery and poor technique during slow flight/stall training
• Disorientation at night or in IMC.