I think exposure to aerobatics should be required for a PPC

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danpass

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danpass
At least basic maneuvers exposure, if not flat out training.

Essentially something that will demonstrate to the student that, "no, a tail slide will not instantaneously result in a mushroom cloud on the ground".

Something that will help minimize the panic potential for the student pilot if they should ever find themselves in a 'situation' on a solo.

I had only 10 hours when I reached out to a local instructor who specialized in aerobatics.

Loved it.
(my body still needed convincing but my soul loved it :D )


Video of that flight, for those who might be curious:

 
Aerobatics made me feel a lot better about flying, but making it a requirement would prevent a lot of students from getting their licenses due to fear. Besides, there aren't aerobatic instructors everywhere there are CFIs.
 
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I also think it’s a good idea. When I did my PPL they required 1hr of unusual attitude recovery and 1hr of spin training in our Super Decathlon.

I think both should be mandatory everywhere. Lots of good skills to be had.
 
Nothing stops a pilot from seeking any sort of advanced or different training. Aerobatics, tailwheel, etc. Usually pilots are cheap. A good pilot should utilize anything to better themselves and expand thier knowledge. But once again unless they are going to the airlines and just want to get the ratings, majority of the average pilot doesn’t want to spend the time or money to expand thier horizons.
 
I support more unusual attitudes training, but I think aerobatics (e.g., teaching loops and rolls) is of less value for training the average GA pilot. I love doing acro and it's made me a better pilot so I get what you're saying, but its probably too much for the PPL. And even better than teaching how to get out of an unusual attitude is training pilots to not get themselves into one in the first place, e.g., coordinated maneuvering at a safe margin about the stall. That doesn't seem to be getting as much serious attention.
 
I don't think acro is practical or wise to require for the PPL for a number of reasons, but...cadets were required to learn basic acro during primary training in the WWII era and how many of them do you think went through their flying careers afraid of stalls/spins, unusual attitudes, and banking past 20 degrees in the pattern, with a tendency to skid turns because of their fear? Extremely few I would say.
 
was that even acro?

liked the version of Sail!
 
I think it's kinda crazy there are pilots that have never done a spin.
 
I don't think its necessary...but I also think my acro/spin flights and actual IMC flight during PP training were exceptionally instructive.

Especially if the acro/spin work is used to show real world stuff -- how skidding final spins/impossible turns/etc actually happen, at altitude. Similar with doing a real 180 escape from IMC.

But getting flung around in a Pitts is just a lot of fun too. And wearing a chute then got me to go jump out of a plane on purpose. It's slippery slope....
 
I think checking out in a tail wheel aircraft would be much more valuable. I had several students come to me wanting to learn aerobatics, and I was glad to teach them, but once they discovered it was somewhat pointless to learn to loop and roll an airplane they can’t land or takeoff, they wanted to learn tail wheel flying.
 
anyone know of any aerobatic flights offered in TN?
 
During one of my solos, I inadvertently went into a spin. No idea how I got out of it, I panicked and I did something but the memory of what I did is fuzzy. All I could remember I got scared sh*tless and headed straight back to the airport. I was terrified until I took a few hours of acro training in a Decathlon. Doing stall training and how to prevent stalls and spins was less valuable to me than actually spinning the plane on purpose and experience the fully developed spin. I know a C172 is not a Decathlon but the fear I had of spins is gone now thanks to acro training.
 
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I do not see how this would enhance GA whatsoever... other than to have some bonehead trying to loop a C152.
 
I don’t think it’s necessary to make it a PTS requirement. I think pretty much everyone goes out and does wing-overs and canyon turns on their own after getting their PPL. You don’t really need to pay an instructor or put on a parachute, you’ve already learned what it takes.
 
Hippike said:
During one of my solos, I inadvertently went into a spin. No idea how I got out of it, I panicked and I did something but the memory of what I did is fuzzy. All I could remember I got scared sh*tless and headed straight back to the airport. I was terrified until I took a few hours of acro training in a Decathlon. Doing stall training and how to prevent stalls and spins was less valuable to me than actually spinning the plane on purpose and experience the fully developed spin. I know a C172 is not a Decathlon but the fear I had of spins is gone now thanks to acro training.
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If you merely relax the controls the 172 will stop spinning. A 150 will give you a better ride!
 
I believe it was required until 1949, then dropped for ppl. I learned in a tomahawk, after three spins you die, tail gets blanked out.
 
Paulie said:
I believe it was required until 1949, then dropped for ppl. I learned in a tomahawk, after three spins you die, tail gets blanked out.
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Here's great video of Tomahawk spin testing. They go well beyond 3 turns, but it has an interesting characteristic with fully developed spins where initially there is increased rotation rate when anti-spin controls are applied. That could definitely confuse a pilot not familiar with this behavior. But it does recover from the spin.

 
Paulie said:
I believe it was required until 1949, then dropped for ppl. I learned in a tomahawk, after three spins you die, tail gets blanked out.
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The mountain of BS propagated about this airplane is astonishing. The Tomahawk spins more readily than the other common trainers. It has absolutely no issues recovering regardless of number of turns. The rotation rate accelerates slightly and momentary during the recovery, but no bad habits. The BS probably came about due to a number of spin accidents. Spin accidents in almost all airplanes have one common denominator - lack of skill. No different with this airplane.
 
Brad Z said:
Sully had to put a Airbus in the Hudson, so all ATPs must hold a glider rating on their certificate.
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And Robert Pearson, another semi-famous ATP with a glider rating.
 
SkyDog58 said:
You know, listing a city instead of just a state will yield better results.
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Ok then, Nashville! Having not heard of anything offered around here I thought broadening the search area to TN might have a better chance of results. That being said, I haven’t actively searched the area for this yet.
 
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