Inverted Flat Spins

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
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I was fortunate enough to have an awesome adventure yesterday.
I went to St. Augustine to go fly some aerobatics with Spencer Suderman.

Patty Wagstaff has a flight school there and meeting her was pretty exciting too. She is the most fun, and chill pilot I think I have met. They were both totally cool with filming some antics with me and of course we flew.

We covered a lot of maneuvers but Spencer mentioned I would never live it down if I were to fly with him and not do inverted flat spins. There is a bit of debating back and forth that I had to cut out but finally said Eff it. Just do it.



I would say that maneuver and snap rolls were the most intense.
My legs were shaky for about an hour after this flight.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I was fortunate enough to have an awesome adventure yesterday.
I went to St. Augustine to go fly some aerobatics with Spencer Suderman.

Patty Wagstaff has a flight school there and meeting her was pretty exciting too. She is the most fun, and chill pilot I think I have met. They were both totally cool with filming some antics with me and of course we flew.

We covered a lot of maneuvers but Spencer mentioned I would never live it down if I were to fly with him and not do inverted flat spins. There is a bit of debating back and forth that I had to cut out but finally said Eff it. Just do it.



I would say that maneuver and snap rolls were the most intense.
My legs were shaky for about an hour after this flight.
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Were you’re eyes blood shot? I did an aerobatic ride once. When I got back someone said if you get poked in the eye you’ll bleed to death.
 
luvflyin said:
Were you’re eyes blood shot? I did an aerobatic ride once. When I got back someone said if you get poked in the eye you’ll bleed to death.
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not that I really noticed. But I weigh underestimated how uncomfortable just maintaining inverted flight would be. Also it was very exhausting like I had just run a couple of miles.

Spencer said this is because the blood rushes to the top half of your body and your heart has to work harder to pump it down to your feet so you get exhausted much quicker.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
not that I really noticed. But I weigh underestimated how uncomfortable just maintaining inverted flight would be. Also it was very exhausting like I had just run a couple of miles.

Spencer said this is because the blood rushes to the top half of your body and your heart has to work harder to pump it down to your feet so you get exhausted much quicker.
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Yeah. It was extended inverted flying I liked the least. Maneuvers weren’t so bad. When we were done in the practice area he inverted it and flew upside down for awhile on the way back to the airport. I learned later that what had happened was all that blood in your head breaks capillaries. Had a headache the rest of day and next morning.
 
yeah extended inverted accel is not a part of aerobatics that I personally enjoy. Had to do it for work during FCF work, don't miss it. Plus all the crud and @ss-lint living in the bottom of the cabin from the hundred other dopes who flew the airplane before you, comes up and get all over your your eyes and ---t. Gross. Good way to pick up your dropped pencil or map without having to move the seat height though. :D
 
I am thrilled you got to experience this, Bryan, extra-thrilled you are sharing it with all of us. And quite thrilled I did not have to do all the inverted and other stuff!
 
I’ll bet you went head over heels for a flight in that plane.
 
hindsight2020 said:
yeah extended inverted accel is not a part of aerobatics that I personally enjoy. Had to do it for work during FCF work, don't miss it. Plus all the crud and @ss-lint living in the bottom of the cabin from the hundred other dopes who flew the airplane before you, comes up and get all over your your eyes and ---t. Gross. Good way to pick up your dropped pencil or map without having to move the seat height though. :D
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Yea, we got demo flat spins in the T-2B in VT-10. Made me glad intentional spins were a prohibited item in the Prowler. I may go do some upset and OOC training sometime but my 2500 hours of Navy time cured me of ever really wanting to do aerobatics on my own. Guy a couple of hangars over from us has an Extra. He's in his 60's and still goes out and practices all the time.
 
eman1200 said:
I’ll bet you went head over heels for a flight in that plane.
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I never understood that phrase. Aren't we usually "head over heels?" Wouldn't "Heels over head" be more appropriate?
 
Pugs said:
Guy a couple of hangars over from us has an Extra. He's in his 60's and still goes out and practices all the time.
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Nice. And don't get me wrong, I love gentleman's acro and recreational "BFM" form play. I just prefer the positive G realm; keeps my stuff where I last put it. :D

Thankfully I have no need for the cost of an Extra, where a much cheaper RV does everything I want, upside down and right side up. I do want to be like that guy you mentioned though, medically able to do acro every weekend in my 60s. Hope we can keep improving on BasicMed going forward, as I see myself relying heavily on that once I retire from the fly4pay grind.
 
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Dave Theisen said:
Best line from your Livestream the other night:

“Bryan, what maneuver would you like to see next?”

“Show me a landing!” :)
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I am editing a lot of that video now. I am a way bigger coward than I would like to think.
 
Thanks for the video, that’s another experience I’ll not need to try.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I am going to go back and take the 2 day intro course next summer.
It will be in a Decathalon.
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Decathlon is a great airplane to learn in. Very straightforward recovery from spins, both upright and inverted. Plenty of drag, so hard to put yourself in a situation where you can overstress the aircraft. Relatively slow roll rate forces you to master the control inputs for a slow roll instead of just whipping it around. Completely benign on the runway.

2 day course with top shelf school is a great way to get started right and know you have the foundational knowledge to fly acro safely.
 
Pugs said:
Yea, we got demo flat spins in the T-2B in VT-10.
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Old man!

Very cool 6PC. Getting thrown around in an airplane and seeing the earth from every direction is a great time. More so when you mean to do it :)
 
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