Spin video clip

[Diana]

Tom and I have been experimenting with our new digital video camera (thanks to all you guys who gave us such good advice about filming) and he shot a few of my spins over the farm.

I made a rough clip of some of the spins, and Chip polished it up for me and posted it on his web site.

http://www.tailwindfoundation.org/videos/spins.wmv

Thanks Chip! (And thanks also for encouraging me to get more spin training.)

 

[Michael]

WOW! That is awsome Diana. I wanna do that! Looks like fun. Great job.

Michael

 

[Toby]

WOW!!

GREAT video, Diana. I watched a few times -- was the third one a roll? It seemed to be going in a more horizontal direction, but it could have been the camera angle.

That multi-spin was awesome.

 

[Diana]

So, who's doing the inverted ribbon cut at Gaston's, you or Chip????

Will you do one with me? You won't mind if the engine quits while we're inverted, will you?

 

[poadeleted3]

Very cool! I'm still trying to perfect straight and level LOL. Have yet to do a spin.

 

[Diana]

WOW! That is awsome Diana. I wanna do that! Looks like fun. Great job.

Thanks Michael.

They look like more fun from outside the cockpit than inside, to me anyway. That's the next goal; to have Tom film them from the back seat.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Very cool! I'm still trying to perfect straight and level LOL. Have yet to do a spin.

Find a way to get to Gaston's, Joe. We'll take care of that!

 

[poadeleted3]

Find a way to get to Gaston's, Joe. We'll take care of that!

Wish I could, but it's just not in the cards for this year.

 

[Diana]

WOW!!

GREAT video, Diana. I watched a few times -- was the third one a roll? It seemed to be going in a more horizontal direction, but it could have been the camera angle.

I got tired of spins and did one of my spadeless Citabria aileron rolls. Hope nobody grades me on that one.

That multi-spin was awesome.

Three turns sure seems like a lot from where I'm sitting. I'm ready to be done with it by three.

 

[Diana]

Do I get a t-shirt that sez "Diana got me INVERTED" ?

Hahahahahahahaha! If I give you one, will you wear it? You only get one if you go inverted.

Actually, Toby and I have come up with a few ideas for T-shirts for female aerobatic pilots. We'll have to add your idea to the collection.

 

[Bill]

I made a rough clip of some of the spins, and Chip polished it up for me and posted it on his web site.

Great clip, I especially love the oh so slow stall into spin at about 0:40, very nice! The first one on the clip looks almost more like a snap roll than anything, what were you doing?

Chip, nice edit, which Donald Fagan/Steely Dan is that? I don't have it, but it sounds good.

May 28th until I get my next Citabria ride

 

[Diana]

Great clip, I especially love the oh so slow stall into spin at about 0:40, very nice! The first one on the clip looks almost more like a snap roll than anything, what were you doing?

They were all snapless spins. It was the camera angle that made the first one look different. Some of the spins were into the strong winds aloft and some were with the wind; that's another reason they looked different.

Chip, nice edit, which Donald Fagan/Steely Dan is that? I don't have it, but it sounds good.

Yea, it actually sounds better than the "girl music" I had originally thought about. Chip made an excellent choice; he does have good taste in music.

May 28th until I get my next Citabria ride

Well, shucks. That seems so far off, doesn't it.

 

[bbchien]

Very nice Bruce

 

[AdamZ]

Diana: THAT WAS AWESOME, AWESOME AWESOM!!! Very cool

 

[drhunt]

What great fun! Beautiful to watch and excellent music choice. What's next?



David
"Spinless in MT"

 

[gibbons]

Chip, nice edit, which Donald Fagan/Steely Dan is that? I don't have it, but it sounds good.

Bill,

Thanks. It's "Jack of Spade" from the "Two Against Nature" CD. Not my favorite Steely Dan disk but I do like that cut.

 

[Diana]

What great fun! Beautiful to watch and excellent music choice. What's next?

Well, if I answer a Decathlon or Pitts, I would probably get in trouble.

Actually, more advanced spin training would be great. Hard to get that around here.

 

[woodstock]

ohhhhhhhhhhhh, that looks like so much fun!! go Diana!

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Nice video & Steely Dan tune... Thanks

 

[Dustin]

Diana,

Awesome video. I believe I could handle the rolls, but I do not know how or if I would want to ever try a spin. They look nice from the ground, though.

 

[gonvrtd]

Diana,

Awesome video clip. I can feel every turn as I watch the video, really nice!!

 

[fgcason]

That's great Diana! You are having just way too much fun.

Where was Tom in relation to where you did the spins? Maybe try further off to one side if you can keep the plane large and stable enough in the picture. Might work, might not. Worth a try though. Just thinking through the keyboard.

You have to put Tom in the back seat with the camera now.

 

[gismo]

Diana,

Awesome video. I believe I could handle the rolls, but I do not know how or if I would want to ever try a spin. They look nice from the ground, though.

Trust me on this, spins are way less nausea inducing than rolls. The biggest issue with spins is that they look scary from the inside.

 

[gismo]

Very nice work Diana (& Tom).

 

[Toby]

The biggest issue with spins is that they look scary from the inside.

But, like everything else, you get used to the perspective and after a while the view looks normal.

 

[Diana]

That's great Diana! You are having just way too much fun.

It's still more fun to make the video clip later, than it is to do spins.

Where was Tom in relation to where you did the spins?

He was half a mile away for most of them, and 4000 feet below me. I tried to fly where he told me to. He had a hard time keeping me in the viewfinder and also talking to me on the radio at the same time. The winds were blowing me quite a bit. I don't know how people stay in that tiny little box for competition. Maybe Chip can tell us how after his training sessions.

The last spin was with Tom directly below me.

You have to put Tom in the back seat with the camera now.

That's next.

 

[Diana]

Trust me on this, spins are way less nausea inducing than rolls. The biggest issue with spins is that they look scary from the inside.

They still look scary to me from the cockpit. It happens so fast and the Citabria really drops just about straight down after it settles in. It's pretty close to terrorizing and mesmerizing to me yet. Maybe after a few hundred more it won't seem that way. Also, it feels very different without that ballast of another person in the back.

 

[gismo]

They still look scary to me from the cockpit. It happens so fast and the Citabria really drops just about straight down after it settles in. It's pretty close to terrorizing and mesmerizing to me yet. Maybe after a few hundred more it won't seem that way. Also, it feels very different without that ballast of another person in the back.

When you feel that you are truly in control while spinning and that it's just another fairly stable flight condition, it won't seem so terrorizing.

I can't get the Porterfield to stay in a spin without someone in back. It will spin when I solo from the back, but that's pretty cramped for my legs. Maybe someday I can figure out how to strap a hundred pounds of ballast in securely.

 

[Rudy]

Diana,
just watched the video! that looks like a complete blast! Im sure it really gets the blood pumping!

 

[EHITCH]

Diana,

GREAT video, thanks for posting it. Really makes me want to make it to Gaston's.
Elizabeth

 

[Diana]

Diana,

GREAT video, thanks for posting it. Really makes me want to make it to Gaston's.
Elizabeth

Thanks Elizabeth.

Why don't you plan on coming down and joining us? It sounds like a lot of great people will be flying in. And Toby and I will need help judging landings.

 

[Diana]

Very nice work Diana (& Tom).

Thank you Lance.

Maybe we can do some spins to celebrate your birthday when you get to Gaston's.

 

[Toby]

Thanks Elizabeth.

Why don't you plan on coming down and joining us? It sounds like a lot of great people will be flying in. And Toby and I will need help judging landings.

Yes, Elizabeth, please come!!! It's going to be so much fun.

 

[Bill]

They still look scary to me from the cockpit. It happens so fast and the Citabria really drops just about straight down after it settles in.

The first one was definitely the worst, and the second not much better. By the third, it wasn't quite so bad, and I guess it will get better still, I have two more three turn spins on the card.

And no kidding on the Citabria straight down thing, man, that bird just points its nose straight at the ground, just like the videos. Scary.

And, I'm recovering too aggressively on the stick on recovery. Instead of merely releasing back pressure, I'm "swiftly" moving the stick forward just as I've read in all of the books. What I end up doing (since the Citabria is already pointed almost straight down) is starting an inverted loop from the down position (negative G's). My instructor doesn't like that, and wants me to ease up on the "swiftly" forward stick thing. Very hard to go against everything I've learned/read on stall/spin recoveries, though.

 

[Diana]

And, I'm recovering too aggressively on the stick on recovery. Instead of merely releasing back pressure, I'm "swiftly" moving the stick forward just as I've read in all of the books. What I end up doing (since the Citabria is already pointed almost straight down) is starting an inverted loop from the down position (negative G's). My instructor doesn't like that

Gosh Bill, I don't know why your instructor doesn't like that.

and wants me to ease up on the "swiftly" forward stick thing. Very hard to go against everything I've learned/read on stall/spin recoveries, though.

MY Citabria badly wants to get itself out of the spin it's in, so releasing the back pressure (after the rudder work) works great for me in a normal recovery. Competition style spins will be different, but I'm not there yet. If I just let go of everything it comes out of the spin quickly. Has your instructor done the Muller/Beggs with you in the Citabria?

You may find that the Citabria doesn't always fit into the categories in the books in some respects. Aileron rolls, for instance. Maybe Chip would like to comment on aileron rolls in a Citabria?

 

[inav8r]

Trust me on this, spins are way less nausea inducing than rolls. The biggest issue with spins is that they look scary from the inside.

Umm, they look scary from the outside too!

 

[gismo]

Thank you Lance.

Maybe we can do some spins to celebrate your birthday when you get to Gaston's.

What, you're gonna feed me birthday cake and then get me to chuck it up inside your plane?

Actually, I'm hoping you can show me all the acro maneuvers you've been practicing, but preferrably before the cake.

 

[gismo]

And no kidding on the Citabria straight down thing, man, that bird just points its nose straight at the ground, just like the videos. Scary.

First, in every plane I've spun, the view out the front looked much steeper than my impression looking down a wing. Second, instinctive perceptions aside, spinning without the nose pointed way down is a lot scarier to me.

And, I'm recovering too aggressively on the stick on recovery. Instead of merely releasing back pressure, I'm "swiftly" moving the stick forward just as I've read in all of the books. What I end up doing (since the Citabria is already pointed almost straight down) is starting an inverted loop from the down position (negative G's). My instructor doesn't like that, and wants me to ease up on the "swiftly" forward stick thing. Very hard to go against everything I've learned/read on stall/spin recoveries, though.

You do want to modify your control inputs based on both the airplane's spinning attitude and it's reaction to your input. With the nose already pointed 9what seems like) straight down, you generally won't need much more than a relaxing of the aft stick pressure once you get the full opposite rudder in. In some airplanes (I'll bet a Citabria with just a pilot up front is one), you can get out of a spin with rudder alone while holding the stick all the way back. Other planes (Pitts and other Biplanes I've flown) seem to be able to keep spinning with full opposite rudder until you bring the stick forward at least to the neutral point to get the AOA on the wing down a bit. The thing you should notice is whether the rotation is stopping and how quickly it's stopping. If full oppostite rudder seems to have no effect, you probably need a more agressive forward stick movement. In any case, a spin recovery should have you well above 0 G (in the positive direction) throughout the recovery. If you feel like you get anywhere near to a negative G condition, you pushed to quickly and/or far.

 

[Toby]

My experience -- pushing the stick forward put me into an accelerated spin.

The recovery method I use in the Decathlon is to let go of the stick entirely. Let go, opposite rudder til the spin stops. Neutralize the rudder, level the wings, add power and recover from the dive. Now, the POH suggests a different method, but Mueller Beggs has worked and I've done it maybe 50 times.

 

[Bill]

You do want to modify your control inputs based on both the airplane's spinning attitude and it's reaction to your input.

I'll try that, but on the first few, I wasn't thinking very much past "make it stop and recover as fast as possible". I suppose as I get more used to spins, time will slow down and I'll be able to think and plan my inputs.

The thing you should notice is whether the rotation is stopping and how quickly it's stopping.

I guess that is true, because with my full anti-spin rudder and sharp forward stick, the spin seemed to stop very quickly and almost forcefully. I'm sure I could be much smoother on the recovery, but on the gripping hand, the whole idea of upset training is to learn to get out of trouble as quickly as possible.