Stalls - Nervousness

OP- Stalls are a training maneuver, nothing more. A power-off stall is an approach stall and power-on is a departure stall. You'll probably never experience either in real life but in case a wind gust or load shift surprises you? You need to know how to recognize what's happening and manage the controls to prevent it from becoming dangerous. When you go up to do stalls in training you're at a safe altitude and use controlled entry and have completely predictable results. Hold it in the stall too long and a wing may tuck. Imagine doing that close to the ground. Not good. Take the opportunity to learn about the airplane. Learn to recognize how the controls feel and how a subtle change in your inputs can change the result for the airplane. Learn that when critically slow lowering the nose is how to keep it flying. That's what it's all about.
 
timwinters said:
I believe your misremembering. Check out section 2 of this 172SP POH:

http://dpwiese.mit.edu/POH/C172SP_IM_2005_navIII.pdf
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I got a bit confused about who was saying what here, so for the benefit of other readers:

Originally, somebody asserted that a 172 was approved for intentional spins in both the normal and the utility categories. That's the part that's not true. The 172 is only approved for intentional spins in the utility category. The M,N,R,S all say basically the same thing with regard to the normal and utility categories and when spins are approved or not approved.
 
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The 172 can be spun in any category and more likely than not recovered. It is only APPROVED in certain categories. Otherwise you could just load it over 2100 pounds where spins are PROHIBITED and then never worry about it spinning. ;)
 
CC268 said:
Thanks guys I am sure I will get it sorted out...
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You will but that's when you need to be careful. It's not the people that are scared of stuff that get themselves killed, it's mostly the ones who ain't scared of nuthin'
 
DFH65 said:
The 172 can be spun in any category and more likely than not recovered. It is only APPROVED in certain categories. Otherwise you could just load it over 2100 pounds where spins are PROHIBITED and then never worry about it spinning. ;)
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It's only intentional spins that are prohibited....
 
Silvaire said:
You will but that's when you need to be careful. It's not the people that are scared of stuff that get themselves killed, it's mostly the ones who ain't scared of nuthin'
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That's true in a planning sense. Not necessarily in an emergency. You can't be afraid of the airplane when evading birds or other aircraft, for instance.
 
No spins in a 172 in the Normal category, even in the 172SP. In the SP we had, the rear seat had to come out to get the balance within the utility category; that's one effect that the new FAR 23 seats had on the airplane. Too heavy, along with all the other stuff Cessna added when they went back into production.

A 172 is REALLY reluctant to spin. In a straight-ahead stall, it just isn't going to do it. Even getting as aggressive as you can with power and rudder, it might not spin to the right more than a turn without spiralling out of it.
 
DFH65 said:
Oh and when you and the instructor do spins cage the gyro on the attitude indicator. Lest you tumble it and it doesn't recover and your instructors dad who owns the plane becomes very unhappy. Ask me how I know. :)
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That's a really old gyro. Can't cage modern gyros at all.
 
CC268 said:
I keep thinking that we might accidentally end up in a spin and be done for...
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Unless you're in a Cirrus or at low altitude, you're not "done for" if you end up in a spin.


Falling leaf is a GREAT exercise if you're skittish about the stall.
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This!!
 
Stearman said:
Unless you're in a Cirrus or at low altitude, you're not "done for" if you end up in a spin.
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Cirri spin and recover conventionally. They used the chute as an alternate means of Part 23 compliance, it in no ways means it can't recover from a spin. It's certified for such in Europe.
 
bullwinkle said:
Cirri spin and recover conventionally. They used the chute as an alternate means of Part 23 compliance, it in no ways means it can't recover from a spin. It's certified for such in Europe.
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Didn't know that. Thanks.
 
CC268 said:
Hey guys,

Today I experienced my first very bumpy ride! Big up drafts and down drafts...I didn't mind it much though and still felt comfortable...although the turbulence caught me off guard here and there and scared me a bit.

Anyways...we did quite a few power on and power off stalls today as I told my instructor I wanted to get really comfortable with stall recovery...stalls really make me nervous. I keep thinking that we might accidentally end up in a spin and be done for...I know my 1979 C172 is rated for spins, but you have to be in the Utility category...I haven't actually looked at the weight and balance in the handbook but my guess is that with two people and full fuel we may not be in the Utility category (but I need to confirm this).

I guess it just freaks me out that we might stall and then one wing drops and bam were in a spin of death! If we aren't in the Utility category we may not be able to recover from a spin...I always make sure to keep us coordinated with right rudder but sometimes when the plane stalls it likes to dip a wing momentarily and it kind of freaks me out.

So what are your guys' thoughts on this?

Oh...we did some flying with the foggles on...I do okay with the foggles in smooth air but trying to maintain altitude and heading and attitude in turbulence is fricken hard with foggles!
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this is a very good fear to have, because it stays at the forefront of your mind. When I first practiced stalls I was terrified, now not so much, however I'd like to do some spin training just to experience it; however from my experience so far, if the weather is calm it's quite difficult to put a 172 or a PA-28 into a spin, very stable aircraft.
 
I personally don't like teaching spins in 172(s). Most of them just don't really spin worth a **** and it's so easy to fall out of the spin into a nose-low spiraling dive which results in rapid increases in energy then requiring a fair amount of G(s) to come out of. I think it's a poor platform for teaching someone what a spin is really about.

A 150 or 152 is way better for teaching spins. Better yet if you can get to an airplane built to spin.
 
jesse said:
I personally don't like teaching spins in 172(s). Most of them just don't really spin worth a **** and it's so easy to fall out of the spin into a nose-low spiraling dive which results in rapid increases in energy then requiring a fair amount of G(s) to come out of. I think it's a poor platform for teaching someone what a spin is really about.

A 150 or 152 is way better for teaching spins. Better yet if you can get to an airplane built to spin.
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Interesting...guess I won't do spins in a 172 then...maybe I will try to get some spin training from an acro instructor after my PPL.
 
7AC Champ is the best spinning airplane I've flown so far. Try to get in one of those if you can.
 
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