Lesson 26: C152 - So this what they mean by slow flight
08/01/2007 Filed in: Flying
Wednesday - 08/01/07
I lied.
I obsessed about the checkride all damn weekend. It was bad... my wife would be happily yapping away about some marginally important topic like family, or bills, or food and all I could think about was "Please God, please don't let me screw up next Thursday." I even took the first two days of this week off from flying to study for the oral.
So with the checkride scheduled and barely over a week away, I decided it was time to face my demons. I scheduled an intro to spins in the school's C152 with CFI1. O-M-G.
For backstory, you must know that I have read numerous people's PPL training blogs, and the majority of them had at least one lesson involving spins.
I am not kidding when I tell you that just reading those various accounts of a student's first spin scared the bejesus out of me. I would often find myself shaking just upon reading their descriptions of the event.
Now, I hear from lots of folks that spins are "fun". I figured they simply did not understand the most basic definition of that word and were misusing it. Nevertheless, I considered it a right of passage to spin before getting my PPL, so I scheduled this flight. Moreover, I did not want my first spin to be an inadvertent one with me flying solo, or worse, with pax.
CFI1 and I preflight the airplane together. Being that we will be spinning shortly, I pay some extra attention to the rudder. I note that it is skewed slightly one way, but CFI1 tells me it's due to the nosewheel being cocked and that they are connected in some way. I defer to CFI1 on this, and we get in the airplane.
Now, I won't profess any genuine aviation acumen here. But I've now accumulated more than 40 hours in single engine airplanes. I've soloed, I've done my long solo XC, night flight, etc. And despite all of that, sitting in this 152 for the first time conjures in me the *exact* feeling I had on my very first lesson. I feel like I've never flown before.
I discover, to my surprise, that the 152 is remarkably easy to taxi, though the rudder pedals aren't sitting flush with each other. Runup is about the same and we find no problems there.
Me: Ok, so who's going to do the takeoff?
CFI1: <apparently surprised> You are!
Me: Hrm. Ok. Be ready on those controls though.
CFI1 seemed genuinely shocked at the question, which belies his misunderstanding of the magnitude of my lack of comfort in this airplane.
I taxi up to the runway, fiddle around with the weird syringe-like throttle for a minute, and the 152 rockets away with us pressed back hard into the back of the seats. Yeah, no, not really.
I rotate for what seems like an eternity before the 152 begrudgingly lifts off, as though it were a petulant child whom I have commanded to clean its room. Fortunately, I am a father of two, and dealing with petulance is my specialty.
So we begin the climb. CFI1 requests 5000ft MSL. It becomes clear early on that this is going to take some time. And by "some", I mean a "shitload". Fantastic. More time for me to build this up in my head and ratchet the terror up a notch or two.
Me: <singing> You spin me right round, baby, right round....
CFI1: <chuckle>
Me: Just so you know, my goal on the first couple is for you to do them and for me to not freak out.
CFI1: Ok. It's not that bad though, just think of it like a rollercoaster.
Me: If I manage not to freak out, I'll try a couple. Otherwise it's back to Smyrna.
CFI1: Ok.
Me: I'm sorry in advance if I grab you.
CFI1: <laughs>
CFI1 tunes in Nashville approach to hear any ILS traffic about us (they come right over our practice area). I divert slightly when I hear them discussing us with another airplane that is, in all liklihood, capable of climbing at more than our current 300fpm.
Finally, 5000 ft. This is it. The pucker is in-*stan*-taneous.
CFI1: Ok, my airplane.
He says it so authoritatively this time that it actually instills a bit of confidence in me. I'm glad for that, as I'll take all I can get. I give him the controls.
CFI1: Hmm.
Me: Hmm??
CFI1: Have the pedals been like this the whole time?
Me: Like what?
CFI1: The left one is cocked out towards us about two inches farther than the right one.
Me: Yeah, I thought it was a quirk of the airplane or due to the skew we noted back on the ground.
CFI1: No, that was the nosewheel, this is something else.
Me: <feeling VERY uncomfortable> ... ?
CFI1: I'm not very comfortable spinning it like that.
Me: <immediately> Then don't spin it!
CFI1: Ok, let's head back.
I admit it. I am actually relieved. I still know I've got to do it sometime, but not now. And certainly not in an airplane in which we are 200% sure of the rudder's capabilities.
I nose it over and note that the airplane descends a lot faster than it climbs. Whoddathunk it?
I radio Smyrna, get clearance and then...
Me: Ok, so who's gonna land it?
CFI1: <same surprise as before> You are!
Shit, I knew he was gonna say that.
We talk about approach speeds again, some crazy gadget called "carb heat" (God invented fuel injection for a reason, folks!), and other landing idiosyncrasies, and then it's time to test my meddle.
I bring it in, and being unsure where to flare, I just sorta wing it (pun not intended). Hey, cool! I just landed this thing... with little more than some preflight and knowing the V speeds, I took off and landed a totally new airplane today. That was really sort of empowering, even if it was only a 152.
When we get back to the office, CFI1 mentions to the powers that be that there might be a rudder cable problem. Sure enough, they have maintenance check and the cable came off of its pulley.
I have no evidence to back up this rather sobering thought, but I feel very strongly that CFI1 and I would be ex-humans if we had spun that airplane. Obviously, there were some problems with our preflight methods that led to this, which is, almost without question, a mistake that nearly cost us dearly.
On the other hand, once he noted the discrepancy, there was never a question in either of our minds about us spinning that airplane. Even if he had suggested we press on, I know I would have stopped him and said let's go back instead. I'm glad we did not compound one mistake with another. It probably saved our lives today.
Logged: 1.0
(felt a helluva lot longer though, I'll tell ya that)
Comments:
Tark
Member
Registered: Jul 2006
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 35
I'm curious, why the plane switch?
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by Tark
I'm curious, why the plane switch?
Not entirely sure. The school doesn't like the CFIs to spin anything because it tumbles the gyros. Maybe that's less of an issue on the 152 than the DA20s, or maybe it's just that the 152 spins less dramatically. Just a guess though...
nathan42100
Student Pilot-Lesson 4
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: KHPN
Posts: 178
Its probably the only plane that they allow spinning in.
As a side note, doesnt the runup consist of making sure that flight controls are free and CORRECT? By checking it on the ground you would have found that, right? And shouldn't you have been using rudders for turns?
Brian_TII
Member
Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 47
The gyros are probably older / cheaper in the 152. The FBO I fly out of has the same policy... only allow spins in their old 172.
soulie13
Senior Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: KHEF
Posts: 391
The DA20 is certified for spins, although I'm pretty sure the POH mentions something about not letting it go beyond 2 or 3 full rotations. Right before my checkride, the head of the school did a few spins where we only did roughly 3/4 of a rotation. It was enough to demonstrate the feel and recovery of a spin.
__________________
PP-ASEL
5/22/2007
DonH
Will Fly for Food
Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 1086
I am very curious. All of my checklists have the line Flight Controls Free and Correct. Check them all visually against input you are doing.
Did you do this before takeoff and what was the resistance on the rudder pedals?
__________________
This Space for Rent !
nathan42100
Student Pilot-Lesson 4
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: KHPN
Posts: 178
didnt I just say that?
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by nathan42100
As a side note, doesnt the runup consist of making sure that flight controls are free and CORRECT? By checking it on the ground you would have found that, right? And shouldn't you have been using rudders for turns?
I'll take responsibility for that.
I check the controls every time during runup. In fact, I'm a lot more anal about this than anyone I know. I will actually check (with visual verification when possible) every single permutation of controls between aileron, elevator, and rudder before moving on to the rest of the checklist.
Today, however, after noting the rudder was skewed in preflight, I sort of accepted that it might remain so during the runup check. I did, however, 100% for sure, no doubt whatsoever check all the controls and permutations as above, and noted they all worked properly. I even noted with some surprise that I could look out the back of the C152 and see the rudder swinging (something I can't do in the katana).
So the rudder was working, it was effective, and it showed no signs of causing uncoordinated turns. However, I make an incorrect and dangerous assumption about the deflection of that left pedal due to:
a) my preflight observation and explanation by CFI1 and
b) it was a new airplane to me
I'm not making excuses. But after careful consideration of the events, those are the facts as I see them.
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Originally posted by Sysvr4
However, I make an incorrect and dangerous assumption about the deflection of that left pedal due to:
a) my preflight observation and explanation by CFI1 and
b) it was a new airplane to me
Very classic mistake by cfi1. You were in a new airplane and did not know the 'feel' of the rudder pedals in this case.
Which is one of the reasons why it is just plain wrong for flightschools to 'do the spin' in a completely different airplane. That just 'fills the blank', but does not provide the proper pilot training that is supposed to be the result of spin training.
I'm not puttin' down Mr. cfi1; I might have done the same if forced to provide spin training to a student in a new airplane, but it supports my position that this practice does not really provide the experience it is supposed to - and can really rachet up the danger factor in spins.
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by nosehair
Which is one of the reasons why it is just plain wrong for flightschools to 'do the spin' in a completely different airplane. That just 'fills the blank', but does not provide the proper pilot training that is supposed to be the result of spin training.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
dbarbee
Senior Member
Registered: Dec 2003
Location: KRVS (Tulsa Riverside)
Posts: 270
Re: Lesson 26: C152 - So this what they mean by slow flight
Originally posted by Sysvr4
I am not kidding when I tell you that just reading those various accounts of a student's first spin scared the bejesus out of me. I would often find myself shaking just upon reading their descriptions of the event.
All the more reasons to experience spins in my opinion. My first power on stall experience spooked me pretty bad because we almost went into a spin. Rolling nearly upside down while staring at a windshield full of earth was almost enough to make me quit right there!
In a later lesson, we did some spins, first the CFI demo'd a couple, then I did a couple. It made a world of difference actually doing the recovery and seeing I could get out of a spin. (But in no way did it make me want to go do them on my own just for fun)
I think it actually made it easier for me to avoid spins, because now I'm not so tensed up and nervous that I can't react.
__________________
Quote from my wife after my first solo:
"What do you mean 'he got out of the plane?' You mean you were in the airplane by yourself?!!"
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Re: Re: Lesson 26: C152 - So this what they mean by slow flight
Originally posted by dbarbee
I think it actually made it easier for me to avoid spins, because now I'm not so tensed up and nervous that I can't react.
Thank you, thank you,..thank you vera much.
(in my best Elvis voice)
This is the point I try to make to all the naysayers about spins. They don't see that it can reduce the spin accidents, because the killing spins occur below 1000', and we practice them at much higher altitudes.
But I believe that the training simply gets you out of that "nervous feeling" when you are slow, so that you are in better control on those low, slow approaches.
Sandi3229
Private Pilot - ASEL
Registered: Oct 2005
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Posts: 197
Originally posted by soulie13
The DA20 is certified for spins, although I'm pretty sure the POH mentions something about not letting it go beyond 2 or 3 full rotations. Right before my checkride, the head of the school did a few spins where we only did roughly 3/4 of a rotation. It was enough to demonstrate the feel and recovery of a spin.
My instructor demo'd a spin in the DA-20 ... scared the crap out of me!! But a valuable experience overall after I stopped screaming and let go of his arm!!
__________________
"To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home."
Raph
What was that noise...?
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Brussels
Posts: 3660
I got suspended for a period of 2 weeks a while back for doing them solo in our 152 above the airfield. I never let them develop more than 1.5 turns.
The 152 is really docile.
But, don't do the spins alone unless your flight school gives you a specific endorsement.
After a couple or more, you get used to them, and they get to be quite fun.
PS.: PLEASE BEFORE YOU DO SPINS, ***MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS WELL AND TRULY FASTENED AS WELL AS ANYTHING ELSE IN THE CABIN ***".... I think that things floating around in the cabin or loose are one of the biggest dangers of practicing special maneuvers in general.
Raph
Be Safe and Have Fun.
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Originally posted by Raph
I got suspended for a period of 2 weeks a while back for doing them solo in our 152 above the airfield.
Just so you know:
FAR 91.303 Aerobatic Flight
No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight-
(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport.
In other words, not over an airport.
Jeff S KDTW
Patent Pending
Registered: Jan 2003
Location: Flying at Mach 0.30
Posts: 7836
Originally posted by nosehair
Just so you know:
FAR 91.303 Aerobatic Flight
No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight-
(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport.
In other words, not over an airport.
Raph is in Belgium. I suspect their regs mirror ours, but I'm not positive.
I lied.
I obsessed about the checkride all damn weekend. It was bad... my wife would be happily yapping away about some marginally important topic like family, or bills, or food and all I could think about was "Please God, please don't let me screw up next Thursday." I even took the first two days of this week off from flying to study for the oral.
So with the checkride scheduled and barely over a week away, I decided it was time to face my demons. I scheduled an intro to spins in the school's C152 with CFI1. O-M-G.
For backstory, you must know that I have read numerous people's PPL training blogs, and the majority of them had at least one lesson involving spins.
I am not kidding when I tell you that just reading those various accounts of a student's first spin scared the bejesus out of me. I would often find myself shaking just upon reading their descriptions of the event.
Now, I hear from lots of folks that spins are "fun". I figured they simply did not understand the most basic definition of that word and were misusing it. Nevertheless, I considered it a right of passage to spin before getting my PPL, so I scheduled this flight. Moreover, I did not want my first spin to be an inadvertent one with me flying solo, or worse, with pax.
CFI1 and I preflight the airplane together. Being that we will be spinning shortly, I pay some extra attention to the rudder. I note that it is skewed slightly one way, but CFI1 tells me it's due to the nosewheel being cocked and that they are connected in some way. I defer to CFI1 on this, and we get in the airplane.
Now, I won't profess any genuine aviation acumen here. But I've now accumulated more than 40 hours in single engine airplanes. I've soloed, I've done my long solo XC, night flight, etc. And despite all of that, sitting in this 152 for the first time conjures in me the *exact* feeling I had on my very first lesson. I feel like I've never flown before.
I discover, to my surprise, that the 152 is remarkably easy to taxi, though the rudder pedals aren't sitting flush with each other. Runup is about the same and we find no problems there.
Me: Ok, so who's going to do the takeoff?
CFI1: <apparently surprised> You are!
Me: Hrm. Ok. Be ready on those controls though.
CFI1 seemed genuinely shocked at the question, which belies his misunderstanding of the magnitude of my lack of comfort in this airplane.
I taxi up to the runway, fiddle around with the weird syringe-like throttle for a minute, and the 152 rockets away with us pressed back hard into the back of the seats. Yeah, no, not really.
I rotate for what seems like an eternity before the 152 begrudgingly lifts off, as though it were a petulant child whom I have commanded to clean its room. Fortunately, I am a father of two, and dealing with petulance is my specialty.
So we begin the climb. CFI1 requests 5000ft MSL. It becomes clear early on that this is going to take some time. And by "some", I mean a "shitload". Fantastic. More time for me to build this up in my head and ratchet the terror up a notch or two.
Me: <singing> You spin me right round, baby, right round....
CFI1: <chuckle>
Me: Just so you know, my goal on the first couple is for you to do them and for me to not freak out.
CFI1: Ok. It's not that bad though, just think of it like a rollercoaster.
Me: If I manage not to freak out, I'll try a couple. Otherwise it's back to Smyrna.
CFI1: Ok.
Me: I'm sorry in advance if I grab you.
CFI1: <laughs>
CFI1 tunes in Nashville approach to hear any ILS traffic about us (they come right over our practice area). I divert slightly when I hear them discussing us with another airplane that is, in all liklihood, capable of climbing at more than our current 300fpm.
Finally, 5000 ft. This is it. The pucker is in-*stan*-taneous.
CFI1: Ok, my airplane.
He says it so authoritatively this time that it actually instills a bit of confidence in me. I'm glad for that, as I'll take all I can get. I give him the controls.
CFI1: Hmm.
Me: Hmm??
CFI1: Have the pedals been like this the whole time?
Me: Like what?
CFI1: The left one is cocked out towards us about two inches farther than the right one.
Me: Yeah, I thought it was a quirk of the airplane or due to the skew we noted back on the ground.
CFI1: No, that was the nosewheel, this is something else.
Me: <feeling VERY uncomfortable> ... ?
CFI1: I'm not very comfortable spinning it like that.
Me: <immediately> Then don't spin it!
CFI1: Ok, let's head back.
I admit it. I am actually relieved. I still know I've got to do it sometime, but not now. And certainly not in an airplane in which we are 200% sure of the rudder's capabilities.
I nose it over and note that the airplane descends a lot faster than it climbs. Whoddathunk it?
I radio Smyrna, get clearance and then...
Me: Ok, so who's gonna land it?
CFI1: <same surprise as before> You are!
Shit, I knew he was gonna say that.
We talk about approach speeds again, some crazy gadget called "carb heat" (God invented fuel injection for a reason, folks!), and other landing idiosyncrasies, and then it's time to test my meddle.
I bring it in, and being unsure where to flare, I just sorta wing it (pun not intended). Hey, cool! I just landed this thing... with little more than some preflight and knowing the V speeds, I took off and landed a totally new airplane today. That was really sort of empowering, even if it was only a 152.
When we get back to the office, CFI1 mentions to the powers that be that there might be a rudder cable problem. Sure enough, they have maintenance check and the cable came off of its pulley.
I have no evidence to back up this rather sobering thought, but I feel very strongly that CFI1 and I would be ex-humans if we had spun that airplane. Obviously, there were some problems with our preflight methods that led to this, which is, almost without question, a mistake that nearly cost us dearly.
On the other hand, once he noted the discrepancy, there was never a question in either of our minds about us spinning that airplane. Even if he had suggested we press on, I know I would have stopped him and said let's go back instead. I'm glad we did not compound one mistake with another. It probably saved our lives today.
Logged: 1.0
(felt a helluva lot longer though, I'll tell ya that)
Comments:
Tark
Member
Registered: Jul 2006
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 35
I'm curious, why the plane switch?
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by Tark
I'm curious, why the plane switch?
Not entirely sure. The school doesn't like the CFIs to spin anything because it tumbles the gyros. Maybe that's less of an issue on the 152 than the DA20s, or maybe it's just that the 152 spins less dramatically. Just a guess though...
nathan42100
Student Pilot-Lesson 4
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: KHPN
Posts: 178
Its probably the only plane that they allow spinning in.
As a side note, doesnt the runup consist of making sure that flight controls are free and CORRECT? By checking it on the ground you would have found that, right? And shouldn't you have been using rudders for turns?
Brian_TII
Member
Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 47
The gyros are probably older / cheaper in the 152. The FBO I fly out of has the same policy... only allow spins in their old 172.
soulie13
Senior Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: KHEF
Posts: 391
The DA20 is certified for spins, although I'm pretty sure the POH mentions something about not letting it go beyond 2 or 3 full rotations. Right before my checkride, the head of the school did a few spins where we only did roughly 3/4 of a rotation. It was enough to demonstrate the feel and recovery of a spin.
__________________
PP-ASEL
5/22/2007
DonH
Will Fly for Food
Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 1086
I am very curious. All of my checklists have the line Flight Controls Free and Correct. Check them all visually against input you are doing.
Did you do this before takeoff and what was the resistance on the rudder pedals?
__________________
This Space for Rent !
nathan42100
Student Pilot-Lesson 4
Registered: Jul 2007
Location: KHPN
Posts: 178
didnt I just say that?
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by nathan42100
As a side note, doesnt the runup consist of making sure that flight controls are free and CORRECT? By checking it on the ground you would have found that, right? And shouldn't you have been using rudders for turns?
I'll take responsibility for that.
I check the controls every time during runup. In fact, I'm a lot more anal about this than anyone I know. I will actually check (with visual verification when possible) every single permutation of controls between aileron, elevator, and rudder before moving on to the rest of the checklist.
Today, however, after noting the rudder was skewed in preflight, I sort of accepted that it might remain so during the runup check. I did, however, 100% for sure, no doubt whatsoever check all the controls and permutations as above, and noted they all worked properly. I even noted with some surprise that I could look out the back of the C152 and see the rudder swinging (something I can't do in the katana).
So the rudder was working, it was effective, and it showed no signs of causing uncoordinated turns. However, I make an incorrect and dangerous assumption about the deflection of that left pedal due to:
a) my preflight observation and explanation by CFI1 and
b) it was a new airplane to me
I'm not making excuses. But after careful consideration of the events, those are the facts as I see them.
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Originally posted by Sysvr4
However, I make an incorrect and dangerous assumption about the deflection of that left pedal due to:
a) my preflight observation and explanation by CFI1 and
b) it was a new airplane to me
Very classic mistake by cfi1. You were in a new airplane and did not know the 'feel' of the rudder pedals in this case.
Which is one of the reasons why it is just plain wrong for flightschools to 'do the spin' in a completely different airplane. That just 'fills the blank', but does not provide the proper pilot training that is supposed to be the result of spin training.
I'm not puttin' down Mr. cfi1; I might have done the same if forced to provide spin training to a student in a new airplane, but it supports my position that this practice does not really provide the experience it is supposed to - and can really rachet up the danger factor in spins.
Sysvr4
Senior Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: KMQY
Posts: 174
Originally posted by nosehair
Which is one of the reasons why it is just plain wrong for flightschools to 'do the spin' in a completely different airplane. That just 'fills the blank', but does not provide the proper pilot training that is supposed to be the result of spin training.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
dbarbee
Senior Member
Registered: Dec 2003
Location: KRVS (Tulsa Riverside)
Posts: 270
Re: Lesson 26: C152 - So this what they mean by slow flight
Originally posted by Sysvr4
I am not kidding when I tell you that just reading those various accounts of a student's first spin scared the bejesus out of me. I would often find myself shaking just upon reading their descriptions of the event.
All the more reasons to experience spins in my opinion. My first power on stall experience spooked me pretty bad because we almost went into a spin. Rolling nearly upside down while staring at a windshield full of earth was almost enough to make me quit right there!
In a later lesson, we did some spins, first the CFI demo'd a couple, then I did a couple. It made a world of difference actually doing the recovery and seeing I could get out of a spin. (But in no way did it make me want to go do them on my own just for fun)
I think it actually made it easier for me to avoid spins, because now I'm not so tensed up and nervous that I can't react.
__________________
Quote from my wife after my first solo:
"What do you mean 'he got out of the plane?' You mean you were in the airplane by yourself?!!"
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Re: Re: Lesson 26: C152 - So this what they mean by slow flight
Originally posted by dbarbee
I think it actually made it easier for me to avoid spins, because now I'm not so tensed up and nervous that I can't react.
Thank you, thank you,..thank you vera much.
(in my best Elvis voice)
This is the point I try to make to all the naysayers about spins. They don't see that it can reduce the spin accidents, because the killing spins occur below 1000', and we practice them at much higher altitudes.
But I believe that the training simply gets you out of that "nervous feeling" when you are slow, so that you are in better control on those low, slow approaches.
Sandi3229
Private Pilot - ASEL
Registered: Oct 2005
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Posts: 197
Originally posted by soulie13
The DA20 is certified for spins, although I'm pretty sure the POH mentions something about not letting it go beyond 2 or 3 full rotations. Right before my checkride, the head of the school did a few spins where we only did roughly 3/4 of a rotation. It was enough to demonstrate the feel and recovery of a spin.
My instructor demo'd a spin in the DA-20 ... scared the crap out of me!! But a valuable experience overall after I stopped screaming and let go of his arm!!
__________________
"To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home."
Raph
What was that noise...?
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Brussels
Posts: 3660
I got suspended for a period of 2 weeks a while back for doing them solo in our 152 above the airfield. I never let them develop more than 1.5 turns.
The 152 is really docile.
But, don't do the spins alone unless your flight school gives you a specific endorsement.
After a couple or more, you get used to them, and they get to be quite fun.
PS.: PLEASE BEFORE YOU DO SPINS, ***MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS WELL AND TRULY FASTENED AS WELL AS ANYTHING ELSE IN THE CABIN ***".... I think that things floating around in the cabin or loose are one of the biggest dangers of practicing special maneuvers in general.
Raph
Be Safe and Have Fun.
nosehair
Senior Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location:
Posts: 553
Originally posted by Raph
I got suspended for a period of 2 weeks a while back for doing them solo in our 152 above the airfield.
Just so you know:
FAR 91.303 Aerobatic Flight
No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight-
(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport.
In other words, not over an airport.
Jeff S KDTW
Patent Pending
Registered: Jan 2003
Location: Flying at Mach 0.30
Posts: 7836
Originally posted by nosehair
Just so you know:
FAR 91.303 Aerobatic Flight
No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight-
(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport.
In other words, not over an airport.
Raph is in Belgium. I suspect their regs mirror ours, but I'm not positive.