CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 31

CFI TOOLS
MY UNINTENTIONAL SPIN
AEROdYNAmICS 101 BY MACHTELD SMITH
FROM THE FIRST TIME I SETTLED DOWN IN THE LEFT SEAT OF A CESSNA
152, I HAVE MOSTLY LOVED CLIMBING INTO THE AIR AND ENJOYING
THE VIEW FROM ABOVE. I say mostly, because things didn't always go as
planned during my initial flight training.
Here is my story of my first encounter with a spin many years ago. The
article appeared in the August 1992 issue of AOPA Pilot under the heading
" Student Pilot Journal: A Stall Gone Wrong. " I'd like to share it as a reminder
that a bad experience can actually have a silver lining. Please share this
with students who may have been intimidated by an unusual experience
during training. I definitely learned from this!
" I waited. The nose of the Cessna 152 was slightly above the horizon. Power
off, full flaps extended, the airplane seemed reluctant to comply. My
concentration slackened for a moment.
The stall caught me by surprise. A habitual heavy left foot on the rudder forced
the airplane to skid, and the left wing dropped drastically. In an attempt to pull
the wing up, I quickly applied right aileron. To make matters worse, I jammed
the throttle into the fire wall, assuming that the stall break had occurred. The
result: a spin entry to the left, with full power and full flaps extended.
I panicked. My instructor recovered the spin after a 90-degree turn. I was
overwhelmed by fear of death.
The potential for a spin now loomed behind every stall I would practice, a
terrifying thought that aversely affected my flight training. I became afraid
of the airplane.
Until that day, I had not paid much attention to the placards on the
instrument panel. Spin recovery procedures were prominently displayed
on the 152's console. Reading them now, I was convinced that every flight
was doomed to terminate in a spin. That thought occupied my mind during
every lesson. It crippled my progress severely.
Spins were so much on my mind that when my instructor recommended spin
training, I was ripe for the suggestion. This sinister fiend had to be slain.
I would learn how to enter a spin and recover from one. This would also
boost my confidence, my instructor said. I agreed.
THE STALL CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE. A HABITUAL HEAVY LEFT FOOT ON THE RUDDER FORCED THE AIRPLANE TO
SKID, AND THE LEFT WING DROPPED DRASTICALLY.

CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1

CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 1
CFI Notes
From the Editor: Webinars and Wings
Getting Their Wingss—Sign Those Students Up!
Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
Safety Webinars: Flight Deck Technology—EFB
ASI Message: Bail Out When You Said You Would
CFI News
CFI Tips: Coming Out of Hibernation
Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
There I Was…: Chute Pull Over Dallas
Chart Challenge: How Long Is The Runway?
CFI's Point of View: Briefing for Success
Real Pilot Story: Lost Elevator
You Can Fly: AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
Safety Quiz: Aircraft Preflight
CFI Tools: My Unintentional Spin—Aerodynamics 101
Chief's Corner: Special VFR and Class E Surface Aera Operations
Safety Tip: Taxi Controls
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 1
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Notes
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - From the Editor: Webinars and Wings
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 4
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Getting Their Wingss—Sign Those Students Up!
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 6
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 7
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 8
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Webinars: Flight Deck Technology—EFB
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - ASI Message: Bail Out When You Said You Would
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 12
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI News
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 14
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 15
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 16
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Tips: Coming Out of Hibernation
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 18
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 19
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 21
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - There I Was…: Chute Pull Over Dallas
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 23
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Chart Challenge: How Long Is The Runway?
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI's Point of View: Briefing for Success
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 26
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Real Pilot Story: Lost Elevator
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 28
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - You Can Fly: AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Quiz: Aircraft Preflight
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Tools: My Unintentional Spin—Aerodynamics 101
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 32
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Chief's Corner: Special VFR and Class E Surface Aera Operations
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 34
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 35
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Tip: Taxi Controls
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