Acro Flight #2!

Vess was my designated IP for this flight and I showed up to the airport the day after flight #1 full of confidence (which translates to a substantial amount of pilot ego).  Hint: the previous sentence is loaded with foreshadow…

My second sortie in the Decathlon was to introduce me to spins – such a dreaded word in the flying community.  From a technical standpoint, a spin is an aggravated stall where one wing is in a deeper stall than the other.  The imbalance in stalls across wings results in rotation of the aircraft about an axis as it descends.  I can draw you a neat graph if you are curious.  In the course of basic training, pilots learn a recovery method (known by the acronym “PARE” – Google this for the full definition if interested), but demonstrating proficiency is not required to get your license.  While familiar with the recovery method, before this flight I had never entered a spin (or come close for that matter) and so I really did not know what sensations I would feel.

Prior to walking out to the aircraft, Vess and I did a complete briefing of what would happen in a spin (including talking through that cool graph I referenced above) and I tried my hardest to picture what I would see, how it would feel and most importantly how I would recover.  Off to the airplane… Flight suit…check! Preflight…check! Parachute…check! Helmet – visor down – HELL YEAH!!!  Let’s get this going! 

I digress for a moment (this is key for setting the stage to what I’m about to write).  I’ve felt comfortable flying since I first started lessons generally anytime the nose of the aircraft has been pointed anywhere but towards the ground.  Turbulence – tighten the belts. Navigating by maps – love it. Crosswinds –always an exciting challenge.  Stalls –… Stalls? Hello, stalls?? They have always been something that I don’t look forward to whether in training or the dreaded biennial flight review (oh no, have I gotten rusty since the last time we did this???).  There’s just something about a stall that when the nose drops (even just a bit – ref: Piper Archer) my stomach demonstrates the principles of inertia and stays put while the rest of my body loses altitude with the airplane. So, yeah, I’ve always had a fear of spins…

At altitude (8,000 feet – new record for me!), we did some clearing turns and just as importantly checked the area below us and it was time… Vess demonstrated the first spin and while I tried my hardest to pay attention to every detail; it was a freakin’ blur! Power to idle, decrease airspeed while maintaining altitude (cue back-pressure on the stick) and just as the airplane begins to buffet, full left rudder coupled with full back-pressure on the stick. Commence blur.

My turn to give it a shot...  I figured/hoped things would slow down a bit when I was at the controls. FALSE!  I did recover from the spin, but it was not in the count-out-the-turns, initiate smooth recovery sequence we had briefed.  Here is what my brain noticed… “OK, the ground is spinning, push opposite rudder. Oh wait, stick forward.  Oh wait, I pushed the stick too far forward and all I see is the, pull back quickly before we get too much speed! Oh, foot still on rudder.  What do I do next???? Wait, you need to fly!”  

I clearly could not master spin recovery during my first go around.  I initiated seven spins in this flight and could not once recover in a manner that met / exceeded all of the criteria which Gauntlet / Vess require of students to demonstrate proficiency.  During one recovery, I heard Vess’ gasp a bit over the mic in response to the negative G’s caused by me pushing forward on the stick too quickly…oops!

Hey Airsickness, I don’t think we’ve met before.  Yep, all of the sudden, that guy showed up to the party (uninvited of course).  Luckily, I recognized his presence and asked him to leave before he really made himself known (which would have otherwise occurred via a strategically placed airsick bag in my flight suit) and declared that for me, it was time to call it a day and head home.  The approach / landing was a blur, and most definitely not something to celebrate, I just needed to land and walk it off.  

Back to that whole pilot ego thing… I think I left it in a cabinet at Gauntlet that night on my way out.  I felt like I had just lost a crucial ballgame at the last second during the entire loooooooong drive back to the city from KARR.  I could not believe that I didn’t nail those spin recoveries.  How could I not? I’m a licensed pilot for God’s sake; I should be able to conquer anything! 

Quick sidebar – the experience discussed above was hands-down the most valuable flying learning experience I’ve had.  Spins are taught to be scary.  Very scary, and appropriately so.  However, when properly initiated in an appropriately-rated aircraft, I can’t think of a better teaching tool for saving lives should one accidentally find him or herself in a spin.   Check in later to read about when I was finally able to conquer my anxiety and master some spins (hint – lesson #4)!