In previous blog posts we described the judging criteria for the aerobatic competition spin. In this blog I will describe how to fly it and highlight common errors.
Aircraft spin differently according to how you enter the spin. If you are to recover on heading, you need to apply a consistent recovery technique to a consistent spin. To get a consistent spin your entry should be the same every time.
Extra 200 Aerobatic Competition Spin Steps:
- From a safe height, smoothly close the throttle, keeping the ball in the middle and raising the nose to maintain level flight.
- When the aircraft stalls, promptly apply full rudder followed by a little back stick to prevent the stick inadvertently going forward. Keep the ailerons neutral and count each half turn
- At the appropriate point recover by using full throttle and opposite rudder together followed by forward stick. The period before applying forward stick is very short, almost concurrent with the rudder, but not quite.
- Looking at the wing tip keep pushing the stick forward until the aircraft is exactly vertical down, using rudder to keep the wings level in yaw.
- Execute a quarter loop to come level at the desired speed.
Common Faults:
- Sinking before the stall
- Climbing before the stall
- Flicked entry – kicking rudder before the stall
- Using aileron to tweak the aircraft onto heading during recovery
- Not recovering on heading
- Not hitting the vertical on the down line
The key to success is a consistent entry and a consistent recovery. This requires ample practice ideally with somebody who is able to give you good critique from either the ground or inside the cockpit. If you would like to learn how to spin properly and safely, book a lesson with us and we will gladly teach you.
In Spinning Part 5, we will look at special factors associated with recovery after 1 1/4 and 1 3/4 turns
Adrian Willis