POWER-ON STALLS

Description

A rapid degeneration of lift as a result of excessive angle of attack, entered from takeoff and climb configuration.

Objective

To teach recognition and recovery from a full stall under take-off conditions and required recovery action.

Setup

·         Clear the area

·         Choose forced landing area

·         Configure aircraft for just before take-off: gear down, no flaps, carburetor heat on, slow to normal take-off speed with max propeller RPM (C172RG: 15” Hg, 2700 RPM, 65 KIAS), altitude so recovery is ≥1500’ AGL

·         Select outside references

·         Throttle to full (carburetor heat off) while simultaneously applying back-elevator pressure to smoothly raise nose to a high pitch attitude

·         Maintain back-elevator pressure at its full limit until airspeed, bleeding airspeed until it falls beyond V_S1 (C172RG: 50 KIAS) and stalls

·         Maintain coordination (ball centered) and neutral ailerons

Recovery

·         Reduce the angle of attack by releasing back-elevator pressure

·         Simultaneously increasing throttle to full (if not already)

·         Anticipate left-turning tendencies with right rudder pressure

·         Return nose to straight-and-level coordinated flight

·         Maintain ball centered

·         Upon positive rate of climb, retract flaps and gear as necessary

·         Look for traffic

 

Practice both straight-and-level and turning stalls (up to 20º). Indicators: speed, buffeting and stall horn.

Common Errors

·         Failure to adequately clear the area

·         Inability to recognize an approaching stall condition through feel for the airplane

·         Premature recovery

·         Over-reliance on the airspeed indicator while excluding other cues

·         Inadequate scanning resulting in an unintentional wing-low condition during entry

·         Excessive back-elevator pressure resulting in an exaggerated nose-up attitude during entry

·         Inadequate rudder control

·         Inadvertent secondary stall during recovery

·         Failure to maintain a constant bank angle during turning stalls

·         Excessive forward-elevator pressure during recovery resulting in negative load on the wings

·         Excessive airspeed buildup during recovery

·         Failure to take timely action to prevent a full stall during the conduct of imminent stalls

References

FAA-H-8083-3A Airplane Flying Handbook p. 4-8

JS314510-001 Jeppesen Guided Flight Discovery Private Pilot Maneuvers p. 5-8