14-05-2011, 07:31 PM
I hear you Rob - when I was under instruction 1978 I never actually did a spin in the Cessna 152 (VH-MVY) we had at the Manning River Aeroclub, but when the Piper sales people suggested we take a Tomahawk on loan for a couple of weeks, we all lined up to have a crack at that (still got my log book with the entry!). I can remember it as clear as if it was yesterday - once the Tomahawk settled into the spin there were no noticeable forces on us, we were sitting under the bubble canopy as if we were sitting in an armchair in the loungeroom, but we were watching the ground swirling crazily right in front of us. Fantastic stuff.
The thing with the models we fly is that they need to be held in the spin. Recovering is as simple as taking your thumbs (or thumb and index finger if you do it that way) off the gimbals and the plane instantly does what it was designed to do and stops spinning.
I think the original intent of the gold wings test was to demonstrate that the pilot can recover from the true stalled spinning state that is an uncontrolled descent. Which, as you've already said, means stick forward to escape the stalled condition and then aileron before up elevator.
The thing with the models we fly is that they need to be held in the spin. Recovering is as simple as taking your thumbs (or thumb and index finger if you do it that way) off the gimbals and the plane instantly does what it was designed to do and stops spinning.
I think the original intent of the gold wings test was to demonstrate that the pilot can recover from the true stalled spinning state that is an uncontrolled descent. Which, as you've already said, means stick forward to escape the stalled condition and then aileron before up elevator.
Steve Murray