User Guide

110
111
BANKING AND YANKING
We’re going to take a final look at a few specialized stalls,
so let’s start out with the airplane cruising at a reasonable altitude
- say, 5000 feet. Get it trimmed out for a gentle cruise at around
100 knots.
Roll into a steep turn, either way, and once you get the turn
established, with enough back pressure to keep the nose at the
right height below the horizon, add even more back pressure -
and pull it in pretty briskly. Surprise! You’ll hear the stall warning
horn and, if you keep pulling, the airplane will let go in a fairly
sharp “stall break.” As it does, glance at the airspeed indicator:
you’re still well up into the green arc, many knots above what
you’ve come to think of as “stall speed.” Go ahead and recover to
level flight.
What you’ve just experienced is an “accelerated stall,” and
what you’re learning here is, once again, that the airplane doesn’t
have to be flying slowly to stall - it’s a matter of angle of attack,
not speed. Where might you run into this situation? Perhaps if
you’re maneuvering hard to avoid another airplane - or, in a high-
er-performance airplane, if you come steaming into the traffic pat-
tern at some impressive speed, then realize you’re going to have
to turn hard to avoid overshooting your desired downwind leg.
Now, using back pressure and trim, see how slowly you can
fly. Depending on loading, you’ll probably get down below 50
knots, with a rate of descent not much more than 1000 fpm.
What’s important about this? Well, if you can hold this atti-
tude and speed all the way to the ground, and as long as you have
your shoulder harness fastened, the ensuing impact, even if you
can’t see the ground to make a more normal emergency landing,
will certainly be survivable - and one you may very likely walk
away from, if a bit banged up. (Unfortunately, this technique
doesn’t work nearly so well in airplanes bigger and faster than the
172.) Sure, the airplane will be a write-off; but, as they used to
teach in the RAF, “If a prang appears inevitable, strive to strike the
cheapest, softest object in the vicinity, as gently as possible.”
Thus, in case of an engine failure at night, we can develop the fol-
lowing checklist:
1. Extend full flaps.
2. Confirm fuel supply ( you may just be out of fuel in one
tank).
3. Slow the airplane to minimum “mushing” speed and trim
for it.
4. Ensure shoulder harness is fastened.
5. Pull Fuel Cutoff knob to reduce risk of fire upon landing.
6. At about 100 feet above your best estimate of the terrain
altitude, turn on the landing light.
7. If the terrain visible in front of the airplane appears unsuit-
able for landing - turn the landing light back off!
Flight Instruction
Flight Instruction
Accelerated
Stall in a Bank