as you initiate a climb-
ing turn. The surprise
factor may be missing,
but then again, you
may be surprised
how the reduced
performance affects
the outcome of
the maneuver.
Perhaps the most dangerous scenario is
when a pilot attempts to correct an overshoot
on the turn from base to final.
surprised. But when stalls occur in the real
world, they typically catch us off guard,
and the surprise factor is intense. Killer
stalls, the ones we really want to avoid,
have a nasty habit of sneaking up on us
when we least expect them, disorienting
us and perhaps even tossing us into a low-altitude spin. It is these situations that we
really want to avoid.
To begin tuning up our stall practice, we
can imagine some of the scenarios that
would develop unannounced. Examples
might include a departure stall from a high-altitude airport, resolving an engine failure
on departure, or correcting for an overshoot
on a base-to-final turn.
high-al Ti TuDe Depar Ture
We’ll start with the departure from the high-
altitude airport. Surprisingly, density
altitude can play havoc with us in terms of
stalls. The decreased performance that
comes with high-density altitude means
our climb angle is lower than normal. If
pilots are focused on terrain and obstacle
avoidance, they may revert to flying by atti-
tude, using the normal nose-high attitude
to which they are accustomed. Then comes
the turn to avoid the obstacle, which adds
to the wing loading. Add a little turbulence,
and we’re at the threshold of a serious stall
situation. Particularly if the aircraft is
heavier than it was performing our stall
training, the lack of performance (power)
could spell trouble in the recovery.
Double Whammy
Few pilots or instructors consider how an
engine failure can lead
to a stall, but an
engine failure on initial climb can be more
than problematic.
Consider a heavily
loaded aircraft on ini-
tial climb (high climb
angle and nose-high
attitude). Should the
engine suddenly quit,
Practicing this exact scenario (at
high altitude!) can be a real eye-opener,
and it helps us develop the skills and
knowledge needed to safely cope with
this type of situation.
Final Turn
Perhaps the most dangerous scenario is
when a pilot attempts to correct an
overshoot on the turn from base to final.
Here again, high density altitude can be a
player in the setup for this deadly
