Spinning

[gen1313]

In the process of getting my aerobatic rating and got to spins yesterday.

I have low experience but my instructor does a bit of work with RV pilots, so he had a good idea what to expect. So far he has been impressed with how stable and well behaved the 14 is. Having said that, he was a bit surprised at the spin characteristics compared to a 7. Once you have stablised the spin (stick back, rudder hard over) and done 3-4 turns it comes out ok but it takes a lot of pressure to get the stick forward. On one recovery I pushed a bit too hard and over did it, throwing myself into the canopy and knocking my headset off. I also found it very easy when applying the opposite rudder to over do it, with the plane snapping the opposite way very quickly. Obviously part of the learning process.

As much as I really wanted to know how to recover the aircraft I can't see myself doing spins for fun.

[Discus2b]

Interesting, Australia license aerobatics.

R

[iamtheari]

Did you experiment with different spin recovery methods? I'm curious if just letting go of the controls works in the RV-14 or if you do have to actively work to stop the spin. I'm not flying mine yet but I am looking forward to testing the flight envelope, including spins.

[gen1313]

Originally Posted by Discus2b

Interesting, Australia license aerobatics.

R

Australia licenses everything, but almost never checks anything - until the accident report.

This "endorsement" on my license with allow me to fly aerobatics above 3000ft agl. There are lower level endorsements available. Interestingly "spinning" is a separate endorsement but a prerequisite for the "aerobatic" endorsement.

[gen1313]

Originally Posted by iamtheari

Did you experiment with different spin recovery methods? I'm curious if just letting go of the controls works in the RV-14 or if you do have to actively work to stop the spin. I'm not flying mine yet but I am looking forward to testing the flight envelope, including spins.

We did try just letting go (the instructor did) and it did come out but more turns and more speed. Not my preferred method.

[luddite42]

Originally Posted by iamtheari

Did you experiment with different spin recovery methods? I'm curious if just letting go of the controls works in the RV-14 or if you do have to actively work to stop the spin.

When you say “letting go of the controls” do you mean let go of the stick AND rudder? There are generally only three recognized spin recovery methods- PARE (universal), Beggs-Meuller, and all controls neutral. The last two are emergency recovery methods and must be tested for efficacy per aircraft. All three methods require actively moving at least one control. Letting go of everything, while some airplanes may slowly recover by doing this, should not really be considered a “method”.

[TASEsq]

Hey Graham,

Who are you using for your instructor?

[mike newall]

Shouldn't be pushing as spin recovery......... Throttle closed, stop the rotation with rudder, then recover.

[luddite42]

Originally Posted by mike newall

Shouldn't be pushing as spin recovery......... Throttle closed, stop the rotation with rudder, then recover.

Are you suggesting he should not move the stick forward to around neutral as part of spin recovery? Holding the stick full aft and waiting for the spin to stop with rudder only before unloading the stick to break the stall is NOT something anyone should learn as an acceptable or preferred spin recovery method. Sure it might work in some airplanes, but you'll spin to the ground in others. Not sure if that's what you're implying, or if you're just saying don't push TOO far forward. Pushing way too far forward can cause a crossover spin in some airplanes, but that's a little different.

OP - definitely do whatever it takes to unload the stick to the correct position after applying opposite rudder. Some airplanes do require a little pressure to unload a fully developed spin. Yak 52 is famous for quite a bit of pressure needed to push the stick forward off the stop for recovery of a fully developed spin. It would spin to the ground if you only applied rudder and waited for the spin to stop.

[kbalch]

All else aside, if this happens when flying aerobatics (or ever, really):

Originally Posted by gen1313

...throwing myself into the canopy and knocking my headset off...

Your harness wasn't nearly tight enough.

If you roll inverted and your butt or shoulders come off the seat, tighten those straps!!