Page 122 - Airplane Flying Handbook

Approaches to Stalls (Impending Stalls), Power-On or Power-Off
An impending stall occurs when the airplane is approaching, but does not exceed the critical AOA. The purpose of practicing
impending stalls is to learn to retain or regain full control of the airplane immediately upon recognizing that it is nearing a stall, or
that a stall is likely to occur if the pilot does not take appropriate action. Pilot training should emphasize teaching the same recovery
technique for impending stalls and full stalls.

The practice of impending stalls is of particular value in developing the pilot’s sense of feel for executing maneuvers in which
maximum airplane performance is required. These maneuvers require flight in which the airplane approaches a stall, but the pilot
initiates recovery at the first indication, such as by a stall warning device activation.
Impending stalls may be entered and performed in the same attitudes and configurations as the full stalls or other maneuvers
described in this chapter. However, instead of allowing the airplane to reach the critical AOA, the pilot should immediately reduce
AOA once the stall warning device goes off, if installed, or recognizes other cues such as buffeting. The pilot should hold the nose-
down control input as required to eliminate the stall warning. Then level the wings maintain coordinated flight, and then apply
whatever additional power is necessary to return to the desired flightpath. The pilot will have recovered once the airplane has returned
to the desired flightpath with sufficient airspeed and adequate flight control effectiveness and no stall warning. Performance of the
impending stall maneuver is unsatisfactory if a full stall occurs, if an excessively low pitch attitude is attained, or if the pilot fails to
take timely action to avoid excessive airspeed, excessive loss of altitude, or a spin.

Full Stalls, Power-Off
The practice of power-off stalls is usually performed with normal landing approach conditions to simulate an accidental stall
occurring during approach to landing. However, power-off stalls should be practiced at all flap settings to ensure familiarity with
handling arising from mechanical failures, icing, or other abnormal situations. Airspeed in excess of the normal approach speed
should not be carried into a stall entry since it could result in an abnormally nose-high attitude.
To set up the entry for a straight-ahead power-off stall, airplanes equipped with flaps or retractable landing gear should be in the
landing configuration. After extending the landing gear, applying carburetor heat (if applicable), and retarding the throttle
sufficiently, the pilot holds the airplane at a constant altitude until the airspeed decelerates to normal approach speed. The airplane
should then be smoothly pitched down to a normal approach attitude to maintain that airspeed. Wing flaps should be extended and
pitch attitude adjusted to maintain the airspeed. Once in a normal approach, the pilot sets the power to idle.

When the approach attitude and airspeed have stabilized, the pilot should smoothly raise the airplane’s nose to an attitude that induces
a stall. Directional control should be maintained and wings held level by coordinated use of the ailerons and rudder. Once the airplane
reaches an attitude that will lead to a stall, the pitch attitude is maintained with the elevator until the stall occurs. The stall is
recognized by the full-stall cues previously described.

Recovery from the stall is accomplished by reducing the AOA, applying as much nose-down control input as required to eliminate the
stall warning, leveling the wings, maintaining coordinated flight, and then applying power as needed. Right rudder pressure may be
necessary to overcome the engine torque effects as power is advanced and the nose is being lowered. [Figure 5-11] If simulating an
inadvertent stall on approach to landing, the pilot should initiate a go-around by establishing a positive rate of climb. Once in a climb,
the flaps and landing gear should be retracted as necessary.

Figure 5-11. Power-off stall and recovery.

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