Spins

[Thud]

Hey everybody! I was just curious, in real flight training, when do you go over spins?
Thanks!
8-)

[Mobius]

Usually never, unless you do specific spin training.  They're talked about, but usually never demonstrated.

[DaveSims]

[quote]Usually never, unless you do specific spin training.

[olderndirt]

Believe the only check ride requirement is for Certified Flight Instructor but, in a lot of cases since the plane isn't spin approved, this is waived.

[Mobius]

I agree that doing an actual spin should be required.  I had talked about spins with my instructor and I knew what I had to do to recover, but when I actually did my first spin, everything essentially went out the window and it was a real eye opener to try to remember everything while spinning.

[olderndirt]

[quote]I agree that doing an actual spin should be required.

[Mobius]

I did my spin training in a Cessna 152 Aerobat, which spins rather easily, but go up to the 172 and it's very difficult to get it to spin much more than a half turn. 

[C]

Hey everybody! I was just curious, in real flight training, when do you go over spins?
Thanks!
8-)

To add to the previous replies, the ideal place to fit them in, if you are going to do them (and I'm one of those people who thinks that even an hours spinning is worth the experience) is just after the academic stalling, before you bash the circuit and go solo. If not, then just after you solo and consolidation in the circuit - before you're let loose away from the airfield, which is when people might just make a little mistake - or be tempted to do something they've not been trained to do, and that wing suddenly decides to drop visciously.

[Hagar]

In 1962 stall & spin recovery was a mandatory part of the PPL syllabus before being allowed solo. I'm not sure when this was changed but I always thought it was a mistake.

[BSW727]

I had spin training during my aerobatics training. It was explained in PP and COM but not demonstrated.

[olderndirt]

A lot of spinning is really hard on gyro instruments.

[C]

In 1962 stall & spin recovery was a mandatory part of the PPL syllabus before being allowed solo. I'm not sure when this was changed but I always thought it was a mistake.

Yep, as the crash at Southend highlighted a couple of years ago when a young chap spun in on the downwind leg. I'm not saying it would have saved him, but at least having the knowledge gives you a fighting chance of at least recognising and correcting an incipient spin.

[beaky]

[quote]A lot of spinning is really hard on gyro instruments.

[C]

[
Good points. And there's the fact that in the US, spins were taken out of the PP requirements because of spin accidents... and considering that most non-training stall/spin accidents occur at altitudes too low for recovery (they usually don't even have time to develop a proper spin), "recognition and recovery" has been proven to work well enough, provided the pilot understands what's going on and pays attention when maneuvering. 

And the USAF had it's issues too, which ultimately led to the destruction by bulldozer of quite a lot (100+) of perfectly good Slingsby Fireflys (the ill fated T-3A).

[olderndirt]

stalls should continue to be practiced.

I always liked to believe I practiced one each flight - power off, at touchdown