Client Air Show Pilot: Dennis Suding
THE UPRIGHT ACCELERATED FLAT SPIN: AEROBATIC MANEUVER
Category (Basic, Advanced or Extreme): Advanced
What’s Happening? In this video clip the Fighter Combat pilot (Paul BJ Ransbury) talks the client (Dennis) through the entry and recovery of this particular advanced aerobatic maneuver. The specific recovery BJ takes him through is the Beggs-Mueller Emergency Spin Recovery (developed by Gene Beggs) technique for clarity and simplicity of communication. Dennis is a non-pilot and avid radio-control aerobatic flyer. The Upright Accelerated Flat Spin is arguably the most advanced/aggravated upright spin condition possible in a general aviation aircraft.
Although terminology varies, the maneuver presented in this can be generalized to fall under the category of an Aggravated Spin. Specifically, Dennis is instructed to enter the maneuver with a power-off stall (the aircraft slows to an airspeed that causes the wing to exceed its critical angle of attack under one force of gravity – 1 G). Just prior to the stall, Dennis simultaneously pulls fully aft on the stick and applies full left rudder. The aircraft transitions from a stall through an incipient spin (aggravated stall) to a fully developed spin after about two turns. In a developed spin in the Extra 300, the pilot must keep pro-spin inputs (fully aft stick and full left rudder) to keep the aircraft in the spin. The aircraft is now falling straight down at a rate of descent of approximately 8000 feet per minute while auto-rotating. At this point, the spin is accelerated in yaw rotation by applying out-spin aileron (right lateral stick movement) followed by full forward stick. The stick is now in the forward right corner of the control quadrant with full left rudder still applied. Now, full power is applied to flatten the spin which gyroscopically brings the nose up in a left spin (true for aircraft right turning single engine propellers). The rate of descent now slows to approximately 5000 feet per minute with a dramatically increased rate of rotation and higher flight attitude (nose is closer to the horizon). Let’s watch Dennis and BJ have some fun with it .. we apologize for the fuzzy tail camera but Dennis did so many tumbling and tail sliding maneuvers prior to this one that the tail camera lens became quickly covered in smoke oil 🙂
Important Note: Without exception, all mission profiles are “challenge by choice” at Fighter Combat International. visit us will not put anyone through any maneuver without their expressed permission and expressed desire to do so. Each mission profile follows a building block approach from basic maneuvers working towards the client’s self-determined limitations. The customer chooses, at each stage of the building block process, whether to keep it basic and gentle or to move progressively towards the extreme.
