In all my time as an instructor, I’ve learned that many students get very nervous when they start to learn how to do a flight maneuver know as a “power on stall” or a “departure stall”. In this maneuver, the pilot slows the airplane way up, as slow as it will fly, then applies full power while raising the nose until the wing stalls (stall means the wing has exceeded its critical angle of attack and can no longer fly)
I can understand student’s reluctance to complete the maneuver (I remember my legs started to shake every time I practiced them). After all, they are taking an airplane that is flying perfectly well in a straight and level cruise flight and suddenly pointing the nose towards the sky, the engine screams at full power, the flight controls begin to feel lethargic and suddenly the wing stalls and they feel like they are dropping uncontrollably out of the sky. At first students feel totally out of control, but they quickly realize they are always in complete control. When I was learning to fly, stalls scared the crap out of me. What makes power on stall particularly tricky is pilots must use the correct amount of rudder input prior to the stall, to ensure the airplane is stalled “coordinated”. When an airplane is stalled “coordinated” it ensures that both wings stall at the same time, so a spin does not develop.
The reason we teach power on stalls is so that students know how to recover from a stall if they accidentally got too slow after takeoff. One of the first things students learn when practicing stalls is that the airplane wants to fly. It is not easy to make it stall. Even when it stalls, the airplane will recover by itself by simply letting go of the control yoke. To recover from a stall quickly the pilot simply lowers the nose. That’s all. The airplane will start flying immediately. It is that simple.
When I teach this maneuver, just like any maneuver, the more students practice it, the more comfortable they get. Eventually power-on stalls become a “non-event”. The recovery procedure becomes instinctive (lower the nose). When I give a flight review to pilots, we always practice power on stalls. You really learn the “envelope” of your airplane. It is amazing how many warning signs the airplane gives you before it stalls. Warning signs can include; a high pitch attitude (usually), mushy flight controls, an aerodynamic buffet or shaking, stall warning horn and lower cockpit wind noise. The airplane seems to scream, “You are getting to slow stupid, and I can’t fly much longer!”
I hope next time you try a power on stall; you can approach it with confidence and respect. If you are a private pilot and have not tried one in a while, find a flight instructor to practice some with.
James Aarestad
Flight Instructor
West Metro Aviation
