Ready to Solo!

khysanth

khysanth

New Member
Well, after 8.6 hours logged in my book, my instructor believes i'm ready to solo. At my school, however, I have to take a checkride with our chief examiner first.

I feel completely ready, but there is just one thing that kept happening to me on my last lesson during power-on stalls. For some reason, this C172 just didn't want to stall. It was a newer model that we regularly fly, but I had to nose-up so much it was ludicrous. As such, even when I was trying very hard to keep the ball centered, as soon as the stall hit it would keel to one side.

My instructor noticed the nose-up problem, and tried one himself, and had the same problems (only his didn't keel nearly as much as mine).

Now a few questions:

What can I do to better keep the plane coordinated so I don't enter a partial-spin on my power on stalls (not having the problem with power-off stalls, i'm guessing because of the lack of slipstream, torque etc.)?

If, on my PPL checkride, the plane tries to spin (I am quite adept at recovering now), is that an automatic failure? Must they be perfectly coordinated?

Thanks for any answers!
 
First congratulations on getting this far, some students don't. Second how are you setting up your power-on stall, if done at a high airspeed any airplane will be vary nose high. In the Arrow if you enter at a high airspeed and full power you’re shooting for the moon. Try to slow the airplane to a slower speed then add power, no matter what get that rudder were it should be don't be afraid to push it pretty far down. Be easy and smooth or you will just cause more trouble. Most important do not for reason try this without your instructor, I tell my students that they better not get below 65 kts unless over the numbers ready to land.
 
We start by cruising at around 4,000 MSL (practice area is over the water) at 85 KIAS and 2100 RPM. Pull the carb heat, reduce power to 1500 RPM and hold the altitude. To simulate some poor guy stalling on take-off, we slow it down to 60 or 55 KIAS and add full power, carb heat in, then nose up.
 
I second what a previous poster said...it's all about the airspeed.

Your aim is to stall with the lowest pitch attitude possible as this will make the plane a little easier to control, since you'll have more visual cues then a windscreen full of sky. What I used to do was maybe hold off adding power for just a second or two once I hit rotation speed. The slower the plane, the quicker the stall will come. Whatever you do, DO NOT add full/ take off power above rotation speed. I noticed many students do this...sometimes as much as 15 knots too fast. This will guarentee a 20 degree plus nose up attitude before stall and immense difficulty in keeping the plane under directional control.

Another tip:

-pull up smoothly and constantly. eventually you'll hit a pitch atitude where if held, even with full power, the airspeed will gradually bleed off and the plane will stall. This was about 15 degrees on the 172RG (the last plane I did these in). Don't feel the need to make the onset of the stall quicker by pulling up and up and up....This will also lead to a quicker/more abrupt change in angle of attack and a more violent stall.

and if you want to, ahem, cheat...leave the carb heat on and just push it off on the recovery. less power...easier power on stall.
 
The trick that always works for me on the power ons, is to pull back on the flight controls a little bit before u add full throttle. That way u bleed some airspeed and the stall occurs quicker.
 
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