ED MOORMAN'S

SPINS

MANEUVER CARD

This is a good maneuver. It always gets attention. The problem is that not every plane can do one. You need a plane that does not have much side or vertical tail area. You also need a plane that gets deep into the stall. If it is hard to get your plane to do a normal spin, it probably won't go flat.

LEFT FLAT SPIN

Here is how you enter. First, go into a snap roll or normal upright spin with full throttle.

Finally, hold everything, but slide the aileron toward the opposite corner. This lowers the bank angle in the spin and makes it look flat. Sometimes you need full opposite aileron, sometimes you don't. Also, sometimes less than full power works better.

RIGHT FLAT SPIN

FLAT SPIN RECOVERY

Until you know better, count on your plane taking more than 1 turn to recover. Some planes will recover just by releasing the controls. Others will fly straight out of the spin level by releasing the rudder and aileron control, but holding a little elevator until the speed gets up. Still others may take forcing the plane out of the spin. Plan on the altitude you will need, especially the first time.

Method 1: You may need to try both if your plane is really tail heavy. The first method is to release the sticks, then go to full down elevator and full power. The prop blast kicks the tail of the plane upward, letting the nose drop. As the plane gains speed and control effectiveness returns, release the down and recover from the dive.

METHOD 2: The second method is to move the sticks back to the normal, low power, spin position and wait for the plane to fall back into a normal upright spin. When this happens, release the sticks and let the plane recover. Again, plan on the altitude you need.

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