Commercial Pilot (Airplane)
Spin Awareness Lesson Plan

Attention:

• Research a case study
• Discuss how the initial conditions developed into an incident/accident/mishap
• Relate similar personal experience of the same type of incident/accident/mishap

Motivator:

• Practicing spins build awareness regarding the recognition of, entry into, and recovery from spins
• An aggravated stall resulting in auto-rotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew path due to one wing being more stalled than another
• Characterized by high AoA, low airspeed, and high rate of descent where all aerodynamic and inertial forces are balanced
  • It is this balance that must be upset to recover
• Spins can be entered from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed
• A spin is initiated where the pilot includes or fails to include rudder, aileron, or power individually or in combination during a stall
• Auto-rotation occurs from an asymmetrical stall (think skid)
• There is an abrupt loss of control when leaving the stall and entering the spin
• Certification standards require the practice of spin procedures
• Ensure to follow appropriate regulations related to spins throughout the conduct of the maneuver

Overview:

Required Materials:

• Paper, Pen, Marker, Whiteboard

Instructor Actions:

• Discuss spin awareness
• Discuss sources of inadvertent stalls becoming spins
• Discuss auto-rotation
• Discuss spirals
• Discuss phases of a spin
• Discuss regulations related to spins
• Discuss aerodynamics
• Discuss aircraft requirements
• Discuss spin recovery procedure
• Discuss spin recovery common errors
• Discuss spin airman certification standards
• Discuss case studies
• Conclusion

Student Actions:

• Complete assigned reading (see content above)
• Ask pertinent questions
• Perform self-assessment, including fitness for flight and personal minimums, as appropriate
• Make a go/no-go decision, as appropriate

Spin Awareness Guided Scenario(s):

• While turning base to final, the pilot notices they're about to overshoot the runway.
  • Should the pilot just overshoot final toward the other side of the airport?
  • Should the pilot increase the angle of bank and get back on final to avoid potentially flying into other aircraft's flight paths?
  • Are there any other actions the pilot should or should not perform?
• Related scenarios:
  • None
• Aids: None

Spin Awareness Case Studies:

• Spin Case Studies:

  • NTSB Identification: ERA14FA345 The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
    • The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed for the airplane's configuration and flight profile, which resulted in an exceedance of the wing's critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall/spin

Commercial Pilot (Airplane) Spin Awareness Airman Certification Standards:

• Objective: To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge of the causes and procedures for recovery from unintentional spins and understands the risk associated with unintentional spins
• References: AC 61-67; FAA-H-8083-2 (Risk Management Handbook), FAA-H-8083-3 (Airplane Flying Handbook), FAA-H-8083-25 (Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge); POH/AFM

Re-Motivation:

Closure:

• Advise students that this lesson will be used as a starting point for the next lesson
• Assign study materials for the next lesson

Conclusion:

• Hard copies of the ACS and Oral Exam Guides can be purchased at: Amazon
• Digital copies of the ACS can be found on the FAA's website at: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/
• The FAA provides guidance for test taking at: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/training/pilot_tips/
• Test guides can be found on the FAA's website at: http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_guides/media/faa-g-8082-17i.pdf
• To learn more about earning the practical test, visit the checkride page