Unfortunately, accident records show occurrences in which pilots intentionally ignored spin restrictions. Despite the installation of placards prohibiting intentional spins in these airplanes, some pilots and even some flight instructors attempt to justify the maneuver, rationalizing that the spin restriction results from a “technicality” in the airworthiness standards. They believe that if the airplane was spin tested during its certification process, no problem should result from demonstrating or practicing spins. 

Such pilots overlook the fact that certification of a normal category airplane only requires the airplane to recover from a one-turn spin in not more than one additional turn or three seconds, whichever takes longer. In other words, the airplane may never be in a fully developed spin. Therefore, in airplanes placarded against spins, there is absolutely no assurance that recovery from a fully developed spin is possible under any circumstances. The pilot of an airplane placarded against intentional spins should assume that the airplane could become uncontrollable in a spin. 

## Weight and Balance Requirements Related to Spins 

In airplanes that are approved for spins, compliance with weight and balance requirements is important for safe performance and recovery from the spin maneuver. Pilots must be aware that even minor weight or balance changes can affect the airplane’s spin recovery characteristics. Such changes can either degrade or enhance the spin maneuver and/or recovery characteristics. For example, the addition of weight in the aft baggage compartment, or additional fuel, may still permit the airplane to be operated within CG, but could seriously affect the spin and recovery characteristics. An airplane that may be difficult to spin intentionally in the utility category (restricted aft CG and reduced weight) could have less resistance to spin entry in the normal category (less restricted aft CG and increased weight). This situation arises from the airplane’s ability to generate a higher AOA. An airplane that is approved for spins in the utility category but loaded in accordance with the normal category may not recover from a spin that is allowed to progress beyond one turn. 

## Common Errors 

Common errors in the performance of intentional spins are: 

• Failure to apply full rudder pressure (to the stops) in the desired spin direction during spin entry 

• Failure to apply and maintain full up-elevator pressure during spin entry, resulting in a spiral 

• Failure to achieve a fully-stalled condition prior to spin entry 

• Failure to apply full rudder (to the stops) briskly against the spin during recovery 

• Failure to apply sufficient forward-elevator during recovery 

• Waiting for rotation to stop before applying forward elevator 

• Failure to neutralize the rudder after rotation stops, possibly resulting in a secondary spin 

• Slow and overly cautious control movements during recovery 

• Excessive back elevator pressure after rotation stops, possibly resulting in secondary stall 

• Insufficient back elevator pressure during recovery resulting in excessive airspeed 

## Upset Prevention and Recovery 

## Unusual Attitudes Versus Upsets 

An unusual attitude is commonly referenced as an unintended or unexpected attitude in instrument flight. These unusual attitudes are introduced to a pilot during student pilot training as part of basic attitude instrument flying and continue to be trained and tested as part of certification for an instrument rating, aircraft type rating, and an airline transport pilot certificate. A pilot is taught the conditions or situations that could cause an unusual attitude, with focus on how to recognize one, and how to recover from one. 

As discussed at the beginning of this chapter, the term “upset” is inclusive of unusual attitudes. An upset is defined as an event that unintentionally exceeds the parameters normally experienced in flight or training. These parameters are: 

• Pitch attitude greater than 25°, nose up 

• Pitch attitude greater than 10°, nose down 

• Bank angle greater than 45° 

• Within the above parameters, but flying at airspeeds inappropriate for the conditions. 

(Note: The reference to inappropriate airspeeds describes a number of undesired aircraft states, including stalls. However, stalls are directly related to AOA, not airspeed.) 

Given the upset definition, there are a few key distinctions between an unusual attitude and an upset. First, an upset includes stall events where unusual attitude training typically does not. Second, an upset can include overspeeds or other inappropriate speeds for a given flight condition, which is also not considered part of unusual attitude training. Finally, an upset has defined parameters; an unusual attitude does not. For example, for training purposes an instructor could place the airplane in a 30° bank with a nose up pitch attitude of 15° and ask the student to recover and that would be considered 

