CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 10 Issue 2 - 3

CFI NOTES

LETTERS
Editor's Note: In our previous CFItoCFI newsletter
"Collected Wisdom" column, we asked CFIs if they are pro
or con spin training and why. Here are their opinions.
I absolutely think that properly executed spin training
and recovery practice is a vital experience for any pilot
but ultimately critical for commercial pilots and flight
instructors to be comfortable with spins, upsets, and
recoveries. Over the past eight years of instructing I have
witnessed far too many instructors who endorse CFI
candidates without really instilling confidence in spin
entry and recovery procedures or even being confident
in the maneuver themselves. As aerobatic CFIs we must
work to improve spin confidence in our fellow instructors
who may not enjoy looping, spinning, and rolling as much
as we do! As airplanes become more automated and less
hand flying occurs, early-on training of spin and upset
recovery will be crucial to the safety of general and
commercial aviation.
-Mike Reindl, CFI/Owner
www.tailsliders.com

I understand spin training was required many years ago
for a private pilot certificate, but it was dropped because
more pilots were being hurt or worse due to the training.
The airplanes back then were more basic, for example,
the Aeronca 7AC and J-3 Cub. Most trainers these days
have better flight characteristics not to mention gyros,
which do not like being spun.
My first spin was in a T-34B-I learned how to avoid
spinning. When I have primary students training for the
private pilot certificate, I show them what happens to the
airplane when stalling in a slip or skid. The takeaway is,
I want them to know how to avoid the condition and how
to correct it.
Some current day trainers probably should not be spun
but avoidance is paramount.
I currently teach tailwheel in an Aeronca 7AC and I also
teach in Cessna 172s. If the trainee wants to see a spin,
that will be considered.
-John Peake, CFI AI

use for spin awareness training. It's an excellent tool for
demonstrating the risks in situations that would not be
safe in an airplane. See our Redbird Spin Training Video
(youtu.be/vNbmegdmcaA).
-David Strassburg
Spin training at altitude is great fun, but I doubt it will
help the accident rate much. Spin accidents happen at
low altitudes. If a fully developed spin takes 500 feet to
recover and you are at 400 feet, you are on the wrong
side of that equation. Factor in unwillingness to push
the yoke forward when seeing the ground rushing up
at you. Being in that situation means you were behind
the aircraft in the first place. How many seconds (feet)
does it take to catch up and react? I'm happy to teach
spins if my students want it. However, delaying stall
recovery until you begin to enter a spin may be more
useful training to show students what a spin entry looks
like and how a quick response can stop it. Any training in
this area should drill home the absolute necessity of not
losing control of your airplane. Anything less and we are
just teaching a skill set that will atrophy with disuse.
-Steve Wilson

At my airport 7B2 in Northampton, Massachusetts,
we've found a way to put the Redbird flight simulator-
normally thought of as an instrument trainer-to good

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNbmegdmcaA https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol10issue1/index.php#/10 http://www.tailsliders.com

CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 10 Issue 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 10 Issue 2