Flight Training - September/October 2021 - 20

PREFLIGHT CHECKRIDE 101
BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER
CONFUSED AND UNCOMFORTABLE?
YOUR SLOW FLIGHT AND STALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED
AS A DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER, I GET MORE QUESTIONS ON SLOW
flight and stalls than perhaps any other checkride topic. I certainly understand
why. Stalls make students and instructors uncomfortable. So, they
probably get less work than they should in training. Also, the stall testing
standard is different for the private versus the commercial pilot certificate.
No wonder applicants are confused! Here are some of the common questions
I field in the preflight brief.
Will I fail if the stall horn sounds during slow flight on a checkride?
No! But you should make a correction so that the horn does not continue
to sound. For years, the testing standard for slow flight stated that the
applicant must " establish and maintain an airspeed at which any further
increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power,
would result in an immediate stall. " But, when the FAA changed over to the
new airman certification standard (ACS), they changed the words immediate
stall to read stall warning. That means we should not hear the horn
much during the maneuver. Although no one likes change, I think the new
ACS is a safer standard. When we practice slow flight with the stall warning
continuously going off, we learn to ignore the horn. That's not a great thing
to be teaching new private pilots.
I CANNOT COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES I'VE RIDDEN THROUGH A STALL
RECOVERY WHERE THE APPLICANT RECOVERS BY PUSHING SO FAR FORWARD
THAT WE PUT NEGATIVE G FORCES ON THE AIRPLANE.
What speed should I fly during slow flight?
I teach my students to set up for the maneuver by slowing down until
they hear the stall warning horn, then speed up five knots from there.
If I exceed plus or minus 100 feet on slow flight, will I bust?
No. Perfection was never meant to be the rule for checkrides. Rather
the 100 feet for private or 50 feet for commercial is a standard you should
attempt to maintain. If and when you deviate, you need to make a prompt
correction. The examiner will be looking to see how you correct here.
Remember: pitch for airspeed, power for altitude.
If I do a turning stall, won't we spin?
No. Spins are caused by an uncoordinated stall, not by a turning stall.
The testing standard calls for both straight-ahead and turning stalls, so
do not be surprised if you are asked to perform a stall with some specified
degree of bank. The turning stall is easier because you do not have to maintain
a certain heading. Just keep that ball in the middle to stay coordinated
and roll wings level during the recovery.
Do we have to do the stall all the way to the full break?
For private pilot, the standard calls for a full break, whether single- or
multiengine. But for a commercial certificate, the ACS states that the stall
20
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
recovery should be at the examiner's
discretion. In other words, the examiner
will let you know whether they would like
to recover at first indication or after the
full stall has occurred. So make sure you
clarify this in the preflight brief.
The stall recovery should be abrupt and
violent, right?
OK, most applicants don't ask that
question. But I wish they would! I cannot
count the number of times I've ridden
through a stall recovery where the applicant
recovers by pushing so far forward
that we put negative Gs on the airplane.
Folks, please don't practice it that way. If
you stall above the runway and recover
by pushing the nose down abruptly, you
will hit the ground. Instead, when you
get the full break, simply release the
back-pressure so that the stall warning
ceases and you regain positive airflow
over the wings.
You mean I'm supposed to be talking
during the stall maneuver on the checkride?
Yes. The ACS requires the applicant to
speak during the maneuver and announce
the stall indications as they happen. That
might sound something like this: " There's
the horn. There's the buffet. There's the
full stall. " Recover.
Here's the sad truth about stalls: Loss
of control is a leading cause of aviation
accidents. And most of those stall/spin accidents
occur during the takeoff and landing
phase of flight. However, there's absolutely
nothing to be afraid of as long as you perform
the stall within the manufacturer's
guidelines with plenty of altitude beneath
you. So, if you have any lingering confusion
about slow slight and stalls, make sure you
call an instructor or your friendly examiner
and get all your questions answered.
NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER is a designated
pilot examiner working primarily in Mississippi
and Tennessee. myaviation101.com
http://www.myaviation101.com
Flight Training - September/October 2021

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