Technique It’s natural—but wrong—for pilots to pull sharply on the yoke/stick when confronted by an unexpected steep bank. The first stop in unusual attitude training is breaking the “panic-pull” response. ‘PANIC PULL’ Out of your comfort zone? Don’t yank on the yoke BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN THE T he main goal of unusual-attitude training is breaking the deeply ingrained and nearly universal “panic pull” reflex that causes pilots to haul back on the stick or yoke when bank angles exceed their comfort levels. A multiyear study by Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS), an Arizona firm that offers a range of upset recovery courses, found that the pull reflex is especially strong—and particularly perilous—at low altitudes, and it afflicts new pilots as well as seasoned pros. “An alarming 90 percent of pilots without previous upset recovery experience ‘pull’ when faced with an overbank situation beyond 90 degrees,” ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN MACNEILL AOPA PILOT • 91 • OCTOBER 2011