aNATomy of a Stall

November 2, 2022
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aerodynamics, airline, aviation, cockpit, pilot, stall

aNATomy of a Stall

It Ain't Your Honda's Engine Conk out!

aNATomy of a Stall

You’ve heard the term. You have a vague idea of what it is. But, do you?

Planes stall. Then they crash.

Why? you wonder. Just cuz the motor conked out?

Eh, no. That’s not what a “stall” is in an airplane.

In the simplest of terms, when an airplane “stalls,” it has basically stopped flying.

Without getting too deep into the aerodynamic weeds, the shape of an “airfoil” (wing) produces lift via the smooth flow of air under, over, and around it.

The angle between the flow of air and the wing is called the “angle of attack” (AOA). The steeper the AOA, the more lift produced—up to a point. Then, the smooth air starts “separating” from the wing and creating eddies and burbles, messing up the lift and increasing drag.

At the “Critical Angle of Attack,” the wing stalls. The ONLY way to recover is to reduce the AOA.

It’s widely assumed that a wing will stall only at low airspeeds. However, a plane can stall at any angle or speed. It’s simply a matter of reaching that critical AOA.

Don’t let that scare you, we rarely operate anywhere near this critical AOA—something like severe windshear or a radical upset would give us any chance of nearing a stall (see my post on Air France 447.).

And, again, pilots are trained to quickly recognize and recover from a pending stall—and practice them regularly.

What’s more, on modern aircraft, we’ll have advanced warnings as well, such as aural alerts, stick shakers, etc. And, the most modern of airliners have features that will automatically lower the angle of attack (most often by pushing the nose down) in order to avoid the critical AOA.

aNATomy of a Stall

aNATomy of a Spin

A stall’s “twisted” cousin is called a Spin.

Basically, it’s when the airplane stalls unevenly, during “uncoordinated” flight.

That is, one wing stalls before the other one, then the other “flying” wing continues to “fly around” the stalled wing!

Yes, you do indeed enter a spin while plummeting earthward!

Stop Stalling—Take 'em Up for a Spin!

The Code Name: Dodger 4-Mission Fly-Spy adventure series

Mission 1—Operation Rubber Soul
Mission 2—Cartel Kidnapping
Mission 3—Jihadi Hijacking
Mission 4—Yakuza Dynasty

Missions can be read in any order

"4/4 Stars—One of the Best Books I've ever read!"

Online Book Club

Official Review

Lots of Spying—& Lots of Flying!

aNATomy of a Stall

The Good News

The good news is, both stalls and spins are easy to recognize and avoid—and, easy to recover from. In fact, in most cases, if the pilot would simply Let Go of the controls, the inherent “positive aerodynamic stability” of the airplane will eventually right itself!

Assuming, of course, there’s enough altitude. The deeper the stall, the more altitude needed to recover.

More Good News

Actually, for the small plane pilot, a stall is a normal part of every flight.

The goal during landing is to “flare” the plane in order to stall right at touchdown! This ensures the slowest speed, gentlest touchdown, and least wear and tear on the plane.

Moreover, stalls are a standard procedure practiced by every pilot. It is mandatory for flight tests.

In addition to stalls, back when I was a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor), I insisted that my students all learn spin recovery as well—even though it’s not required by the FAA!

They’re all crazy and freaky to do…but oh, so FUN!

Eh…that is, if it’s done RIGHT!!!

To put it all together, here’s an AWESOME video on spins, by our buddies over at Fly with the Guys, and featuring Team Aux’s very own John “Otto Pilot” Keith!

Enjoy—and don’t miss their excellent YT channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/flywiththeguys

aNATomy of a Stall

Halloween Revisited

The Flight Attendant and the Nonrev!

For Halloween, Bunny and I played “costume dress up for real,” as we flew back on her trip from Hawaii.

I tagged along with her as a “nonrev” (flying as a standby passenger.)

Fortunately, I got the last seat!

But, it’s a departure from my standard Halloween outfit: Blind Pilot!

Hemisphere Dancing Report

Frankly Fun Frankfurt Family Meetup!

One of the coolest things I get to do while traveling is meet up with YOU in different parts of the world! Sometimes, the stars align, and I even get to meet up with my own family members in some random, remote (or not-so-remote!) corner of the globe.

On this past trip to Frankfurt, Germany, I was able to spend a day with my stepson, (Bunny’s oldest son), Gino. He’d been backpacking through Europe for several weeks, and made it part of his itinerary to meet up with me on his way from Paris to Munich.

Fun, food and a libation (or 2) ensued!

What’s more, we even got to visit the same church his mother visited back during her Philippine Airlines flight attendant days…back when Gino was a mere 7 years old!

Of course, since my overnights are rarely more than 24 hours, we had just enough time for a little touring, an early dinner, and then off to other climes. But, it was a great way to break up both our trips and enjoy family for an afternoon!

By the way, ladies, a special note from Gino’s mother: he’s single, good looking, and RIPPED like Ahhnold!!!

New Delhi Delights

Let’s close our our Hemi Dancing Report with a few cool pics from my last DEL (New Delhi, India) trip.

First up, our flight attendants lovingly save scraps of food from the flight to serve to the stray dogs around the airport. The doggies know they’re coming, and flock around them the moment they emerge from the terminal!