- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,363
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
I am very familiar with the Cavalon spin in a power off vertical descent. Michael Burton showed it to me.Edited to add:- thanks for those links Vance i just had a look and there isnt anything in there about the risks of vertical descents and the flat spiral. In the UK a few years ago we almost lost a pilot doing a spot landing contest who got muddled. I dont know if you've tried it but climb to 1500-2000ft AGL and bring the airspeed to zero on idle power and get the aircraft into a flat rotation - you see if you pull back stick at this point you spin even faster! Add power or lower the nose to recover. Quite fun once happy with it.
The gyroplane I train in, The Predator won't spin in a vertical descent and I don't know why.
I have no rudder authority in a power off vertical descent and even with 3kts of wind will weather vane into the wind.
My Garmin spins even though I don’t.
Like I said it is not in the practical test standards but I test it in every gyroplane I fly and teach in and train for it if it is appropriate.
I always demonstrate a vertical descent at least once during training and the recovery I demonstrate is to lower the nose.
Many flight instructors in the USA have their own syllabus as I do.
For me it is a rough outline that invariably gets modified when I discover what a challenge is for the particular client or how they learn.
My primary goal is to get them to pass their proficiency check ride or practical test and help them to develop as a safe pilot.
The practical test standards reduce the subjective evaluation of the applicant; either they meet the standards or they don’t.
When a client has an accident and my name is in their log book I get a call from the FAA and sometimes send them copies of my log book to see that I did in fact follow the rules and prepare them for their check ride and it lines up with the subjects log book.