Backcountry Pilot • 26 turn flat spin video

26 turn flat spin video

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26 turn flat spin video



From the youtube page:

The spin was supposed to be a normal erect spin to the right, but for various unintentional reasons the spin went flat, up until that point I had never flat spun an aircraft. I eventualy mananged to get the aircraft into a normal erect spin from which I was able to recover. This aircraft is not fitted with an electric starter motor, so I was unable to restart the engine. During the "flare" to land the main undercarriage caught the top wires of a barbed wire fence that was invisible to me. After coming to rest inverted I waited 20mins for the rescue services to come and right the aircraft so I was able to exit via the outward opening canopy. The aircraft rotated 26 times total, I was extremely dissorientated after the recovery to straight and level flight, and was unable to read the instruments. From the video I estimate I recovered at about 700ft from an entry altitude of 3500ft. If you listen carefully you will hear me say:"I think this is it". At that stage I did not think I would be able to recover. However I continued to try various control inputs based on the aircraft attitude and rotational rate, which eventually effected a recovery.
My thanks go to the emergency services that found me and allowed my escape.
kevbert offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Holy Hell what a ride! He probably would have just had some minor damage had he not caught that fence.
AvidFlyer offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

My tummy hurts!
Nosedragger offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

I think the worst part is all the time he had to reflect on what had happened while waiting to be peeled out of the thing. [-o<
Bob offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Can you imagin. How did he not give into resignation. I wonder if after he trimmed for best glide. To me it didn't seem like it, but who could blame he right?
madpilot offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Holy smokes!!
lancef53 offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

madpilot wrote: I wonder if after he trimmed for best glide. To me it didn't seem like it, but who could blame he right?


...
The aircraft rotated 26 times total, I was extremely dissorientated after the recovery to straight and level flight, and was unable to read the instruments.


Only those silly brits say "disorientated." ;)
Zzz offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

I don't buy it--
TundraJoe offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Seems a little fishy to me too, 26 turns with 700 foot loss, not likely......
Redbaron180 offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

It was 2800', the spin started at 3500' and recovery at 700'.
lancef53 offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

There is a lengthy analysis of the incident here:

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cf ... 003-08.pdf
nutria rat offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Redbaron180 wrote:Seems a little fishy to me too, 26 turns with 700 foot loss, not likely......


hmm, your math is a bit off.. 3500 starting alt, 700 ending.. kinda figures to be about 2800 feet lost.. so 100' per revolution.. Possible for certain.

At any rate, its one hell of a ride!
akavidflyer offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

sorry, I was never very good at story problems .......
Redbaron180 offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

goofy for sure...not sure why the hell u would do that one on purpose, even if it was real...!
jomac offline
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jomac

Re: 26 turn flat spin video

I'll bet money that his next plane has a starter!
Jaerl offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Jaerl wrote:I'll bet money that his next plane has a starter!

That'd be a good idea for him hey?
madpilot offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

If you read the analasys he states that he used Left aileron and Right rudder and full up elevator to enter the spin and was surprised that the spin went flat... Really??? Serious??? Cross control in the spin is HOW you get them to flatten out. Can't believe that Darwin missed a good opprotunity here.
akavidflyer offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

If he had spin recovery training, why would he wait for 26 spins to begin recovery? If he didn't have spin recovery training then Somebody upstairs must be looking out for him. :D
WingsOverPalawan offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Aerobatic instructor Catherine Cavagnaro executing a 60 turn spin:


kevbert offline
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Re: 26 turn flat spin video

Ridge Runner wrote:If he had spin recovery training, why would he wait for 26 spins to begin recovery? If he didn't have spin recovery training then Somebody upstairs must be looking out for him. :D


um, if you read it he did not wait for 26 turns to try and recover. After 2 or 3 turns he tried to recover and couldn't, it took an additional 23 turns to get out of it. From the read on the posted link, I would say that he was damn lucky cause he did just about everything wrong but was still able to walk away.

I had a buddy with an RC tiger moth we put on floats. Did the most perfect inverted flat spin you have ever seen and would enter it almost instantly.. but it took about 10 or 15 turns to get it to pull out of it.

Flying RC planes at the competition aerobatic level will give you alot of heads up on flying full scale. The control inputs are the exact same as needed in the real deal and it makes control inputs for recovery from any attitude automatic.
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