Aero & Astrodynamics, Piloting & Flight Instruction

Stalls, Spins, and Safety

Name: Stalls, Spins, and Safety
Author: Sammy Mason
ISBN: 9780025816206

by Sammy Mason

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Overview

Flying is a passion for many and most pilots seek to be as safety minded as they can. What many may not know is that Stall and Spin accidents are easily preventable through knowledge and proper training. Think about this:
FACT: The FAA does not require spin training for any license except an instructor’s rating, and then only a minimal amount.
FACT: Most modern airplanes are spinnable.
FACT: Many accidents are caused by a pilot’s inability to deal effectively with a spin situation.
With these facts in mind, former Lockheed Test Pilot, Airshow Performer, and Flight Instructor, Sammy Mason set out to write a book that could be easily read by new pilots, would be sufficiently technical for clear understanding, and would be enjoyable to read for all pilots. Interspersed real life stories from Sammy’s long and eventful career keep the reader engaged and show the real world application of each point being made. Sammy will not bore you with complex aerodynamic math equations and instead will speak to you as if you were speaking with him personally.
Spins occur when pilots, inexperienced in spin prevention and recoveries, control an airplane in a manner that they do not realize is creating the perfect aerodynamic conditions for a sudden stall and spin entry. This is quite often done while performing routine maneuvers, such as while turning from base to final.
The idea that spin training should be given to EVERY pilot is backed with accident statistics in the first chapter. The apologetic will address fears of spins and spins training, how spins can come on with no stall buffet warning from common everyday flight situations, why regulatory Band-Aids will not fix the stall-spin problem, and how one should go about smartly seeking stall-spin instruction.
The book covers many areas needed to understand Stall and Spin conditions including:
- The principles of aerodynamic lift, stalls, mushing
- What a spin is and the different phases of a spin
- How spins are made worse
- Spin recovery techniques from various types of spins
- How to obtain training and practice spins
- The effects of twin engine configurations on spin recovery
- How spins research is conducted
- A look at NASA’s Langley Research program that studied aircraft design and spin dynamics
This practical book takes you through every maneuver from the pilot’s point of view. You will also feel as if you are riding with Sammy as he tells you what to do for every type of stall or spin you may ever face. This eBook edition has been updated from the original print publication to include new regulations and color pictures. Keeping technical details in simple to understand explanations, this clearly written book, filled with outstanding illustrations and photographs, is designed to enhance your knowledge of Stalls and Spins, and how training in this area could save your life!

About the Author, Sammy Mason

Sammy (Samuel H.) Mason soloed an OX-5 powered Eaglerock biplane at the age of 16. He was a flight instructor during World War II, organized the Hollywood Hawks air show group, and was considered the nation's foremost aerobatic pilot during the late 1940s.
He retired from Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in 1973 after 23 years as an engineering test pilot. He was the first pilot to do extensive aerobatics in a helicopter and performed in Lockheed's 286 Rigid Rotor helicopter at the 1968 Paris Air Show.
Always interested in flight training, he was given the 1976 Flight Instructor of the Year award by the National Association of Flight Instructors for new instructional techniques. In retirement, he was an active flight instructor and specialized in aerobatic and safety training.
An author, Sammy not only wrote this book, but also penned the book, Faith & Flight (The Sammy Mason Estate) chronicling his adventurous life as a pilot.