Overcoming Power On Stalls: Pilot Training Update

Follow along on my journey as a 55-year-old private pilot student learning power on stalls. Age is just a number when it comes to pursuing your dreams in aviation!
Using the rudder is hard to get used to.

[@zach9373]

Once you reach 60 or so, start to pull back as you add power and continue to pull back until the stall.. otherwise you’ll gain a bunch of altitude before the stall ever happens.. once you stall, just relax pressure.. also what I like to do is pick a cloud outside if you can and use rudders to keep that cloud on the same spot to stay coordinated.. if there are no clouds, take a peek out the side glass for coordination.

[@landen99]

Never stall with uncoordinated flight. One wing will stall first and drop for a spin and risk a spin stall if flight is not coordinated, if not pointing the same direction as the movement, where wind speed is uneven across the wings. Also, don't waste time creating the power on stall, so just do it already. Pitch up hard, and hold and right rudder just like normal climb out after take off except with altitude to be safe. If coordinated, the nose will drop straight down at full stall.

[@flywithwilliam2113]

Nice job, Jason! Power on stalls can be pretty scary at first. In recovery, once you're below critical AoA, you don't need to pitch down anymore. A good reference point for power on stalls is bringing the nose to the horizon. You know this will be an un-stalled condition as it's approximately where your nose is for a Vy climb. See how you loose an extra 100 feet in your recovery after your airspeed has already built up well into the green arc? In a real situation, that 100 feet could be the difference between staying in the air or hitting the ground. :)

[@MantisRacing]

Thanks for the feedback. I know I have a tendency to pitch down instead of relax. I'll watch it again for the 100ft extra.

[@pilotaj]

Same thing happened to me...right wing dips...I think it was because i didn't let up on right rudder used during climb.

[@MantisRacing]

Yes, using rudder and correction is still a little awkward for me.

[@landen99]

Yes, too much right rudder creates uncoordinated flight. Soft stall reduces climb rate which increases angle of attack and reduces need for right rudder. Turning the yoke left to compensate for excessive right rudder increases angle of attack more on right wing to stall it out first. The easiest way to think about minimizing uncoordinated flight is to minimize the constant turning of the yoke to the left or right. Let the rudder maintain the turn or the straight flight with back pressure or trim as needed to maintain altitude.

[@dr.barbeque2767]

Not sure what your instructor is saying here but try looking outside to determine coordination instead of chasing the ball. If you see the airplane rotating relative to the ground to the left, you don't have enough right rudder. If it's rotating to the right, you have too much right rudder. Hope this helps

[@MantisRacing]

He mentioned rudder once or twice. :-) I' not sure which stall it was, but I did eventually start using rudder and correctly with the appropriate rudder for the falling wing. Using the rudder is still something I am getting used to. Thanks for the comment and feedback.