Antidote For LOC-I: “Full Control Maneuvering!”

When I got my flight instructor certificate, I decided to extend my flight envelope with some aerobatic training. I had been to the  Sussex Air Show numerous times and loved watching Leo Loudenslager, Bob Hoover, and especially The French Connection. Their aerobatic school was nearby so I booked some time in their program (there was no formalized “upset training” at the time).

I had flown small light tailwheel aircraft, but nothing like the Cap 10 they flew at their aerobatic school. Cinched tightly into an exotic tailwheel with a parachute doing inverted “dutch rolls” was interesting but not building the skills I could apply to my world of flying. This was way beyond my personal level of skill and foreign to my flight environment; an expensive amusement park ride! I decided to approach this project in smaller steps at my local airport in my familiar normal category airplane:  Extended Envelope was born.

Step one, required building a better theoretical framework of basic aerodynamics and control. Amazingly, you can learn to fly (and even teach legally) with the basic level of aerodynamics in the FAA handbooks. They do pretty well with the basics, but it is essential to move beyond the “starter kit,” and commit to a little “grad school!” AOPA’s Focused Flight Review is a good resource to start this project. The best book to initially extend your understanding of flight in three dimensions is Rich Stowell’s Emergency Maneuver Training. For aerodynamics, try Bill Kershner’s Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual

To expand my flight envelope, my mentor, Stick, was more than happy to incrementally build new skills with “steeper turns, 60/90s, and turning stalls with ballistic recoveries.” I discovered a C-152 Cessna Aerobat locally that was almost identical to what I was teaching in. Finding a capable “all attitude capable CFI” locally is increasingly difficult. The maneuvers that became the core of the “Extended Envelope Training” are just “old school flight training.” This is increasingly rare in our modern world of “accelerated training minimums.”

I still use these maneuvers to tune up my instrument pilots when they are ready to start commercial training. After 40-50 hours of IFR training, they were only capable of smooth trimmed turns with gentle banks; eyes totally on the gauges. To be safe pilots we must stay current and comfortable in many different flight regimes. Extensive IFR and automation builds bad habits for the serious VFR pilot. The flight maneuver envelope shrinks dramatically with the eyes *inside* and timid control usage. EET forces the  “eyes outside and yank and bank!”

The original Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) was directed at transport category aircraft and flight crews who were suffering from this increasingly smaller flight envelope of capability and confidence. This is a well-known problem due to automation dependency. In the airline and corporate world, only 3% of flight time is “hand flying.” It is easy to get rusty. The FAA mandated Extended Envelope Training for the airlines in 2017: AC-120-111

Continuous use of autoflight systems could lead to degradation of the pilot’s manual handling skills and ability to recover the aircraft from an upset. As manual handling errors have been increasing, operators and authorities have recognized that operators need to enhance the manual flying skills of flight crews. MORE

 

Visualize the flight maneuver envelope as a continuum with the usual pilot flying comfortably in a very small 7-10% envelope. This would be 1.5 positive G limit, with even a 45 degree bank considered “extreme.”  Most pilots have not done a power-on stall in years. Unfortunately, this is where 90% of fatal pattern stalls occur. Living in this smaller envelope of confidence and control is not safe. This is why Loss of Control-Inflight is the number one fatal accident cause.

Surprise displacement from the “comfort zone” can occur with weather, wake turbulence, or ATC surprises and a pilot is suddenly in “startle!” We react to sudden displacement with very slow/poor reaction times or even lock up. When I flew a UPRT flight at Patty Wagstaff’s School it became immediately apparent that for a well-trained (3D) pilot there are no “unusual attitudes!” The classic “Public Service Announcement” by Rich Stowell clearly lays out the need for “full control maneuvering” in all three dimensions.

This video, of course, illustrates a full Upset Prevention and Recovery Course (UPRT), which is very valuable. This does, however,  require a fully aerobatic aircraft, parachutes, and additional resources for time and travel. My suggestion is to start locally with a familiar airplane first flying extended envelope maneuvers with a competent CFI. Get your basic VFR eyes outside/rudder skills up to speed. Then by all means go push the envelope a little further with a full UPRT course. We will explore this world of “full control maneuvering” in our Sept 22 webinar. The FAA approved Master FAA WINGS credit for this event. Fly safely out there (and often)!

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