This episode looks at stall and spin awareness in General Aviation; how stall and spin risks affect all pilots, not just aerobatic flying, and why loss of control remains a major safety issue.

The discussion emphasises that early avoidance is critical, while well-practised, decisive recovery and structured aerobatics training can significantly improve pilot safety, confidence, and control.

More information on Loss of Control and Aerobatics in Light Aircraft can be found in our Safety Sense Leaflets.

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Hello, and welcome to the UK CAA's General Aviation Safety Podcast. Today we're talking about stall and spin awareness and how aerobatics training, done properly, can improve safety for all pilots. Loss of control remains one of the biggest risks in general aviation, and stalls and spins often sit right at the heart of that. They don't just happen during aerobatics; they can happen in circuits, during go-arounds, or when we're distracted or under pressure in emergency situations. To explore this, I'm joined by two guests today. First, Jordan Bridge, one of our General Aviation policy colleagues, works on safety topics such as these here at the CAA, and also delivers flying training as an instructor, and also Phil Brown, another colleague of ours who works in our air displays team, and who is a display pilot and aerobatics instructor with extensive experience teaching spin recovery and unusual attitude handling. Thank you both for joining us.

Yeah, thanks. Great to be here.

Pleasure to join you.

Let's start with stalls. A lot of pilots still associate stalls purely with slow flight, but that doesn't really tell the whole story, does it?

No, and that misunderstanding is often part of the problem. A stall is fundamentally about angle of attack, not airspeed. You can stall an aircraft at almost any speed, almost any attitude, if you exceed the critical angle of attack, what often catches pilots out is that when you're in flight, you increase the pitch, and when you do that and you increase the low factor on the wing, the stall speed increases often with the g loading. So, for example, when you turn and increase pitch to maintain your height, the stall speed will increase and the margin to the stall reduces.

and that's particularly relevant in everyday flying things like base to final turns.

Exactly, distraction and fixation can play a big role here. You might be looking at the runway, adjusting spacing, responding to radio calls, and meanwhile Speed decays or the nose comes up slightly more than you realize. A classic example is when you are blown through the runway centreline when turning onto final approach. You might be a few knots slow. You tighten the turn to regain the centreline, and the gap between your decreasing airspeed and the increasing saw speed caused by the increasing angle of attack shrinks.

So, what should pilots be watching out for as a stall approaches?

Typical cues include reducing airspeed, reduced control effectiveness, increasing nose attitude, control buffets, that sort of shaking, and in some aircrafts, there are also audio stall warnings fitted or a mechanical stall warner. But it is important to remember that some of those warnings can be less obvious during turning or accelerated flight, especially when power has been applied or when flaps have been lowered. The best defense is stall avoidance, flying the correct attitude for the phase of flight, and recognizing changes early.

So, if a stall occurs, how does that progress into a spin?

A spin requires two things: a stalled wing and yaw. For an academic spin, the aircraft is stalled and full rudder deflection introduced. However, unintentional yaw can also be introduced by mishandling the rudder pedals, by applying power incorrectly, or by the simple wing drop at the stall, whereby the downgoing wing generates more drag. Once the aircraft is stalled and yawed, it is auto-rotating, which is the incipient stage of the spin, and from which it can be easily recovered. If a recovery action isn't taken, the aircraft will enter a spin, and the important point is that the altitude loss in spins can be several 100 feet per turn. At low level, there may simply not be enough height to recover,

which is why the emphasis is always on avoiding this situation in the first place.

Absolutely, you avoid the inadvertent, fully developed spin by recovering at the incipient stage, which in turn is avoided by controlling the yaw when the aircraft is stalled by using the standard stall recovery. Spin recovery is not something you want to discover for the first time when something has already gone wrong. Even pilots who have been taught spin recovery can find it challenging if they're surprised. That's where training and repetition are so important.

And this links closely to human factors. When something unexpected happens, we all experience some degree of startle and surprise effect. Our fine motor skills and decision making quickly degrade in these situations. If the recovery remains a think through the steps process, it may not happen quickly enough, and that's why skill based responses matter and feature so heavily in flight training.

Let's talk specifically about spin recovery. Many pilots think it's fairly straightforward, but in practice, it isn't that simple, is it?

That's right. One of the biggest surprises for us pilots is that fully developed spins behave differently from incipient spins. The controls may feel heavier. The descent rate is high. The nose of the aircraft is pointing downwards with a fast rate of rotation and may even fluctuate somewhat. And the aircraft might not respond as quickly to recovery inputs as the pilot would wish,

and that can lead to hesitation.

Yes, pilots often believe they've applied enough forward control when they haven't reduced the angle of attack sufficiently. They might not have applied enough rudder to oppose the yaw. They might forget to close the throttle fully, or they momentarily relax a control input because they expect recovery to have started. Equally, when the aircraft stops spinning, the pilot might be tempted to raise the nose without thinking about the other controls. The result being a high angle of attack, no power, and full rudder still applied, which leads to a spin in the opposite direction. The key is this: recovery inputs must be decisive and held until the recovery actually happens, not until you think it should happen, and the recovery doesn't finish until the aircraft is fully under control again.

And that's a really important point from a human factors perspective. Expectation plays a big role. If the outcome doesn't match what you're expecting, doubt creeps in very quickly. That's why we encourage not just learning the procedures, but mentally rehearsing it and keeping all the skills current.

This brings us neatly to aerobatics training. Some pilots think aerobatics are purely recreational or even risky, but that's not necessarily the case.

Not at all. Good aerobatics training is structured, progressive, and disciplined. It teaches pilots to operate confidently across a wider range of aircraft attitudes and energy states, and that includes unusual attitude recovery, accurate pitch and yaw control, energy management, and crucially, spin recognition and recovery.

And those skills transfer directly into normal flying.

Very much so. Competent aerobatic pilots are often calmer when things don't look normal because they've been exposed to more challenging environments. They're less likely to freeze and more likely to take positive action.

That's why we're keen to emphasize that aerobatics training isn't about showing off or pushing limits. It's about building competence, discipline, and respect for the flight envelope. Even pilots who never plan to fly aerobatics on their own can benefit from aerobatic training.

Let's talk mindset. What attitudes help keep pilots safe in this area?

The biggest one is knowing when to call a stop. If a maneuver isn't right, abandon it early. Don't try to save it. Good aerobatic pilots are conservative with height, weather, and margins. They define their recovery height and stick to it,

and this can apply beyond aerobatics. We see similar issues in circuits, unstable approaches, and cross-country flights. All moments where pilots can get into situations where they feel pressured to continue rather than reset. Being aware of hazardous attitudes, invulnerability, impulsivity, resignations, as a few, helps pilots recognize when their decision making might be drifting.

We're coming towards the end, so let's summarise some key messages.

Stalls and spins are relevant to all pilots, not just aerobatic pilots. Avoidance is the first line of defense, and that comes from awareness of angle of attack, energy state, and distraction.

And if recovery is needed, it must be decisive, correct, and well practiced. That only comes through good initial training, regular practice, and regular refresher training with an instructor. Aerobatics training, done properly, builds skills that can make pilots safer in every phase of flight.

And finally, we'd encourage all pilots to read the CAA safety sense leaflets on stall and spin awareness and aerobatics in light aircraft, and to speak to an instructor if they feel rusty or unsure. Thanks to both of you for your time and insights today.

Thanks. It's a really important topic.

Thanks. Fly safe.

You've been listening to the UK Civil Aviation Authority's General Aviation Safety Podcast. Fly safe, and we'll see you next time.