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Cross-Controlled Stalls

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BradG

Poor Flight Instructor
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Posts
142
Can anyone tell me the proper procedure for demonstrating a cross-controlled stall? I have my CFI ride next week, and ive never done one. Thanks

Brad
 
Cross-control stalls

Do your clearing turns. Then, apply aileron against rudder and apply back elevator. Similar in a few respects to a spin entry. The purpose is to demonstrate what happens if you botch the turn from base to final and kick in extra rudder to swing the nose around, rather than steepening the turn (or going around!!).

Open up your Flight Training Handbook or its FAA replacement for more info.

I never heard of cross-control stalls having to be demonstrated on a CFI ride. You might go over it with your instructor before trying it yourself.

Good luck with your practical.
 
Last edited:
Demonstrate it as it would actually happen on the base to final turn. Bring the throttle back and enter a left turn, explain to the student that you're overshooting final, so to try to get the nose around quicker, you start to add left rudder. Then you start to roll out (right aileron.) Now you're cross controlled, and the extra drag is slowing you down. When I demonstrate it, I go ahead and do a half turn in a spin entry, and show the student how much altitude is lost during the half turn. It's usually enought to put you six feet BGL from the altitude that you'd be turning final at.
 
Is this new in any PTS? Sounds like an excellant way to enter a spin. I would suggest demonstrating it only at sufficient altitude and emphasize to your students not to practice this on solo flights. Not saying it doesn't have value in training, but just be careful.
 
Assume you are in left hand traffic turning base to final and you are too high. It is proper procedure to use right rudder to speed the descent, but left rudder is where you can have problems with the cross-controlled stall. Is this correct?
 
From the PTS:

C. TASK: CROSSED-CONTROL STALLS
(DEMONSTRATION) (ASEL and ASES)
REFERENCES: AC 60-14, AC 61-21;
FAA-S-8081-1, FAA-S-8081-2; Pilot's Operating
Handbook, FAA-Approved Airplane Flight Manual.
Objective. To determine that the applicant:
1. Exhibits instructional knowledge of the elements of
crossed-control stalls, with the landing gear
extended, by describing -(
a) aerodynamics of crossed-control stalls.
(b) effects of crossed controls in gliding or
reduced airspeed descending turns.
(c) hazards of crossed controls in a base leg to
final approach turn.
(d) entry technique and minimum entry altitude.
(e) recognition of crossed-control stalls.
(f) flight situations where unintentional crossed-control
stalls may occur.
(g) recovery technique and minimum recovery
altitude.
2. Exhibits instructional knowledge of common errors
related to crossed-control stalls, with the landing
gear extended, by describing -(
a) failure to establish selected configuration prior
to entry.
(b) failure to establish a crossed-control turn and
stall condition that will adequately demonstrate
the hazards of a crossed-control stall.
(c) improper or inadequate demonstration of the
recognition of and recovery from a crossed-control
stall.
(d) failure to present simulated student instruction
that adequately emphasizes the hazards of a
crossed-control condition in a gliding or
reduced airspeed condition.
3. Demonstrates and simultaneously explains a
crossed-control stall, with the landing gear
extended, from an instructional standpoint.
4. Analyzes and corrects simulated common errors
related to a crossed-control stall with the landing
gear extended.
D. TASK: ELEVATOR TRIM STALLS (DEMONSTRATION)
(ASEL and ASES)
REFERENCES: AC 60-14, AC 61-21;
FAA-S-8081-1, FAA-S-8081-2; Pilot's Operating
Handbook, FAA-Approved Airplane Flight Manual.
Objective. To determine that the applicant:
1. Exhibits instructional knowledge of the elements of
elevator trim stalls, in selected landing gear and
flap configurations, by describing -(
a) aerodynamics of elevator trim stalls.
(b) hazards of inadequate control pressures to
compensate for thrust, torque, and up-elevator
trim during go-arounds and other related
maneuvers.
(c) entry technique and minimum entry altitude.
(d) recognition of elevator trim stalls.
(e) importance of recovering from an elevator trim
stall immediately upon recognition.
(f) flight situations where elevator trim stalls
occur.
(g) recovery technique and minimum recovery
altitude.
2. Exhibits instructional knowledge of common errors
related to elevator trim stalls, in selected landing
gear and flap configurations, by describing -(
a) failure to establish selected configuration prior
to entry.
(b) failure to establish the thrust, torque, and up-elevator
trim conditions that will result in a
realistic demonstration.
(c) improper or inadequate demonstration of the
recognition of and the recovery from an
elevator trim stall.

Please note that these manuevers are "demonstrations" rather than "proficiency" item. You should not be ignorant of them but you don't have to fly them like the ace of the base.

That said, find a competent CFI who isn't afraid of slipping an airplane and go out and have a blast!
 
I had to demo the cross-controlled stall on my CFI ride, even though I explained to the DE that for three weeks leading up to the test I had asked several flight instructors at my school to do them with me. None of them would. They all said I wouldn't have to do them because it's a spin entry/dangerous. The DE told me I had two choices: demo or discontinue. I did the first one by the book except that I recovered before the stall actually broke. The DE said, "You call that a stall?! You get one more try." I repeated the entire process. I pointed out my hypothetical runway, called the abeam, turned base, explained that I was distracted and overshooting final, cheating with "bottom" rudder to tighten the turn and shallowing the bank with opposite aileron, power gradually to idle, back-pressure...back-pressure...snap! The Arrow did exactly what it should have; entered the incipient phase of a spin "over the top". I barried the left rudder and pushed the nose over and recovered. No pink slip.
 
3500 to 4000 agl sounds like a good idea. Of course, don't go to the ride having never done one of these. Practice with your CFI instructor, as long as he has done them!!
 
A crossed control stall is simple to demo, first explain that it is nothing more than an an improperly trained pilots reaction to an overshoot of the runway centerline. Instead of steepening the bank to correct or just go-around they tend to use the rudder to increase the rate of turn (swing it around). The opposite rudder input makes the outer wing move faster than the inner wing creating more lift and then, an overbanking tendency. Back pressure has to be maintained in order to keep the pitch attitude which will result in a crossed controlled stall.
Demo:
1. Clearing turns
2. Start reducing power (depends on airplane).
3. If gear is retractable then lower it.
4. Close the throttle
5. Attain normal glide speed (final approach).
6. Do not extend flaps because the limitations might be exceeded.
7. Establish a medium bank turn say 30 degrees (sim base to final).
8. Apply excessive (almost full) rudder pressure in the direction of turn.
9. Try to maintain the 30 degree bank angle, ( the only way is to add opposite aileron to compensate for the overbanking tendency).
10. The nose will begin to drop so add a slight amount of back pressure.
11. At the first sign of a stall warning (buffet, warning horn, anything, recover!!)
12. Use coordinated control inputs to recover, do not let it fully develop or you will be training spin recovery a little earlier than you thought.
Hope this helps -YODA
 

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