“Teaching Spins” Created by Master Instructor Rich Stowell

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) recently delivered the second of eight planned “Seminar-in-a-Box” (SIB) products for use by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam). Entitled, Maneuvering at Low Altitude: SPINS, the SIB was created by 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year Rich Stowell, a noted expert on the subject who has logged nearly 32,000 spins with students. AvWeb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli contributed a video reconstruction of a common stall/spin accident as well.

FAA AFS-800 has identified stall/spins as a causal factor in two of its top ten fatal accident classifications. According to Stowell, “Improved stall/spin awareness and its associated safety dividend depend on the training provided by instructors, so I was delighted to participate in a project for SAFE and the FAASTeam aimed at CFIs and DPEs.”

Other SAFE members have likewise volunteered to develop as well as present the new forum topics, which are designed to facilitate interactive discussion among instructors, examiners, and FAASTeam members in areas related to training techniques that can aid in accident prevention. WINGS credit is available at the Master level for participating CFIs and DPEs.

CFI Forum #1 – Stalls has already been deployed by the FAASTeam and has thus far been well received by the target audience. Forum #3 – Go-Arounds is currently under development by SAFE. Prior to nationwide deployment, each SIB is reviewed and accepted by AFS-850.