9
Train As You Fly
In addressing this concern , the FAA asserted in SAFO 16010 ( since replaced by SAFO 17009 ) that a pilot is still expected to “ know and understand the aerodynamics behind how the airplane performs from the time the stall warning is activated to reaching a full stall .” To ensure that at least some aspect of “ checking ” would drive specific training in this area , the agency revised the evaluation standards in the June 2017 editions of the ACS for the private pilot – airplane and the commercial pilot – airplane certificates .
With the primary focus on understanding aerodynamics associated with flying slow in different phases of flight , there is now only one knowledge element for slow flight available for evaluators to select for the practical test . The FAA refined and consolidated the risk management elements . In the skill task section of the slow flight task , the current phrasing requires an applicant to “ establish and maintain an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack , increase in load factor , or reduction in power , would result in a stall warning ( e . g ., aircraft buffet , stall horn , etc .).”
The “ MCA ” task element never disappeared from the practical test requirements — after all , it is not possible to perform a full stall task required on the private pilot – airplane practical test without first passing through that flight condition . Still , to more clearly convey the expectation for evaluation of an applicant ’ s ability to recognize the indications of impending and full stalls , the FAA added a requirement for the applicant to “ acknowledge cues of the impending stall and then recover promptly after a full stall has occurred .”
Here ’ s a practical , real-world way to think about the rationale for this approach to the slow flight and stall tasks
SLOW FLIGHT — that is , flight at the airspeeds and configurations used in the takeoff / departure and approach / landing phases of flight — is a normal operation that should not be performed with continuous activation of the stall warning .
• Except in the case of a thoroughly briefed full stall maneuver , a pilot should always treat the stall warning as an “ abnorm al ” situation , and promptly perform the stall recovery procedure .
• A pilot should always treat an unbriefed / unintentional full stall as an emergency and execute a prompt and correct stall recovery .
• You have probably heard the cliché that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while ( somehow ) expecting different results . The aviation community was not making headway against LOC-I by testing pilots in a way that encouraged , indeed required , intentional disregard of the stall warning . Accordingly , it only made sense to try a new approach .
E3AVIATION . COM