From Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B) Chapter 4 March 2020.<\/p>\n
Slow flight is when the airplane AOA is just under the AOA
\nwhich will cause an aerodynamic buffet or a warning from a
\nstall warning device if equipped with one. A small increase in
\nAOA may result in an impending stall, which increases the risk
\nof an actual stall. In most normal flight operations the airplane
\nwould not be flown close to the stall-warning AOA or critical
\nAOA, but because the airplane is flown at higher AOAs, and
\nthus reduced speeds in the takeoff\/departure and approach\/
\nlanding phases of flight, learning to fly at reduced airspeeds is
\nessential. In these phases of flight, the airplane\u2019s close proximity
\nto the ground would make loss of control catastrophic;
\ntherefore, the pilot must be proficient in slow flight.<\/p>\n
The objective of maneuvering in slow flight is to understand
\nthe flight characteristics and how the airplane\u2019s flight controls
\nfeel near its aerodynamic buffet or stall-warning. It also
\nhelps to develop the pilot\u2019s recognition of how the airplane
\nfeels, sounds, and looks when a stall is impending. These
\ncharacteristics include, degraded response to control inputs
\nand difficulty maintaining altitude. Practicing slow flight will
\nhelp pilots recognize an imminent stall not only from the feel
\nof the controls, but also from visual cues, aural indications,
\nand instrument indications.<\/p>\n
For pilot training and testing purposes, slow flight includes
\ntwo main elements:
\n1. Slowing to, maneuvering at, and recovering from
\nan airspeed at which the airplane is still capable of
\nmaintaining controlled flight without activating the
\nstall warning\u20145 to 10 knots above the 1G stall speed
\nis a good target; and
\n2. Performing slow flight in configurations appropriate
\nto takeoffs, climbs, descents, approaches to landing,
\nand go-arounds.<\/p>\n
Slow flight should be introduced with the airspeed
\nsufficiently above the stall to permit safe maneuvering, but
\nclose enough to the stall warning for the pilot to experience
\nthe characteristics of flight at a very low airspeed. One way
\nto determine the target airspeed is to slow the airplane to the
\nstall warning when in the desired slow flight configuration,
\npitch the nose down slightly to eliminate the stall warning,
\nadd power to maintain altitude and note the airspeed.<\/p>\n
When practicing slow flight, a pilot learns to divide attention
\nbetween aircraft control and other demands. How the airplane feels at the slower airspeeds aids the pilot in learning that
\nas airspeed decreases, control effectiveness decreases. For
\ninstance, reducing airspeed from 30 knots to 20 knots above
\nthe stalling speed will result in a certain loss of effectiveness
\nof flight control inputs because of less airflow over the
\ncontrol surfaces. As airspeed is further reduced, the control
\neffectiveness is further reduced and the reduced airflow over
\nthe control surfaces results in larger control movements
\nbeing required to create the same response. Pilots sometimes
\nrefer to the feel of this reduced effectiveness as \u201csloppy\u201d or
\n\u201cmushy\u201d controls.<\/p>\n
When flying above minimum drag speed (L\/DMAX), even It is also important to note that an airplane flying below Performing the Slow Flight Maneuver<\/strong><\/em> To begin the slow flight maneuver, clear the area and Slow flight is typically performed and evaluated in the With an AOA just under the AOA which may cause an Maneuvering in Slow Flight<\/strong><\/em> The pilot should also practice climbs and descents by To exit the slow flight maneuver, follow the same procedure Common errors in the performance of slow flight are: \u2022 Excessive back-elevator pressure as power is reduced, From Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B) Chapter 4 March 2020. Slow flight is when the airplane AOA is just under the AOA which will cause an aerodynamic buffet or a warning from a stall warning device if equipped with one. A small increase in AOA may result in an impending stall, which increases the risk of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p95FsX-10l","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1213,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2015\/10\/private-pilot-checkride-fdk-oct-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":0},"title":"Private Pilot Checkride Oct 2015","date":"October 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"October 2015 Checkride: Oral - Very few straight knowledge questions, though quick, direct, simple answers were appreciated for those. Offered reasonable use of FAR\/AIM, AFD, kneeboard, etc. if needed though I did not use it. Most of the exam was scenario-based with topics pulled from blue book. In general he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3329,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2019\/06\/piper-seminole-maneuvers\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":1},"title":"Piper Seminole Maneuvers","date":"June 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Piper Seminole Maneuvers Taxiing Differences 1) Heavier airplane with more momentum. Needs to be taxied slow; cannot stop short. 2) Engines are not in the center. Use caution that propellers do not hit debris, taxiway lights, snowbanks or other obstructions on the left\/right. Centerline! 3) Differential power can be used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4253,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2020\/09\/piper-seminole-maneuvers-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":2},"title":"Piper Seminole Maneuvers","date":"September 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Taxiing Differences 1) Heavier airplane with more momentum. Needs to be taxied slow; cannot stop short. 2) Engines are not in the center. Use caution that propellers do not hit debris, taxiway lights, snowbanks or other obstructions on the left\/right. Centerline! 3) Differential power can be used for tight turns.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1094,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2014\/12\/n100eq-accident\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":3},"title":"Plane Crash – N100EQ Accident","date":"December 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Posted December 8, 2014 This is the second time this pilot has crashed at KGAI.\u00a0 The first time was 06\/17\/2010.\u00a0 N700ZR report from the NTSB Probable Cause page: The pilot of the single-engine turboprop was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight and cancelled his IFR flight plan after being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1248,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2015\/12\/commercial-pilot-checkride-at-kgai\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":4},"title":"Commercial Pilot checkride","date":"December 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Commercial Pilot checkride Dec 2015 DPE asked me to prepare a flight plan from GAI to ALB. The case scenario was a commercial flight with me as PIC and 3 passengers on a basic VFR day. Oral exam: The entire exam was as commercial decision making oriented. We started on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3693,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2019\/12\/flight-instructor-plan-of-action\/","url_meta":{"origin":3865,"position":5},"title":"Flight Instructor Plan Of Action","date":"December 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Terms: The term \u201cinstructional knowledge\u201d means the instructor applicant is capable of using the appropriate reference to provide the \u201capplication or correlative level of knowledge\u201d of a subject matter topic, procedure, or maneuver. It also means that the flight instructor applicant\u2019s discussions, explanations, and descriptions should follow the recommended teaching\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3865"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3885,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3865\/revisions\/3885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\na small increase in power will increase the speed of the
\nairplane. When flying at speeds below L\/DMAX, also referred
\nto as flying on the back side of the power curve, larger
\ninputs in power or reducing the AOA will be required for
\nthe airplane to be able to accelerate. Since slow flight will be
\nperformed well below L\/DMAX, the pilot must be aware that
\nlarge power inputs or a reduction in AOA will be required
\nto prevent the aircraft from decelerating. It is important to<\/em><\/strong>
\nnote that when flying on the backside of the power curve,<\/em><\/strong>
\nas the AOA increases toward the critical AOA and the<\/em><\/strong>
\nairplane\u2019s speed continues to decrease, small changes in<\/em><\/strong>
\nthe pitch control result in disproportionally large changes in<\/em><\/strong>
\ninduced drag and therefore changes in airspeed. As a result,<\/em><\/strong>
\npitch becomes a more effective control of airspeed when<\/em><\/strong>
\nflying below L\/DMAX and power is an effective control of<\/em><\/strong>
\nthe altitude profile (i.e., climbs, descents, or level flight)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nL\/DMAX, exhibits a characteristic known as \u201cspeed instability\u201d
\nand the airspeed will continue to decay without appropriate
\npilot action. For example, if the airplane is disturbed by
\nturbulence and the airspeed decreases, the airspeed may
\ncontinue to decrease without the appropriate pilot action of
\nreducing the AOA or adding power.<\/p>\n
\nSlow flight should be practiced in straight-and-level
\nflight, straight-ahead climbs and climbing medium-banked
\n(approximately 20 degrees) turns, and straight-ahead poweroff gliding descents and descending turns to represent the
\ntakeoff and landing phases of flight. Slow flight training
\nshould include slowing the airplane smoothly and promptly
\nfrom cruising to approach speeds without changes in altitude
\nor heading, and understanding the required power and
\ntrim settings to maintain slow flight. It should also include
\nconfiguration changes, such as extending the landing gear
\nand adding flaps, while maintaining heading and altitude.
\nSlow flight in a single-engine airplane should be conducted
\nso the maneuver can be completed no lower than 1,500 feet
\nAGL, or higher, if recommended by the manufacturer. In
\nall cases, practicing slow flight should be conducted at an
\nadequate height above the ground for recovery should the
\nairplane inadvertently stall.<\/p>\n
\ngradually reduce thrust from cruise power and adjust the
\npitch to allow the airspeed to decrease while maintaining
\naltitude. As the speed of the airplane decreases, note a change
\nin the sound of the airflow around the airplane. As the speed
\napproaches the target slow flight speed, which is an airspeed
\njust above the stall warning in the desired configuration
\n(i.e., approximately 5\u201310 knots above the stall speed for
\nthat flight condition), additional power will be required to<\/em><\/strong>
\nmaintain altitude.<\/em><\/strong> During these changing flight conditions, it
\nis important to trim the airplane to compensate for changes in
\ncontrol pressures. If the airplane remains trimmed for cruising
\nspeed (a lower AOA), strong aft (back) control pressure is
\nneeded on the elevator, which makes precise control difficult
\nunless the airplane is retrimmed.<\/p>\n
\nlanding configuration. Therefore, both the landing gear
\nand the flaps should be extended to the landing position.
\nIt is recommended the prescribed before-landing checks
\nbe completed to configure the airplane. The extension of
\ngear and flaps typically occurs once cruise power has been
\nreduced and at appropriate airspeeds to ensure limitations
\nfor extending those devices are not exceeded. Practicing this
\nmaneuver in other configurations, such as a clean or takeoff
\nconfiguration, is also good training and may be evaluated
\non the practical test.<\/p>\n
\naerodynamic buffet or stall warning, the flight controls
\nare less effective. [Figure 4-3] The elevator control is less
\nresponsive and larger control movements are necessary to
\nretain control of the airplane. In propeller-driven airplanes,
\ntorque, slipstream effect, and P-factor may produce a strong left yaw, which requires right rudder input to maintain
\ncoordinated flight. The closer the airplane is to the 1G stall,
\nthe greater the amount of right rudder pressure required.<\/p>\n
\nWhen the desired pitch attitude and airspeed have been
\nestablished in straight-and-level slow flight, the pilot must
\nmaintain awareness of outside references and continually
\ncross-check the airplane\u2019s instruments to maintain control.
\nThe pilot should note the feel of the flight controls, especially
\nthe airspeed changes caused by small pitch adjustments,
\nand the altitude changes caused by power changes. The
\npilot should practice turns to determine the airplane\u2019s
\ncontrollability characteristics at this low speed. During the
\nturns, it will be necessary to increase power to maintain
\naltitude. Abrupt or rough control movements during slow
\nflight may result in a stall. For instance, abruptly raising the
\nflaps while in slow flight can cause the plane to stall.<\/p>\n
\nadjusting the power when stabilized in straight-and-level
\nslow flight. The pilot should note the increased yawing
\ntendency at high power settings and counter it with rudder
\ninput as needed.<\/p>\n
\nas for recovery from a stall: apply forward control pressure
\nto reduce the AOA, maintain coordinated flight and level the
\nwings, and apply power as necessary to return to the desired
\nflightpath. As airspeed increases, clean up the airplane by
\nretracting flaps and landing gear if they were extended. A
\npilot should anticipate the changes to the AOA as the landing
\ngear and flaps are retracted to avoid a stall.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Failure to adequately clear the area
\n\u2022 Inadequate back-elevator pressure as power is reduced,
\nresulting in altitude loss<\/p>\n
\nresulting in a climb followed by a rapid reduction in
\nairspeed
\n\u2022 Insufficient right rudder to compensate for left yaw
\n\u2022 Fixation on the flight instruments
\n\u2022 Failure to anticipate changes in AOA as flaps are
\nextended or retracted
\n\u2022 Inadequate power management
\n\u2022 Inability to adequately divide attention between
\nairplane control and orientation
\n\u2022 Failure to properly trim the airplane
\n\u2022 Failure to respond to a stall warning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"