I took spin training. Learned to (intentionally) get in and out of spins in a 152.
Interesting, I thought, but I never related it to the real world. Then one day I flew with an aerobatic instructor, for kicks. He was determined that I get something out of it. He took me to altitude in a 7ECA, and had me simulate a turn to final. Then he had me do what a lot of people do when they turned a little late... ...steepen up the turn to about 45 degrees of bank. Then he did what some people do when they are still not tight enough. He kicked the bottom rudder. Then told me to 'fix it.' I knew, intellectually, what was likely to happen. I was totally unprepared for the violence with which it happened. This was not the standard 'stall straight ahead and kick the rudder' entry. It felt like we went inverted (we didn't). I recovered it myself, quite quickly. And since then I have never EVER gotten into the trap of trying to square up a pattern or to undo a late turn to final by steepening the turn excessively or by using bottom rudder. In a way, I've already had my classic stall/spin accident. Only I did it with a CFI, with a couple of thousand feet of altitude. THAT and not just twisting left and right, is what spin training really is. Greg
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