GM1 FCL.915(e) General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

ED Decision 2019/005/R

TRAINING ON SPIN AVOIDANCE AND SPIN RECOVERY

(a)      While the purpose of advanced UPRT course is to expose students to psychological and physiological effects, students’ responses and actions on controls may take any conceivable variations, including some which can initiate spin entry or, most importantly, can highly aggravate the upset or loss-of-control they are supposed to recover from.

(b)     The advanced UPRT course in accordance with point FCL.745.A is not aerobatic training and only requires training for the incipient spin as well as uncoordinated side slipped stalls which are prone to initiating spins. Full spin training or the development of spin recovery proficiency is reserved for the training course in accordance with point FCL.915(e).

(c)      Even though most flights will go exactly as planned without an unanticipated departure from controlled flight, the instructor is responsible for the safety of flight despite anomalies or unexpected student inputs.

(d)     Even in a case where an aeroplane is not certified for intentional flat or aggravated or inverted spins, it does not mean that mishandled student recovery avoids placing the aeroplane in such a situation. Some student inputs will take the aeroplane uncontrolled far beyond the normal scope of the aerobatic rating as defined in point FCL.800. Those situations might also have the potential to draw the aeroplane outside its certified flight envelope (e.g. overloads, snap-roll departures above limit speed, spin or inverted spin when not certified for, flat spins, etc.). Most importantly, those resulting situations could startle the instructor.

(e)     For the reasons specified in point (d), instructors should:

(1)      be trained to the extent of proficiency on the specific type of aircraft they use to deliver the course;

(2)      have academic understanding of the factors assisting or deterring spin recoveries (upright and inverted spins), altitude requirements for safe recovery margins, and other operational considerations;

(3)      demonstrate that they have the ability to early recognise abnormal situations, timely take action, and safely recover from all the conditions that they may encounter in the delivery of training; and

(4)      demonstrate their ability to recover from all spin types, not only from spins entered intentionally, but from spins of unannounced direction of autorotation, and from all potential spin variations, including:

(i)       normal (non-aggravated) spins;

(ii)      flat spins;

(iii)     accelerated spins; and

(iv)     transition spins (incorrect recovery resulting in reversal of rotation).

(f)      In the context of points (d) and (e), it is recommended that candidates either hold an aerobatic rating for aeroplanes or have equivalent experience.