Stalls

My instructor never told me what we were gonna do. We went up to 1500 ft or so and she

told me to put the plane in slow flight, full flaps, back on the fuel to idle and

slowly pull back the stick.

The thing was a wallering like an old sow and I felt like I had the thing standing on

its tail. I kept looking at her like a calf looking at a new gate and she smiled and

said pull it back more. I thought she was nuts. She never even mentioned we were gonna

do our first stall! I was not sure what a stall was at that point. I was soon to find

out.

I kept pullin back and my eyes were just looking at sky when the stall warning started

a squalling, come to think of it it had been squalling all the way through this.

Anyway, all of a sudden the plane dropped out of the sky and in a split second of

dumbhead I gave it left rudder. Now in a stall you don't want to give no dang left

rudder! Well I dun it!

That dang plane rolled onto its left side and down we were a going! I was a wee bit

startled, and looked at her. I then looked at the ground coming up at me at a hell of

a rate. Maybe I looked at the ground first but I was not keeping track. She sorta

laughed in a panic sorta way and yelled. "I got it" and I gave it to her! She got it

under control and I mentioned that it would have been nice if she had let me know what

the hell was gonna happen. I was her first student ever it seems.

After that we would head out to the practice area and she would tell me to take it up

to 2000 ft to practice stalls. I told her that I think 5000 ft made more sense to me.

I would take it up to 5000, our airport altitude was about 950ft, and we would

practice them. I HATED them and I knew it was because of that first experience. They

scared me. I never had that happen again because I knew what I had done but I still

hated them.

I never finished my lessons but a few year ago I decided to give it a try again. I was

doing fine but when my new instructor told me that we were gonna do stalls the next

flight the old butterflies started. I decided I was gonna do them and do them well. I

went over all the steps in my head, full laps, back off the power, raise the nose

until he stall warning starts and then continue pulling back, the stall starts, shove

the nose forward, full throttle and above all, a LITTLE right rudder to counter act

the natural left roll because of the torque of the engine. Over and over in my head I

flew that pattern.

The next day we took off and headed out the the practice area. I was a little nervous

but I was determined that I was gonna control this thing.

I had already told my new instructor of my experiences with stalls ten years before and

we went up to 5000 ft. :D

He looked at me and nodded. I took a deep breath and backed off the throttle and

started adding flaps. As the speed bleeds off and the nose comes up you try to

maintain altitude. That dang plane is hard to keep in the air, at least for a

know nothing like me. It just seems to waller around but I was determined to keep my

head.

The stall warning was a squalling and I kept pulling it back, the plane was a standing

on its tail it seemed, then it dropped. I concentrate on the steps, the main one

being no left rudder :D then nose down, full throttle and as I recovered, and gained

speed, bring the flaps up.

It was beautiful. I sorta had the idea in my head that I wanted to get the air speed

up as fast as possible so I threw the plane into a bit of a dive :D, haha skeered that

little prick a bit, but I had it under complete control. I smiled and told him I

wanted to do another and he nodded and I went into it again, this time I didn't need

as much forward thrust on the stick and it was much smoother. I did it again and it

was smoother yet! It got so it was pretty dnag smooth and I was enjoying it.

I had gotten over the initial fear from 10 years before and let my brain get to

working on the problem and it was pretty easy. I guess that is the way with most

things. Get over the fear and then you can think.

I never did finish my lessons this time either :D Now I do not have the money