Spin recovery?

[hrc 156]

What is the best way to get out of a spin? Except hitting autopilot of course. I always thought that rudder left, joystick right and full power is the recipe but it doesn't work.

[Stipe 56]

I get out of it by usually full power, pitch down and turn in the opposite direction of the rotation

[Gr.Viper 131]

Full power or no power?

[Sheriff001 397]

Full power. If you're too close to the ground (you might want to give yourself 10000 ft or more), don't bother trying to recover, just eject.

[Caesar 305]

Depends on the airframe. I did a video for recovering the F-14 and posted it here a few months ago. For that particular aircraft, in-game it's flaps up (if down), rudder opposite spin, engines to idle, stick aft and, as the aircraft slows, into spin, and that should kick it out. Real-world, those are the recommended controls if rudders opposite, idle engine and forward stick doesn't work. In the game, stick forward does work, but not as quickly as stick aft. Real world, you idled the engines on the F-14 for two reasons, first was to hopefully prevent a compressor stall if one or both of the engines were still running, second, due to the large gap between the engines, asymmetric thrust could easily exacerbate the spin if the inboard engine was out and the outboard one (relative to the spin) were still running.

 

I haven't been able to recover the F-4, but that's likely because I haven't tried enough times, I think I've spun in twice in that aircraft. I recall from the previous conversation on spin recovery, proper procedure is stick forward, rudder counter, don't recall if lateral is used, nor the engine setting. Best thing I'd suggest is to take some time and fly a few missions departing aircraft and seeing what it takes to get 'em out! Sometimes, it might just be "hands off stick"!

Edited April 16, 2013 by Caesar

[hrc 156]

Just tested recovery methods with Mirage III. Stick forward, rudder counter to spin, and full afterburner did the job. It recovers while losing only around 5000 feet. Thanks all!

F-4 in real life procedure was just to take your hand of the stick, throttle to idle, and plane would self correct after three right, and then three left spins because of his heavy nose.

Edited April 16, 2013 by hrc

[macelena 1,070]

With a Phantom, full power just makes it worse. Best solution in game is engines to 0% rudder in the opposite direction of turn, nose down* and use the ailerons to put the direction of spin below the aircraft, so lift helps counter spin. Jettison tanks would have been madness in real life, but would help ingame, those outer tanks specially act as pendulums adding momentum. I have confidence in taking the aircraft out of a spin unless it starts under 3k ft ingame. In real life, you had to punch out if you couldn´t get it straight before going below 10k ft.

 

Anyway, with a Phantom, the best solution is to avoid them if you can´t control them. Keep speed up, below 400 knots a full G maneuver makes the aircraft tumble, around 300 or less you spin. Also, with high AoA, it is better to turn using rudder yaw than ailerons. An Spanish Air Force Phantom pilot commented how, flying against Mirage F1s in DACT, he decided to change direction abruptly to follow another one, and ailerons did not push down the wing, but dragged it, causing the spin. Also, he was flying at 30k ft, wich made the Mirage be at an advantage.

 

*or towards the direction of flight. Sometimes i spin while the aircraft general direction is horizontal. Either way, you must let the plane regain speed to fly straight. Tomcats, however, require nose up. Once i entered a spin with one, and followed the same procedures as with the Phantom, wich just made it worse. Later Caesar corrected me.If i got it right, nose down was worse, and nose up helped it out, i guess it is a different balance of lift and airspeed.

[+Dels 649]

In general aviation terms*, power is destabilising so idle would be a good choice with the application of rudder opposite to the direction of the turn and a centralised control column. If this doesn't work, then pushing the control column forward should help as it will put more airflow over the vertical tail making the rudder more effective. Finally, INTO spin aileron (aileron opposite to spin direction makes it worse!).

 

*Disclaimer. Some aircraft have very specific spin recovery actions due to their aerodynamic features/handling which may not align with what I have written here.

 

Dels

[+Gepard 11,289]

What is the best way to get out of a spin?

The best way is to avoid the spin. Or how an old pilot said: "Who is stupid enough to force the plane into the spin, is also stupid enough to leave the spin."

 

In reality it depends on the plane. Some planes are so good, that they recover itself if you only let the stick switching in the neutral position. Others, like the MiG-15, you become out of the spin by using a methode which other planes force into a spin. And then there are planes which never recover from spin.