Advanced Manoeuvres

Wing-Drop Stalling
This briefing discusses the reasons why one By wing-drop stall we mean a stall where
wing may stall before the other, resulting in the one wing stalls before the other. The wing
stall commonly known as a wing-drop stall, as that reaches the critical angle first (at about
well as the consequences and correct recovery 15 degrees) will stall first, losing lift and causing
technique. a roll at the stall. This often happens because
Stalling in the turn may produce the same of poor pilot technique where the aeroplane
consequences and requires the same recovery is out of balance at the stall, or aileron is
technique. If the turn is to be maintained rather being used.
than level flight regained, only the entry and the Once the wing stalls, aileron will not stop the
last item in the recovery are different. Therefore, roll, it will worsen the situation. If the wing-drop
stalling in the turn may be incorporated within this is not promptly recovered, a spin may develop.
briefing. However, at the PPL level, the CFI may The purpose of this exercise is to stop the natural
prefer a separate briefing for stalling in the turn tendency to pick the wing up with aileron and
(refer CFI). to practise the correct method of recovery.

Objectives Principles of Flight

To revise stalling with power Revise the cause of the stall – exceeding
the critical angle of attack, regardless of the
and flap. observed airspeed.

To carry out a stall from straight There are many reasons why aileron may be being
used at the stall.
and level flight (and the turn)
Turning
recovering from a wing drop with During the turn, angle of bank is maintained
minimum altitude loss. with aileron.
Out of Balance
If the aeroplane is permitted to yaw at or near the
stall there will be a tendency for the aeroplane
to roll (further effect of rudder), which will
increase the angle of attack on the down-going
wing. In addition, if an attempt is made to
maintain wings level with aileron, the down-going
aileron will increase the mean angle of attack
on that wing. This usually results in that wing
reaching the critical angle first.
2 Advanced Manoeuvres: Wing-Drop Stalling

Ice or Damage The wing that stalls first has a reduction in lift,
If ice forms on the wings, or one wing is causing roll. The roll increases the angle of attack
damaged, by bird strike or ‘hangar rash’, the on the down-going wing and may delay the stall
smooth airflow over the wing will be disturbed, of the up-going wing. Increasing the angle of
and may break away sooner than the flow over attack past the critical angle will result in a
the other wing – resulting in that wing stalling decrease in lift but a substantial increase in drag
earlier than the other. (use CL and CD against angle of attack graph).
Weight Imbalance
If all the passengers or fuel are on one side of
Figure 1
the aeroplane, some aileron will be required to
maintain wings level.
Turbulence
When operating near the critical angle, a gust or
turbulence may result in aileron being used to
maintain wings level, or the modified airflow as a
result of the gust may cause one wing to exceed
the critical angle.
Rigging
If the wings were fitted to the aeroplane at
slightly different angles of incidence, or the flaps
have been rigged incorrectly, when approaching
the stall, one wing would reach the critical angle
before the other.
Power
Slipstream modifies the angle of attack on each
wing because of its rotational nature. In clockwise
rotating engines (as viewed by the pilot), the angle
of attack is decreased on the starboard wing and
increased on the port. Therefore, the aeroplane
may drop a wing more readily when partial power The increase in drag yaws the aeroplane toward
is used. the down-going wing, which may further delay the
Flaps stall of the up-going wing as a result of increased
It is possible for flap to extend at slightly different airspeed. This process, where yaw causes roll,
angles. In addition, when flap is extended the which causes yaw, is known as autorotation.
aeroplane is less laterally stable, as the centres By using aileron to stop the roll (a natural
of pressure on each wing move in toward the tendency), the mean angle of attack increases
wing root. This increases the tendency for the on the down-going wing. The lift continues to
aeroplane to be easily disturbed in roll, which decrease with an increase in angle of attack
may cause one wing to exceed the critical (past the critical angle), while the drag continues
angle. However, there is also a greater need to increase rapidly with any small increase in
to use aileron to maintain wings level in this angle of attack. Show the effect of aileron on the
configuration. Therefore, the aeroplane may drop CL and CD curves on the graph.
a wing more readily when flap is selected.
The consequences of one wing exceeding the
critical angle before the other are discussed.
 Advanced Manoeuvres: Wing-Drop Stalling 3

The use of aileron adversely affects the roll

and favours autorotation. This is the reason for
Air Exercise
Start by revising stalling in various configurations.
maintaining ailerons neutral in the initial stall
This will help make the student more comfortable
recovery.
before tackling the wing-drop stalls.
The correct method of stopping autorotation is
When satisfied that the student is ready to
to break the yaw-roll-yaw cycle, and since aileron
progress, you should begin the exercise with
cannot be used effectively to stop the roll, rudder
the demonstration and patter of a wing-drop
is used to prevent further yaw. The nose is
stall (see “Airborne Sequence”).
lowered simultaneously (backpressure relaxed)
with the application of rudder, and this will stop
Entry
the roll immediately.
HASELL checks are completed, and a prominent
outside reference point (backed by the DI) on
which to keep straight is nominated.
Airmanship From level flight, carburettor heat is selected HOT
Revise the requirement to carry out all stalling
practise in a safe environment and the power smoothly reduced to rpm.
As the nose will want to yaw and pitch down,
Revise the HASELL and HELL checks. keep straight with rudder and hold the altitude
Emphasise symptom recognition for avoidance. with increasing backpressure.
The student should strive to improve situational Below knots (in the white arc) select flap
awareness by integrating the attitude and gradually, if applicable to aeroplane type. During the
airspeed with the aeroplane’s configuration, phase application of flap, check forward to prevent any
of flight and symptoms of the approaching stall. gain in altitude due to the increase in lift, before
reapplying backpressure to maintain altitude.
Through knots, or when the aural stall
Aeroplane Management warning is heard, select carburettor heat COLD,
As the objective is to carry out a stall with a wing- as full power will shortly be applied.
drop, a configuration most likely to induce a
At the stall, altitude is lost, the nose pitches
wing-drop is used, commonly 1700 rpm and full
down, and one wing may drop.
flap is used. The combination of these two factors
will often lead to a wing-drop occurring at the stall. If the aeroplane is reluctant to drop a wing at
the stall, alter the power and flap combination
Some aeroplane types, eg, PA38, will perform
(refer CFI) and relax rudder pressure to simulate
good wing-drop stalls in the basic configuration
the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control.
(power idle, flap up) (Refer CFI).
Alternatively, a gentle turn may be required
The use of carburettor heat may require revision. (5 degrees angle of bank).
Revise the airspeed and rpm limits.
There is nothing underhand about these
techniques, as permitting the aeroplane to
Human Factors yaw or stall in the turn are possible causes
Overlearning is used to improve information of a wing-drop stall.
processing to recognise the situation and
consciously ignore the roll while responding with
the correct recovery technique.
4 Advanced Manoeuvres: Wing-Drop Stalling

In addition, avoid an accelerated stall (by

zooming the entry) which may produce a rapid
Airborne Sequence
roll. The student should see a rapid stall at some The Exercise
point in their training, but the first stall is not the The student should be capable of positioning
time for it. If a pronounced wing-drop occurs, the aeroplane within the training area at a suitable
the application of full power may need to be altitude, completing the necessary checks,
delayed to avoid exceeding flap limiting speeds, and possibly carrying out the advanced stall and
or on the Piper Tomahawk, VNE. recovery. Instructor assistance is given only
as required.
Recovery
For the purposes of demonstration and patter,
The recovery may be discussed in three parts,
the recovery may be broken down into three
but the ultimate objective is to coordinate all
separate phases (refer CFI). Alternatively the
three actions.
three phases may be condensed into two or even
To unstall one phase, depending on your assessment of
Keep the ailerons neutral. the student’s ability.
At the same time
Simultaneously decrease the back pressure/check It is recommended that all stalling exercises
forward and apply sufficient appropriate rudder to finish with a reminder that outside of the training
prevent further yaw. environment the student would recover at the
Excessive rudder should not be applied (to level onset of the stall at the latest.
the wings through the secondary effect of rudder)
as this may cause a stall and flick manoeuvre in At the completion of this exercise, there
the opposite direction to the initial roll (wing drop). may be time to practise maximum rate turns,
if previously covered.
To minimise the altitude loss
Full power is smoothly but positively applied.
At the same time, level the wings with aileron
(as the aeroplane is now unstalled), centralise the
rudder, and raise the nose smoothly to the horizon
to arrest the sink and minimise the altitude loss.
Hold the nose at the level attitude, and reduce
the flap setting (as appropriate to aeroplane type)
immediately.
At a safe height, safe airspeed and with a positive
rate of climb – raise remaining flap (counter the
pitch change). The aeroplane will continue to
accelerate, and at the nominated climb speed
select the climb attitude.
Straight and level flight should be regained at
the starting altitude and the reference point or
heading regained.