Villa

Some people suggest getting out of a spin by giving it opposite rudder. That certainly seems logical. I have never tried to determine which direction the spin is so I can give it opposite rudder. Fortunately all of my spins seem to react to what I learned long ago; go to idle and let go of both sticks till the plane stops spinning then recover. Recovery should be in about one second. If that does not work then I do other things like go to full throttle and work the rudder. I have seen a few planes go into a flat spin that went all the way to the ground, in the hands of a very experience pilot. Now I do my best not to go into an un-commanded spin. This works good for me. During a high wind landing, with gusts, I constantly work all of the controls.

zope_pope

Basically an airplane must be stalled to enter a spin. If you release the sticks, you usually have done enough to decrease the AOA to below the critical AOA. The airplane isn't stalled, and you fly out.

Why not get really high up, and practice a few spins. To recover, power to idle, ailerons, neutral, opposite rudder, and forward on the elevator to break the stall. It will become a reflex after awhile.

Something we practice in full scale flying is incipient spin recovery. In other words, just as the airplane starts to break (yaw) to one side or the other, recover from the stall. Pitch the plane forward and roll it level. Once this is a reflex, even at low altitudes, you'll be able to recover from stalls. Last but not least, the ultimate confidence builder (for my students who were afraid of stalls), go up really high and learn to recover from stalls without the use of power at all. Fly level, power to idle, then slowly pitch up to maintain altitude, you'll reach the critical angle of attack (pitched up too high), then simply lower the nose and glide out of it without adding power. This may be best done with a buddy cord the first few times, but I guarantee you'll understand stalls much better after these exercises.

Let me know if you have any questions. Since I don't get to teach much anymore, I am always happy to lend a helping hand.

TimBle

good advice. its the test that should be conducted on any new model airplane. I usually conduct the stall test on the maiden flight.
 
Take off, trim circuits and then stall test. followed by landing pattern and approaches. then land.

its the most valuable 10min you'll spend with your airplane

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Absolutely. My routine on a maiden is a slow take off, slow climb to a good height, trim for straight and level with hands off, then do a few circuits while carefully checking throws. Then, I add a little power, climb to a safer altitude, re-trim, then slide the throttle back to see what happens. After all this, I see if the roll rates are adequate, (dual rates) and then check all controls to the full extent, then slow down and do an approach without landing, go around and repeat a few times till I am comfortable with how it will land, then land it.

After it lands, I take it back to the bench and go through it completely, as though it was a pre-flight. At that time, I make any corrections that I discovered during the trim adjustments to center the sticks for a typical straight and level, and then, start up and fly.

CGr.

Lnewqban

I agree, but how to recognize an incipient stall in a RC model?

Most of the times, it happens so fast, that there is no reflex time fast enough to save the model if the altitude is scarce.

Having no instruments, like in full scale piloting, one have to be very intimate with the model to recognize the proper signs, like sluggish response to control inputs.

Testing a stall response high enough by feeding elevator is one thing, recognizing a condition that is too close to critical AOA and stall during a tight banked turn is another.

zope_pope

You can. Basically this is what 3d pilots are very aware of. In full scale, sure we have instruments, but during private training (where you are learning stalls) you are actually encouraged to look outside and not inside. It's much easier to maintain heading by looking at a mountain in the distance, or a point in the sky (small cloud). Anyhow, there are various cues to look for, but the one that will be the easiest to "feel" in RC flying is mushy controls.

When flying straight and level, there is plenty of airflow over the control surfaces so the airplane feels nice and responsive. You're used to good roll rates, the elevator pitching the airplane up when commanded to, etc. As you get slower and slower, the airflow will diminish and you'll feel the stick start to get mushy. When you start to feel wings dropping, you are essentially at the buffet (right before a stall) and a stall is imminent. Just push the nose forward and you'll fly right out of it. Get used to these cues.

cfircav8r

My Feedback: (1)

The biggest obstacle to learning the feel is ignoring ground speed during windy conditions, or at least understanding the difference. This gives the illusion of higher airspeed and if you can't feel the difference in control authority you will continue to have problems with stalls.