PA.VII.C.PRI· Principles
Principles & why
Principles & why: deck angle at the stall, P-factor under stress, and the departure-stall scenario
A power-on stall is the mirror task to power-off (B) — same recovery doctrine, different entry configuration and different consequences. The three principles to understand: why the deck angle at the stall is steeper, why P-factor and torque dominate the rudder picture, and why the departure-stall scenario is the real-world danger this maneuver rehearses.
Why the deck angle at the stall is steeper
In a power-on stall entry, the airplane is climbing with full power. To reach critical AoA from a climbing attitude, the pilot must:
- Pitch up beyond the normal climb pitch attitude.
- Continue pitching as the airplane decelerates against the climb.
- Reach a pitch attitude at the stall that's typically 20–30° above the horizon — far steeper than the power-off stall (which breaks closer to level flight, often with only 5–10° of nose-up pitch).
The steep deck angle is what makes power-on stalls feel dramatic. It's also what makes the recovery feel like more — the AoA reduction has to drop the nose through a larger angle to reach a normal pitch attitude.
The standard's "minimize altitude loss" still applies, but the realistic altitude loss in a power-on recovery is larger than power-off (often 200–500 ft) simply because the airplane is starting from a steeper attitude.
Why P-factor and torque dominate the rudder picture
At low airspeed + high power + high AoA — the power-on stall regime — the left-turning tendencies of a propeller-driven airplane are at their maximum:
- P-factor is maximum when AoA is highest. The descending propeller blade (right side) takes a much bigger bite of air than the ascending blade.
- Torque scales with power output (more power = more left-roll reaction).
- Accelerated slipstream is maximum because the prop is spinning at full RPM, pushing the most air around the fuselage.
Together: a power-on stall wants to yaw left. Without active right rudder, the airplane:
- Yaws left during the entry.
- Drops the left wing at the stall (because the left wing has higher AoA than the right when the nose is yawed).
- Enters incipient spin if uncoordinated and the wing drop isn't recovered correctly.
The rudder discipline isn't optional. It's the safety floor of the maneuver.
CROSS-CONTROL DIAGNOSTIC · PA.VII.C/D
Slip vs. skid — ball position decides
PLATE 30 · SLIP VS SKID
Skid — base-to-final spin trap
Aileron one way, rudder the SAME direction but exaggerated. The ball drifts toward the HIGH WING (the uphill side of the bank). The down-going wing has higher AoA — stalls first — and the rudder pulls the airplane further into the turn. This is the kill-chain for the base-to-final stall-spin accident. NEVER use rudder to tighten a turn near stall.
Slip: rudder opposes bank → safe. The ball drifts toward the low wing; the airplane is yawed against itself but stable, with benign stall behavior. Skid: rudder reinforces bank → spin risk. The ball drifts toward the high wing; the down-going wing reaches critical AoA first; the rudder accelerates the rotation. If you have to tighten a turn near stall, use bank, not rudder.
A power-on stall entered uncoordinated puts the airplane in this configuration — the ball drifts inside the bank as left-turning tendencies pull the nose. Pulling through the stall here is the spin entry pattern. Toggle to "Coordinated" to see the baseline the maneuver must hold.
The departure-stall scenario
Power-on stalls simulate the departure stall — the second of the two stall-related accidents that kill pilots. The first is the approach-to-landing stall (power-off, B); the second is the departure stall (power-on, C).
The scenario: pilot rotates and climbs. Something goes wrong:
- Excessive pitch attitude (over-rotation on takeoff, or pulling up too aggressively to clear an obstacle).
- Distraction during climb-out (passenger, ATC call, indication light).
- Engine power loss (partial or total) — pilot pulls back trying to maintain altitude when power drops.
In each case, the airplane decelerates, AoA exceeds critical, and the wing stalls at climb attitude with engine on. If uncoordinated, the airplane spins.
The maneuver rehearses this scenario at altitude so the pilot's recovery is automatic when it happens for real. Three takeoffs out of every NTSB-reported general aviation stall accident match this pattern; the maneuver is the training response.
Why the recovery sequence is the same as power-off
The AoA-first recovery (reduce AoA → power → level wings) works because:
- AoA reduction works regardless of configuration. A stalled wing in clean configuration or with full flaps still needs AoA reduction to reattach airflow.
- Power is already at full or near-full in the power-on stall. The "apply power" step often becomes "maintain power" — but the AoA reduction is the new input.
- Wings level with coordinated rudder is critical in both, but more so in power-on because P-factor is fighting you.
The recovery is muscle memory, identical across power-off (B) and power-on (C). What differs is the entry, the deck angle, and the consequences of getting it wrong.
PLATE 31 · RECOVERY SEQUENCE
STALL VS SPIN RECOVERY · PA.VII.B–D
Two procedures, one trigger difference
AoA-FIRST STALL RECOVERY
VII.B (power-off) · VII.C (power-on)
Reduce AoA
Forward elevator pressure — pitch down. The stalled wing reattaches as AoA drops below critical.
Apply / maintain full power
Throttle full forward. Power restores climb capability once the wing is flying again. Power-on entries already have this set.
Level the wings
Coordinated aileron + rudder. Bank corrects after the stall is broken — not during.
Recover to climb
Smooth pull-up to climb attitude as airspeed builds. Minimum altitude loss — but minimum, not zero.
Trigger: stall warning, buffet, mush — AoA only, NO rotation
PARE SPIN RECOVERY
VII.D — only home for this sequence
P — Power → idle
Throttle to idle. Eliminates the slipstream that feeds the spin and removes torque-induced roll.
A — Ailerons → neutral
Aileron acts BACKWARD in a spin — opposing aileron deepens it. Center them and hold them centered.
R — Rudder → full opposite
The primary spin-recovery control. Applied opposite to the direction of rotation. Hold firmly until rotation stops.
E — Elevator → forward
After rotation slows or stops, forward elevator breaks the stalled wing back to flying AoA. Elevator LAST, not first.
Trigger: AoA + rotation. Incipient phase, before fully developed.
Stall recovery (AoA-first)
The stall is an AoA condition. Reducing AoA reattaches the airflow regardless of configuration. The doctrine is modern (post-2010 FAA emphasis): pitch first, then power, then wings. Used in VII.B (power-off) and VII.C (power-on) stall recoveries.
Stall = AoA exceeded critical. Spin = the same plus YAW and ROLL, autorotating. The trigger difference selects the procedure. Applying the stall recovery to a spin (full power + aileron) feeds the rotation; applying PARE to a coordinated stall (idle + opposite rudder) wastes altitude and may produce a secondary spin. Recognize before recovering.
Same AoA-first sequence as VII.B. The "Apply / maintain full power" step is mostly "maintain" here because the power-on entry already has full power applied. The contrast with PARE (right column) becomes the spin-pedagogy bridge into VII.D.
The connection to spin awareness (D)
Power-on stalls are the maneuver most likely to incipiently spin if mishandled. The combination of high power + high AoA + uncoordinated rudder is exactly the spin entry condition. Spin awareness (VII.D) builds on power-on stall training by extending the pedagogy:
- A coordinated power-on stall: wing breaks, recover with AoA → power → level.
- An uncoordinated power-on stall: wing drops aggressively; the airplane enters incipient spin.
VII.D covers the recovery from incipient spin — the recognition starts here in C; the recovery from the incipient phase, and the PARE sequence that drives it, lives in D.
★ Next up
PA.VII.C.ERR · Common errors
Power-on stall errors are similar to power-off (B) with one critical addition: uncoordinated entries that drop a wing. The combination of high power, high Ao…