From time to time, seemingly new unusual attitude recovery methods are introduced. How do alternative schemes compare to tried-and-true standards?

By Rich Stowell, MCFI-A

The mere mention of "unusual attitudes" not only raises eyebrows but—as pilots conjure up out-of-control airplanes plummeting from the sky—can measurably elevate stress levels. The phrase is often a catchall, including encounters with inadvertent stalls and spins, wake turbulence, and uncommanded spirals. Yet a stall by itself, though often a precursor to an unusual attitude event, is not an unusual attitude per se. For purposes of this two-part series, we’ll divide our unusual attitudes into two subgroups:

Inadvertent spins, which are departures from controlled flight that involve simultaneously stalling and yawing; and airplane upsets, which are largely unstalled departures from controlled flight, especially those that involve excessive angles of bank. This…