It was about 2017 when we got the Recovery From a Steep-Banked Spiral Dive approved as required training and a task for a checkride and proficiency check.
Since then, the accident rate of pilots spiraling into the ground has decreased significantly. I heard someone say it was only for fast blade wing trikes. NOT TRUE. THIS IS FOR ALL TRIKES.
It is now a REQUIRED MANEUVER to be taught by CFI’s to all new trike pilots. It was thought that this important safety issue would also be covered through training to ALL PILOTS during the flight review. It has been that way for 2 years, so in a perfect world, everybody would be trained and proficient in this maneuver.
To my surprise, I discovered this training was not being done and only being discussed verbally. This is not acceptable. Everybody needs to go through the actual flight training. If you have not been flight trained in Recovery From a Steep-Banked Spiral Dive, Make sure your flight instructor has been properly trained to train you. If your flight instructor has not been trained, make sure they are before they train you.
A Flight Review is a great time to accomplish this. It is a very simple maneuver, and it should be a basic habit for all trike pilots to be trained.
-Paul Hamilton, CFI
Sport Aviation Center
PAUL HAMILTON,
CFI, DPE, LSR-M
Paul is one of the first people to receive Sport Pilot Certified Instructor (CFI) and Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) for Sport Pilots. He is owner of Sport Aviation Center, a FBO located at the Carson City Airport in Carson City, Nevada, USA.