Spinning a Stearman?

Tiger Tim · **Posted:** Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:35 pm

So the Tuskegee Airmen movie is on the history channel right now and they're just going through their basic flight training. I couldn't help but notice that in one scene they spin a Stearman and you can see the ailerons are deflected into the spin. Now, I teach a fair bit of spin training and I have to admit I'm not familiar with this. We keep the ailerons neutral, or in a more advanced lesson ailerons out of the spin to accelerate it but always back to neutral for the recovery. Is this aileron into the spin thing something that should be done with a Stearman, or maybe something they did during filming to make the entry a little more sedate?

-Tim

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

I never thought to do them any other way than neutral for some reason. Good question! Wish I still had one to find out.

gunnyperdue · **Posted:** Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:22 am

I'd like to take a shot at answering this question.... First> Why would one believe that anything done in a movie is accurate? That being said... the Stearman has a very stable, nose high, fairly slow rotation in a spin and recovers easily if not kept in the spin until fully developed/ Stable (quite a few turns).... It recovers easily.... and you normally spin it with neutral ailerons....

I can think of a reason to spin it with in-spin ailerons..... a quick aero discussion... In-Spin aileron tends to increase the rolling motion into the spin, lowering the nose and increasing apparent yaw rate (Out-Spin Aileron tends to bring the nose up--- flatten the attitude and increase the yaw rate---- the FLAT spin, power also helps here).

So, if I wanted to increase the drama of the film shot I would add in-apin aileron to increase the dive angle and rotation rate for the camera... I would suggest that this is what the pilot was doing for a more dramatic camera shot...

My two cents.
gunny

Tiger Tim · **Posted:** Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:07 pm

Thanks Gunny, I had figured it probably wasn't the 'right' way to do it but I had wondered exactly what the effect would be.

-Tim

gunnyperdue · **Posted:** Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:17 pm

Tiger Tim wrote:

Thanks Gunny, I had figured it probably wasn't the 'right' way to do it but I had wondered exactly what the effect would be.

-Tim

Tim-

You're welcome... I'd say kudos on you for picking out that detail....

gunny

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Spinning a Stearman?

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