To spin or not to spin

Today was my flying club’s spin clinic. The purpose of the spin clinic was to prepare club pilots how to recover from a spin in case it should happen (you hope that it never happens). I debated if I was going to participate or not, because I am kind of a wimp about somethings and the whole idea of making the airplane spin towards the earth really freaked me out. But I went through with it and had a great time!

Bill (a member of the club and an awesome instructor) took about 10 pilots up during the day so that each person could experience a spin and how to recover from it. Bill has a cute little Cessna airplane and it was a delight to fly (its totally a 1960s airplane and even has a ashtray! How people could smoke and fly at the same time is beyond me). We flew up to 5,000 feet and then Bill told me to pull back on the power so that the plane would go into a stall, while at the same time pulling back on the yoke and apply some left rudder. Eventually the airplane stalls and then dives and the whole earth rushes at you, really, really, fast. Then you pull further back on the power (you cut your power further, as you do not want to speed up as you are spinning towards the ground), apply the opposite rudder, level off, and then finally apply the power. You feel some Gs when you come out of the dive and this actually was the hardest part, because you are trying to pull up the airplane and you can feel the pressure.

The first spin was terrifying because it happens so fast, but I did ok. No screaming, no swearing, and no throwing up. I was a bit freaked out and my stomach was doing some flips, but in all it was not bad. We then tried another, but I could not get the airplane to stall (airplanes just do not like to stall or spin). We finally got the airplane to spin again on the left and then tried one on the right. By the third one, I was not that scared or freaked out and they were kind of fun (in a crazy sort of way), but I do not want to be doing a spin anytime soon.

Then back to the hanger, where an informal spin party was going on with burgers grilling and donuts, and I had a flying lesson a little while later in the afternoon (where I did the most perfect landing ever!).