Just curious if a Boeing 737-800 can really recover from a spin.

 

With it's wings swept back it tends to enter a flat spin, from my training and studies, a flat spin is unrecoverable.

 

However, FSX Boeing 737 has a hard time recovering from the stall warning.

 

Last night ATC left me too high for too long, I should have just executed the missed approach, but no I said I can get down in time to capture the ILS. So...speed brakes on, throttle back to idle, gear down, VS set to 3500 fpm. IAS 140kts.

 

Passengers streaming, but I assured them I had it under control, the decent was a controlled decent, the problem came when I got behind the aircraft, trying to tune radios, and nav aids...the sound you do not want to hear starts. STALL WARNING!

 

Of course it takes a few seconds for you to grasp what the heck is going on. And then a few more seconds to realize you still have the auto pilot engage. So you do what you're train to do:

 

1. Disengage George

2. Noise down

3. Throttle up

 

But, by that time it's too late for the 737, flat spin commenced.

 

Lessons learn:

1. Execute missed approach

2. And don't forget to raise gear

3. And don't forget to lower speed brakes

 

 

-Ray

So...speed brakes on, throttle back to idle, gear down, VS set to 3500 fpm. IAS 140kts.

Ok in my book. ^_^ Hell of a ride, huh?

 

However, FSX Boeing 737 has a hard time recovering from the stall warning.

I could be dangerously wrong, but I think you are pointing at a downside of many FSX planes. The stall warning doesn't come up before the stall, but with the stall.

 

So those stick shaker margins or, on GA planes, stall horns just some knots before you lose lift, don't take place. Only few planes model it and therefore suppress the default FSX warning and message.

 

With the red FSX 'stall' text and beep tone, you are stalled. With a rw stick shaker, you are approaching a stall. So you don't really have a warning going off until it's already too late.

 

On the flight model, I let the rw flyers speak. But my guess is that the whole stall behaviour in FSX is difficult to model and may therefore not be realistic. I'm sure the GA planes have an edge over the more cruise optimized airliner renditions. But all of them may lack some forces and quirks when it comes to stalling or flying close to it.

 

Lessons learn:

1. Execute missed approach

Fully agreed. Sounds easier than it is, even in the sim, huh? Well, you could perform a forward slip. Must be nice with the airliners. ^_^ With a GA plane and a nice flight model allowing it, it's fun though.

And to be fair, there are usually 2 pilots, so 1 flies while the other changes things, :Shocked:

Just curious if a Boeing 737-800 can really recover from a spin.

 

With it's wings swept back it tends to enter a flat spin, from my training and studies, a flat spin is unrecoverable.

 

However, FSX Boeing 737 has a hard time recovering from the stall warning.

 

Last night ATC left me too high for too long, I should have just executed the missed approach, but no I said I can get down in time to capture the ILS. So...speed brakes on, throttle back to idle, gear down, VS set to 3500 fpm. IAS 140kts.

 

Passengers streaming, but I assured them I had it under control, the decent was a controlled decent, the problem came when I got behind the aircraft, trying to tune radios, and nav aids...the sound you do not want to hear starts. STALL WARNING!

 

Of course it takes a few seconds for you to grasp what the heck is going on. And then a few more seconds to realize you still have the auto pilot engage. So you do what you're train to do:

 

1. Disengage George

2. Noise down

3. Throttle up

 

But, by that time it's too late for the 737, flat spin commenced.

 

Lessons learn:

1. Execute missed approach

2. And don't forget to raise gear

3. And don't forget to lower speed brakes

 

 

-Ray

 

 

 

You'll never recover from a spin if you throttle up. That's a guaranteed coffin much deeper than 6ft!

 

1. Power -- idle

2. Ailerons -- neutral

3. Rudder -- full opposite to yaw

4. Elevator -- forward as far as necessary to terminate rotation. This will leave you in an errect steep dive

then:

5. Rudder -- neutral

6. Elevator -- return to straight and level do not overcook it otherwise the a/c will stall again and this time you're much much closer to New Zealand than before!

You'll never recover from a spin if you throttle up. That's a guaranteed coffin much deeper than 6ft!

 

1. Power -- idle

2. Ailerons -- neutral

3. Rudder -- full opposite to yaw

4. Elevator -- forward as far as necessary to terminate rotation. This will leave you in an errect steep dive

then:

5. Rudder -- neutral

6. Elevator -- return to straight and level do not overcook it otherwise the a/c will stall again and this time you're much much closer to New Zealand than before!

 

This makes perfect since for a nose down spin, but what about a flat spin?

 

-Ray

Forgive the stupid question, but if you have a twin engine aircraft, can you not use the engines to counter-act the spin?

I'm sure it sounds obvious enough just to use thrust on one side to stop the spin, but I bet there are also a dozen other reasons why you cant, but I be damned if I know any of them?

The best way to get out of a flat spin is to transfer/jettison fuel to/from one wing. As the wings tilts use the rudder to encourage the a/c into a "normal" spin and then recover from that. But make sure you have mountains (literally) of altitude first.

Q. Which wing needs more fuel weight?