Upset Recovery Pilot Training

[Note: This video is not a “how-to” get out of aircraft upsets. It is a snippet of what Bad Attitude flight school does. If you desire this kind of training, contact Bad Attitude to sign up!]

If you’ve ever been through pilot training or even if you’ve ever flown in a plane, you know that there are always potential hazards when flying. Whether it’s plane issues, outside elements or pilot error, pilots have specific flight training to avoid these potential hazards. However, they may not always be getting the most complete training they could so they can not merely avoid issues, but also correct them when they inevitably happen. 

That’s where Bad Attitude, an aviator training company that specializes in aircraft upset recovery, steps in. Their goal is to teach pilots how to successfully overcome these aircraft attitude upsets.

“It’s kind of like a defensive drivers course for airplanes,” says Tyler Khan, master aerobatic instructor for Bad Attitude.

An aircraft attitude upset is aircraft is taken outside of typical pilot skill parameters. A few of the attitude upsets include:

Nose high: The nose is pitched up past 25 degrees horizontally.
Nose high over bank: The pitch of the aircraft is over 25 degrees horizontally and it is banked past 45 degrees.
Nose low: The nose is pitched down negative 10 degrees horizontally.
Nose low over bank: The pitch of the aircraft is negative 10 degrees horizontally and it is banked past 45 degrees.
Roll through: If the aircraft has rolled past 180 degrees, the fastest way to get back to level flight is by rolling through. If it’s less than 179, you don’t need to continue to roll through, that’s not the fastest way to correct. 

At Bad Attitude, they teach pilots how to counteract these upsets successfully and confidently.

“The fact is that aircraft loss of control or “upsets” are still and have been the leading cause of fatalities and hole loss in the industry,” says John Dye, Bad Attitude owner and master aerobatic instructor. “[It’s] not just in general aviation [but] in corporate and airline. It needs to be dealt with and that’s what we do.”

What Bad Attitude instructors understand to be true is that a private pilot typically only experiences 4.9 percent of the total capability of the aircraft and as a commercial pilot, it increases to 11.1 percent. They don’t want to keep pilots in these low percentages.

“We expand your envelope,” says John. “We always want the aircraft to be the limiting factor, not your capability.”

Along those lines, one of the Bad Attitude instructors’ biggest concerns is that the majority of pilots, including private and commercial, never have the opportunity to experience a situation where a plane stalls and how to get out of it unless they complete their flight instructor certificate. 

“You have guys making testing standards that are saying avoid the stall,” says Tyler. “Don’t stall the airplane. You won’t have anything to worry about…We kind of look at it a little differently. Yeah, you’re going to stall it, you’re going to spin it, you’re going to have an upset. How do you recover from it? Why avoid a problem that’s going to get you later on down the road?” 

However, the training doesn’t begin in the air. 

“One thing we hit really hard is ground training,” says John. “At the table—that’s where you win this upset battle. The more you know and the more you can access—this is where you win. Flying the airplane, that’s the easy part.”

The Bad Attitude instructors know that practicing these upsets can be intimidating at first, but also know it won’t always be that way.

“It’s kind of scary at first,” says Tyler. “Just maybe a little uncomfortable. But it’s like any other flight training. The more you do it and become comfortable with it, it starts to become fun. It’s part of your repertoire, your routine. And it’s something you can practice in an appropriate environment. Just like steep turns and stalls—it’s enjoyable. And if it does happen to you, you got this. You know I’ve been there, done that.” 

Has this piqued your interest in training with Bad Attitude? Have you had any of this kind of training before? Share your experiences and thoughts with us in the comments below!