questionable FARs

[britton]

i've got a term paper due for my FARs explained course and i chose this subject. any ideas or leads on the subject would be much appreciated.

[pilot1]

according to how long your paper is you could do it on whether or not private pilots should be required to perform spins. I just recently did a one page paper for my FAR's class. My argument was that it only says that you must have knowledge of spins and recovery techniques according to 61.105 (b)(11). I think it should be a requirement for the check ride since a spin could occur maybe even while the student is out practing stalls before recieving his private. Most insructors (I know I do) at least do a couple of spins with students before allowing them to go out and practice stalls by themselves just in case it happens. Maybe this will help.

AMEL/ASEL CFII

[cirrusownerandCFI]

While I would agree that I think it is a "good idea" for a student pilot (or certificated pilot) to practice spin recoveries with a qualified instructor, I think it is a different idea to "require" it on a practical exam. The simple fact is that my airplane is not certificated for spins. This is true of many airplanes. I'd have to rent a totally different aircraft to take the practical exam.

The other issue is how many pilots (and passengers) are saved because a pilot knew how to get out of a spin vs pilots that kill themselves practicing spins. Even some aerobatic planes are not certified for spins and some aerobatic instructors refuse to do them even if the airplane is certified for spins. It is still a requirement for an initial CFI applicant to do spin training and demonstrate proficiency in recovery from spins.

Many stall/spin scenarios happen in IMC and many happen close to the ground. Without visual clues and without some altitude, spins are very difficult to overcome. While inadvertant spins do happen at altitude, most of these are a result of stall practice gone bad (hence the instructor requirement)