Thread: Colgan 3407 Update
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Old 03-31-2009 | 06:40 PM
  #64  
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Klako
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From: Military Flight Instructor
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Originally Posted by IQuitEagle
This shows an astounding lack of understanding of stall protection systems. The SPS activates PRE-stall, not when the wing is actually stalled. So in a "normal" stall with the shaker going off, dropping the nose by a significant amount is a no-no. The pusher will do its job, and if you get closer to the critical AOA and closer to actually stalling the wings, the nose will be forced down.

You obviously have little to no experience flying swept wing aircraft. If you pitch down in jets in the pre-stall, you are in for a world of hurt and TONS of altitude lost.
I strongly believe we have been training Q400 pilots a flawed procedure for the approach to stall recovery. The book response to a stick shaker activation calls for back pressure on the yoke to maintain pitch attitude and setting max power, essentially to power out of the stall.

I am here to tell you that the Q400 is very easy to over pitch-up during this pitch-up and power stall recovery procedure which easily leads to stick pusher activation. Stick pusher/pilot induced oscillations are difficult to avoid in the Q400 especially with an inexperienced pilot at the controls. I understand that the Captain barely had 100 hours in the Q400.

I have also observed that pilots who are very new to vertical tape airspeed indicators tend to pitch to the direction of the desired airspeed indicated on the vertical tape. Higher airspeeds are shown up on the tape and lower airspeeds are shown down.
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