Falling leaf

A falling leaf (also called a rudder stall or oscillation stall) is a maneuver in which an aircraft performs a wings-level stall (the airplane stops flying and starts falling) which begins to induce a spin. This spin is countered with the rudder, which begins a spin in the opposite direction that must be countered with rudder, and the process is repeated as many times as the pilot determines. During the maneuver, the plane resembles a leaf falling from the sky; first slipping to one side, stopping, and then slipping to the other direction; continuing a side-to-side motion as it drifts toward the ground.

A falling leaf (also called a rudder stall or oscillation stall) is a maneuver in which an aircraft performs a wings-level stall (the airplane stops flying and starts falling) which begins to induce a spin. This spin is countered with the rudder, which begins a spin in the opposite direction that must be countered with rudder, and the process is repeated as many times as the pilot determines. During the maneuver, the plane resembles a leaf falling from the sky; first slipping to one side, stopping, and then slipping to the other direction; continuing a side-to-side motion as it drifts toward the ground. ==Execution== A falling leaf is performed by first cutting the throttle and possibly deploying the speed brakes, if available, allowing the aircraft's speed to drop to the point where the relative wind can no longer hold the plane aloft, called the "stall speed." As the speed drops, the pilot holds the plane as level as possible in both the longitudinal direction (lengthwise) and the lateral direction (wing-wise). When the stall speed is reached, the plane will lose lift and begin to fall. Due to the low speed and high angle of attack (the angle of the wings to the relative wind), the aircraft loses its boundary layer, making the control surfaces barely responsive to pilot inputs. Therefore, the controls are usually pushed to their maximum limit to get the plane to respond. As the aircraft stalls, the nose will begin to drop. At this point the pilot applies full or nearly full elevator, to hold the nose attitude near the horizon. While holding the ailerons neutral, the pilot applies full rudder in one direction, to induce a spin. When the spin begins, the pilot reverses the rudder direction. The aircraft will roll during the spin and will drop to the side in a slip before the rudder has a chance to take authority over the plane. As the rudder stops the spin, the wings will level, and then the incipient spin will begin in the opposite direction, causing the plane to roll and slip to that side. At this time, the pilot reverses the rudder, and this is repeated until the pilot decides to disengage from the maneuver. During the maneuver, the pilot attempts to hold the wings as level as possible, using only the rudder with no help from the ailerons. To disengage from the maneuver, while simultaneously using the rudders to stop rotation, the pilot releases back pressure on the elevator in order to lower the nose and allow the plane to gain speed. Once the stall speed is passed, the pilot can pull back on the stick to return to normal flight. Therefore, the pilot must ensure that there is sufficient altitude to recover from the stall when performing and exiting the maneuver. ==References==

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378701505 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.