| Back in January of 2002 I wrote an article titled, "Extra | | | | years before a pilot actually has an opportunity to use |
| Maneuver Training." In that article I lamented the minimal | | | | the skills learned during EMT or IRT, and after that |
| training on spins and upset recoveries received by | | | | period of time only the most basic, simple instructions |
| student pilots and even instructors. Because of this, | | | | will be remembered by the pilot. The recovery |
| stall/spin accidents are responsible for about 25 | | | | techniques taught can be summarized in three or four |
| percent of fatal general aviation accidents, and about | | | | words. |
| 20 percent of those occur during dual instructional flight | | | | For the pilot this can be "upset" training in more ways |
| with an FAA-certified flight instructor on board. I also | | | | than one. The airplane is stocked with a liberal supply |
| described the Emergency Maneuver Training (EMT) | | | | of barf bags, referred to as "boarding passes." I have |
| program available from Fighter Combat International | | | | never thrown up in an airplane before. I even used to |
| (FCI), located at Williams Gateway Airport (IWA) in | | | | teach aerobatics, but that was in a Great Lakes |
| Mesa, Arizona. | | | | biplane, which has nowhere near the performance of |
| The Instrument Recovery Training (IRT) was originally | | | | the Extra 300. |
| offered as a stand alone program, but FCI discovered | | | | I can heartily recommend FCI's very professional |
| that pilots attending the course did not have the basic | | | | approach to Emergency Maneuver Training and |
| recovery skills necessary and quickly became | | | | Instrument Recovery Training to any pilot. It is hard to |
| overwhelmed and frustrated. FCI now offers the IRT | | | | imagine anyone not feeling much more capable of |
| only as an add-on at the end of their two-day (three | | | | handling whatever might happen to them in an airplane, |
| flights) or three-day (five flights) visual recovery | | | | and FCI has stories from students who have literally |
| courses. | | | | found themselves upside down on final due to wake |
| Jay Hopkins is content writer for the apstraining.com; | | | | turbulence. It is a credit to the effectiveness of this |
| Visit the site ( for more information about Aviation | | | | training that they lived to send FCI a report on their |
| Safety Training | | | | successful recovery from a situation that has resulted |
| The Instrument Recovery Training flight repeats many | | | | in deaths of other pilots. |
| of these maneuvers with the pilot wearing glasses that | | | | If you are interested in learning more about Aerobatics |
| limit vision outside the aircraft. The flight starts with | | | | Schools, please search our site for more in-depth |
| steep turns, slow flight, and power on and off stalls. | | | | information and resources. |
| This simple approach is important, because it may be | | | | |