Private Pilot Private Exam

During a spin to the left, which wing(s) is/are stalled?

1. Only the left wing is stalled.

2. Only the right wing is stalled.

3. Both wings are stalled.

4. Neither wing is stalled.

The correct answer is: Both wings are stalled.

In a spin, the aircraft is in a state where one wing is losing lift while the other is generating more lift due to its angle of attack. Typically, when an aircraft enters a spin to the left, the left wing experiences a more severe stall compared to the right wing, which causes the right wing to continue producing lift, albeit at a reduced rate. However, despite one wing being more critically stalled than the other, both wings are generally considered to be in a stalled condition during a spin. This is because the critical angle of attack has been exceeded on both wings due to the aircraft's high angle of attack relative to its flight path during the spin. In the scenario of a left spin, the left wing is fully stalled and produces little to no lift, while the right wing, although not stalled to the same degree, is still operating near the stall condition. The combination of these factors leads to a net result where both wings are effectively stalled as the aircraft rotates around the vertical axis. So, it is accurate to indicate that both wings are stalled during a spin, as the aerodynamic conditions on both wings contribute to the aircraft's inability to recover from the spin until correct recovery procedures are applied.