Escape from Serious Spiral Dive in Real Life 

Excellent lesson for us all. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the instruction. The other thing you can learn from this video is how quick you can get out of it but doing the correct thing. Remarkable how fast this was corrected and that actually says a lot for Trikes. These wings are very responsive and that can work both ways.

Thanks for sharing this!!! Regardless of whether or not we THINK we're susceptible to these things, it's a great reminder. Now to rehearse this up high so the reaction is (more?) automatic.

Thanks for sharing Henry! Excellent instruction at the expense of a very real scare for you! I am a trike pilot but only have a plane for now. Will get back into trikes at some point later but I wont forget what you went through. Fly safe & btw, I LOVE your videos!

Glad it ended well! I watched video on how to recover,not sure i would have done the job you did.Saving two lives!! And hopefully a lot of other pilots lives! Dennis

Good job Henry I’m so glad it worked out for you, Luis

Unfortunately, my last CFI, Bedo, taught me that you can't spin a Trike. He was with a student for his sign off flight for the student to take his checkride when they apparently did a steep turn at 500' and spiraled into the ground. Even if Bedo knew to pull back (doubtful), he hadn't bothered to put the training bars on the student's Trike. Yes, a quick turn when low and slow can turn into a death spiral.

I fly fixed wing GA. But I like this video and learned from it.

for the plane pilot that flight a trike Consider that you, the pilot, you are the stick . This is the only maneuver to loose altitude very fast in trike, it is in fact a lateral stall. You should not forgot than when you have a big bank then if you go away of the bar(equivalent of pulling the stick) you close your turn so if you are in lateral stall engaged in a right turn to get out of it go as close as possible to the bar(equivalent of pushing the stick) and in the same time go to the left side of the bar equivalent put the stick to the left This maneuver should be learn because in case your motor stop this is the way to master your distance of landing , test this with your instructor or a confirmed trike pilot at high altitude . to engage a lateral stall reduce the throttle go to the left corner to turn left or right corner to turn right and go away of the bar(equivalent pull the stick) gently . With the modern wing no problems with the very old wing stop to go away of the bar (equivalent pull the stick) when the material start to enter in vibration (do not panic if it happen just go back to a more acceptable attitude) by getting closer to the bar (equivalent push the stick)

Thanks for sharing !!!

Tomo nota. Gracias por compartirlo.

grt training

So this goes to show how ignorance does not prevent anyone from giving elaborate opinions. First my credentials, flying hang gliders since 1979, and trikes since 89 and towing hang gliders since then. 3400 hrs logged in HG, 1300 hrs. logged in WSC. Hang gliders and trikes are very difficult to spin. With effort a pilot may induce a 1/4 to 1/2 flat spin by doing exactly what the guy in the blue shirt describes: bank slow and push out. The "instinct to push out" is what worsens the situation. This is technically not a flat spin but a stalled or slipping turn in a hang glider. It is a great maneuver to lose altitude fast without gaining a lot of ground and air speed when used planfully. It can be a disaster if it sneaks up on you and all you do is add throttle and bank (you will just auger in harder). The explanation for what occurs in the video is incorrect, the solution is the correct one however: pulling and roll out.

So basically they stalled a tip and the pilot didn't even seem to realize it. Next, we will find out they were downwind of that cliff face and got hit by the eddie. Like most power pilots they seem ignorant to what really happen. Add power is always the cure for these guys. Power covers up all the airspeed mistakes I guess. lol

1. Pull bar in. 2. Move bar to the ground/low side?

I ll keep flying my plane...

as i said in my previous comment......... just a cheap and nasty sales gimmick from "REVO" trikes !!!!!!

Looks like a slip/stall to me. A heavily loaded wing in a steep bank angle. What they did to pull out of it was the solution. It wasn't a "wind gust". Airspeed and angle of attack needs to be considered when you are heavily loaded. It's easy to get used to how your wing responds when you are solo but put a heavy passenger in the back seat and do steep turns and your wing will respond much differently. This is the maneuver I use to lose altitude fast after aerotowing to land and pick up the next glider. I'm glad it turned out ok.

It looks like there's an airplane at the end of the runway, possibly landed ahead of the trike?

I'm glad you were okay, I don't want to live in a world without Henry Trikelife :(

The same thing happened to me. I spotted a bald eagle in a tree and came around for a better look. In no time I was in trouble. When I leveled out I was 8 feet above the dirt! Rule 1 is FLY THE PLANE! I got fixated on the eagle . I try to practice emergency procedures every time I fly. I love to do spot landings where I cut the power, find the best place to land and then set up to do it. Often times I don't land but I know I can put the plane where I want to. Fly safe my friends and practice those emergency procedures...

Thanks for sharing. We can all learn from this and fly more safer.

Great video guys. Analyzing a close call helps us all fly safer.

I am glad you all made it through that experience -- and now, because of that and all of your contributions (Larry, Paul, Henry and Ken), I bet a lot of people's lives will be saved from that simple maneuver. Excellent job folks! I can't wait to join the trike community! Lottery wouldn't hurt! Hahaha....

Thank you for sharing this video. It's a good education for all of the pilots. I plan to practice spiral dive and recovery with CFI.

Way too low to be pulling a spiral dive!

Amazing video Henry! I thank all of you guys for sharing this. When I saw this on your cell phone I was just in aww of what a close call this was! As a very new pilot, I look to all of you for experience and advice. This video is priceless and all Pilots regardless of experienced level should take the time to pass this on to fellow pilots. Most of all, I'm really glad you and Ken survived it. Thank you for sharing Henry :)

Stalling and wing over should be practised by any new pilot....... but at the safe altitude....... It is better to be prepared , than wait for accident and hope to be lucky ....... When doing my PPL this was one of the first practices .... Thanks for posting the video , and many will hopefully learn from it - one of the most common mistakes .........

Outstanding real world example. Probably will save a few folks by posting.

Thank you for posting this. We all gain by being given the opportunity to learn from other's experiences.

What about possible up drafting wind caused by onshore wind up that face of the bluff I know from years of flying Slope gliders along California coast the up-drafting wind extends farther out away from the bluff then you think. If the left wing got into some of that updraft wonder if that contributed the reason entering the spiral in the first place.

Nice job by the backseat guy...the right wing stalled and needed to regain airspeed and low angle of attack in order to fly again...awesome job !!!

Well whatever it was still as close as it gets. So lucky for the back seat bloke to have actually watched how to recover, just one more second and the story would be so different.

fix the sound please. thank you for posting

Henry this doesn't happen in a gyrocopter right?

I'm very glad you knew what to do to pull out of that dive. Recovering from aviation mishaps sometimes has counterintuitive solutions.

Henry, I'm a fan of your videos. I see everyone here in Brazil. Thanks for sharing more this lesson. Congratulations to get out of trouble.

That could have ended up as another fatal accident report. Great work guys, glad you recovered to fly another day. I fly three axis but fancy flex wing too, looks like a lot of fun when respected.

Wow thanks for the heads up on that. I have been a trike pilot for twenty plus years and never have been in that situation. But if it does occur I know what to do now. Thank you for keeping us safe up there. The Green Hornet Sakan trike with Hazard double surface wing.

Back seat drivers think they know everything!

Hope you guys know Jesus. Looks like fun but also seems to be a lot of room for error. Like in strike one, your out.

Damn, Henry. Nearly bought it there. You've made some spectacular videos, but this one's required viewing for trikers.

I will stick to tricycles on the ground. Thank you.

I saw the bar too far forward then a slow speed turn. In a fixed wing that wouldn't be an issue. Then when he finally pulls the bar back to level flight you can see how far he was pushing forward. He did a dive stall ? Nice manuvre if you meant to do it. Experience is the key.

Paul, Henry and Larry. Hi Guys, I have now watched this 4x. I just noticed something and have not see anything by anyone mentioned about it. Meaning it is trivial and of no importance...or maybe it was over looked like I did 3x before! So, either correct me if wrong if it is not a contributing factor, or let me know if I saw something no one else noticed and brought light to. I just noticed in the video and didn't see it until the 4th time. Ken has both hands on the lower control bar. At 0:42 seconds, Ken's RIGHT hand comes off of the bar. A second later at 0:43 he places it on Henry's RIGHT training bar. From 0:43 seconds all the way to 0:49 seconds, :06 full seconds into the turn, Kens left hand is on the main control bar, but his right hand is on the right (Henry"s) training bar. Now, I am a low time pilot and have not been up in about 5 years (that's about to change) but isn't this unequal pressure adding a built in spiral dive? If he is pushing out on the bar, even all the way, isn't his left extending further than that of the right creating more degree built in on the turn? Even if HE was to pull back, I'm thinking he would not be pulling back equally and not getting a full on neutral until Henry intervened!? Am I wrong in this assumption that left hand on the main bar and the right on the training bar creating a built in added added spiral and dive? I see at 1:09 - 1:12 his hand was on the training bar even with Henry's hand there too until it finally came off. Again, if the placement of hands from the PIC is trivial and not contributory, then tell me. But, if that is added piece just now seen, please let me know. Thanks. Mark

It was only a beautiful day because you lived.

Surprised with so much flying experience especially in gliders he didn't remember to drop the nose before trying to level out. Power pilots are taught to increase engine power instead... maybe this leads to this muscle memory confusion.

You did it all wrong! Here's what I would have done.... I'd have SHIT my pants for some extra cushion! Good for you boys, you saved your own lives and maybe a few others with the video

Looks like maybe stalling a wing on base leg?

Wow...great reaction from the back seat pilot (Henry I assume), who clearly didn't want to die that day in what was a nasty spiral dive. You both would have gone in real hard and possibly not survived. Would have got the heart rate / adrenaline happening for sure. Tks for sharing...a positive experience for all of us. Gary (Australia).

I bet he will never make that mistake again.

what a great video, flying is all about knowledge and staying focused..

So why/how did he stall the wing?

How did you get the right wing to stall to begin with? Doing the 180 too quickly?

Excellent safety video. Training is really a must in all aircraft. Great video guys.

fantastic guys! thanks for sharing. Congrats from Portugal, Sam

I almost pranged recently too, We were flying in the mountains (+-35mph headwind). My wing man was about 50ft above me, I encountered rotor turbulence which caused a wing to drop and the trike to nose dive towards the ground, I pulled bar and went opposite to dropped wing. I rounded out a few feet above tree height - IAS 85mph with a trike that does 55mph. 50ft from edge of cliff. My wingman - no hassles. When in doubt build speed. It all happens SO fast.

" I didn't realize how low we were..." FAMOUS LAST WORDS!

Looks to me like you got in to a down draft from the hill while banking.

It is so fascinating that the solution is opposite of what you normally do to climb.

stalled that turn for sure. then slipped it. push out in a turn = winding up the turn. Pull in --> level. THe controls are different when you are flying vertically. up/down becomes left / right.

always fly your airplane

Thanks chaps, if ever will remember to pull in!

Wow close!

He also gets disoriented by water surface.

Does pulling back effectively add speed to end the stall? When you pull back the nose of the wing does down correct?

Try

Was this near Carpenteria, CA? Looks like the trike I always see out of Santa Paula (KSZP).

Speed is your friend.

Great lesson, thanks.

Be safe and take a physical geography class! Where I live you can for like $50 at a local community college and you can choose your pace or add a lab. The point is, that plane isn't flying with enough lift to overcome the orographic forces. Higher altitude and this would not have happened. Staying educated is the safest way to do everything, as well as following the adage: altitude is my friend. People have crashed due to orographic lift-like shifts in air current caused by trees even, so knowing your winds can be very useful.

good to remember

My God... you were seconds from the end of your days on this earth. I'm sure the old guy is a dear friend of yours, but if I had a friend like him, I would never go flying with him ever again... EVER again. He might be a long time pilot, but he simply does not understand. What if he had actually overpowered you? He's a big guy and must have been close to 'getting his own way' with the bar... What if HE had been the P1 and took a different friend for a flight... it doesn't bear thinking about. Thank you for posting this video, it's hard to watch, but what a lesson for us all.

why i will never fly a weight shift ultralight :/ il stick to my quicksilver and aerolite..thanks..