Citabria Flat Spin

flat spin in a 7ECA. fun stuff!!

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• citabria
• flat
• spin
• airplane
• attitude
• aviation

[HellaJDM]

luv2shoot1 no offense, and I am very sorry you lost friends. But failing at the root doesnt sound a lot like a spar problem.

The AD is out for a reason yes, but it is not a mandatory compliance. You can choose toinstall extra inspection ports to keep an eye on the wood spars.

[HellaJDM]

There is nothing wrong with wood spars. This ECA has metal spar wings but regardless. Wood flexes, metal doesnt, it just fatigues and fails. Wood spars under proper inspection are just fine. You just lose the increases useful load.

[HellaJDM]

that citab has the metal spar conversion. but i used to do them with the wood wings too it makes no difference. the wood just changes the usefull load a bit. but the G loading is the exact same.

[HellaJDM]

ive done inverted flats in a 7Kcab with an inverted system. and yes you have to hold it in the spin if you let the controls go 9 out of 10 times it will break the spin. and depending on the citabria im doing it in depends on how flat it gets. the 7GCBC i fly doesnt get flat at all with 1 person in it. barely with 2 lol. that is what a citabria flat spin looks like.

[40joel]

@HellaJDM I've tried in super D's and can't seem to get them that flat. Is that because more engine weight up front? Thanks

[HellaJDM]

@40joel The Super D spins much differently, especially dual. The Citabria spins flatter with two people on board. Problem with the Super D is that it is very close to max gross with 2 people on board and like half tanks if I remember correctly. This does not put it in a favorable CG that will spin really flat.

[40joel]

@HellaJDM Yeah we usually run half tanks in it. You must instruct upset training? What a fun job!

[inigo4688]

@HellaJDM Damnit now I have to go favorite all your Attitude Aviation videos Mark... :)

[inigo4688]

@HellaJDM This exactly. Aerobatics will never be completely safe, but I think it can be done with minimal risk. I might get a chance to fly a 1970s 7GCAA with wood spars, and I'm not going to worry too much about it provided the spar is being inspected at regular intervals (think about it, the majority of the GA aerobatic fleet is wood spar). The airplane is approved for spins in the POH, and worst case scenario, we are legally obligated to wear parachutes. (Which we hope we never have to use.)

[rayven2012]

You guys are missing the point. If the spars were new it would make no difference as to the material. The old wood spars have an AD (Airworthiness Directive) for a reason.

The wood spars are very hard to inspect with the covering on. Wood decays over time, dries, cracks, fasteners pull out etc. I would not be doing aerobatics in a wood spar cit period.

[luv2shoot1]

your rolling the dice with wood spars!! Not that thier wood but its a designe flaw. Lost a couple of friends a few years back when a wing folded right where the strut attaches to the wing. spun from four thousand feet. Keep a close eye for compression cracks!!