Very interesting responses. Some experienced pilots seem to agree you
can avoid stall/spins by the numbers, as I'm suggesting. Others seem to
have the attitude that you have to know how to recover the airplane from
a stall/spin because you can't predict it. Either you can or you can't.
I still believe you can know enough about the stall regime of your
airplane to avoid that unwanted condition, and that good pilots can fly
within non-stall limits.

I plan to fly conservatively and stay well away from stall conditions.
If sage advice is that this cannot be done, I will give up flying. It is
pretty obvious that airplanes don't stall/spin just flying along. It
takes a maneuver to initiate that. My advice: maneuver carefully and
well within your proven numbers.

I still maintain that stall/spin training is unnecessary and dangerous.

Brian Barbata

> I have this weird, conservative, view toward stalls: Tell me what my
> stall speed is in a 30 degree bank and I'll avoid that speed like the
> plague in a turn and never exceed 30 degrees. If I'm not in a turn, I
> will know that stall speed and be above it. Other than that, I don't
> need to know or practice anything.

WRONG.  You guys know that I'm not one to criticize other's opinions
just because they don't agree with mine, but this one is a dangerous
misconception. Just plain incorrect.  I won't start teaching the ground
school here but I'd surely advise IIP to get some training and learn
that holding a particular airspeed...ANY airspeed... is not and can not
be stall protection.

Bill
harrelson@erols.com
N5ZQ LNC2 O-320  VA42
Like some of you, I've stalled at TAS's above 400 kts.