It is heartwarming to see that I am not alone in denouncing extreme
stall/spin training. Now I am more convinced than ever that the Lancair
IV characteristics should be mapped out by a competent test pilot for
each individual airplane. Then, I believe, there should be a long hanger
session with him on how to avoid various stall situations, leading to a
detailed write-up in a self-developed POH. After the hanger session, and
depending on the test pilot's report, I would want to go up with him and
do a few simple approaches to stalls. Full stall training can be done in appropriate airplanes. The recovery
techniques are common. If you get the reflexes ingrained in an
appropriate airplane, they should stay with you in your Lancair.
Nonetheless, I totally agree with the writer who discussed the doubtful
applicability of any stall training to recovery from an unexpected full
stall at low altitude. Again, the training emphasis should be on stall
avoidance rather than recovery. Spend your time understanding how to fly
under all conditions with a wide stall margin, rather than how to
recover from a full stall from some unknown environmental effect or
pilot inattention. Awareness of the first sign of a stall is what you
need to know, and hopefully never even go there.

Brian Barbata

PS: WRT the writer who felt that continuing practice of recovery from
deep stalls had made him better at it, I say, "So what?". Even if the
theory was correct that such training makes you marginally safer, it
would require continuous practice to keep reflexive. How many of us have
the time, or the desire, to be this well-honed in preparation for
something we can avoid and in any case is not a likely event?
Statistically, we would be infinitely better off practicing fuel
management!