Upset Prevention & Recovery Training
41%
of all fatal general aviation accidents from 2019 to 2023 were loss of control in flight.
WHY UPSET TRAINING
Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) is the most consistently fatal accident type in general aviation. It isn't reckless pilots or low-time pilots: these accidents happen to experienced, instrument-rated pilots too. Every one is preventable with training and discipline.
Airlines have been required to train it since 2019. We think every pilot should.
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FIGHTING
If you can name it, you can engage it. An upset, a stall and loss of control are three different problems with different answers.
Upset
An unintentional exceedance of any of these:
- Pitch more than 25° nose-up or 10° nose-down
- Bank more than 45°
- Airspeed inappropriate for the phase of flight
Stall
Exceeding the critical angle of attack. An airplane can be upset and not stalled, or stalled without being upset.
Loss of control
The airplane no longer responds to control inputs. An airplane can be upset and still be in control.
Upset or stall = recover. Loss of control = pull CAPS.
Built to break the accident chain
Using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), the course targets the three kinds of error that sit closest to an accident, in the order they happen.
01
Prevent
Stops decision errors
Continuing into weather, cutting it in tight, skipping a step. Prevention starts with good aeronautical decision-making, risk assessment, procedure and culture.
02
Recognize
Stops perceptual errors
Missing or misreading what the airplane is telling you. Situational awareness: where to look and when, what it means, and what happens without intervention.
03
Recover
Stops skill-based errors
The trained response once you know what's happening. The last line of defense, where failure is not an option.
PRP Courses
Four courses, from building confidence at the edges of the envelope to your first loop.
COURSE 1
Expanded
Envelope Exercises
Build confidence at the edges of the flight envelope: slow flight, stalls at various configuration and attitudes, steep turns and unusual attitudes, flown with an instructor until they feel familiar.
Aircraft: C-172, SR-20, SR-22
Ground: ~ 1.5 hours
Flight: ~ 1.5 hours
COURSE 2
Upset Prevention &
Recovery Training
The full UPRT program in four events:
- Classroom instruction
- Simulator scenarios
- 1-hour Cirrus/Cessna upset ride, inside Normal Category limits (parachutes not required)
- 1-hour Extreme Decathlon ride, including inverted flight (parachutes provided)
Aircraft: C-172, SR-20, SR-22, Extreme Decathalon
Ground: ~ 2.0 hours
Flight: ~ 2.0 hour
COURSE 3
CFI Spin
Endorsement
The spin-awareness training and logbook endorsement every airplane flight instructor applicant needs under 14 CFR 61.183(i): stall awareness, spin entry, spins and spin recovery, taught in an airplane certified for spins.
Aircraft: Extreme Decathalon
Ground: ~ 2 hours
Flight: ~ 1 hours
COURSE 4
Intro to
Aerobatics
Your first loops and rolls in the Extreme Decathlon. Learn to fly the airplane through all attitudes with precision, and have fun doing it.
Aircraft:
Extreme Decathalon
Ground: ~ 2 hours
Flight: ~ 1 hour
THE AIRLINES ALREADY TRAIN IT
After decades of accidents and NTSB recommendations, UPRT became mandatory for every Part 121 carrier. Headed to the airlines? Arrive having already done it.
1998
Boeing, Airbus and industry publish a voluntary Upset Recovery Training Aid
2009
Colgan Air 3407: a stall that shouldn't have been fatal
2010
Congress mandates the training in Public Law 111-216
2013-2015
14 CFR 121.423, then AC 120-111 and AC 120-109
2019
Required for every Part 121 carrier, no exceptions
QUESTIONS
Do I need aerobatic experience?
No. The course builds from the classroom to the simulator to the Cirrus before you ever go inverted.
What about CAPS?
Cirrus is clear: in true loss of control, pull CAPS. This course trains you to recognize an upset or stall you can recover from, and to tell it apart from loss of control.
Why fly both the Cirrus and the Decathlon?
The Cirrus ride stays inside Normal Category limits, in the airplane you fly every day. The Extreme Decathlon is built for attitudes the Cirrus isn't, including inverted flight.
What about air sickness?
Flights build progressively, with breaks between maneuvers. Your instructor sets the pace to you.