Top Rudder, the Definitive Live Saving Maneuver Part 2 of 4 Series Stall, Spin and Upset Recovery

Unusual attitude training begins with the prime directive, the first fundamental, job number one of piloting an airplane – Do not make the airplane stall. Stall recognition, stall recovery and stall avoidance is the commonality of upset and spin recovery. In this four part series, Jim Alsip Master CFI-Aerobatic presents the basics of airmanship and how to recover unusual attitudes. Part I deals with stalls; In Part II, a top rudder maneuver recovers nose low attitudes; going ballistic is the theme of Part III and everything comes together in the final Part IV – spin recovery.
This series should be watched in order 1 – 4.
The term “top rudder” describes the top rudder pedal, the high pedal when an airplane is in a bank. A maneuver using top rudder pedal, full aileron in the same direction and neutral elevator is the definitive skill set of an accomplished stick and rudder pilot. Whether recovering a steep turn, turning base to finial, recovering from an upset to inverted, or recovering from a stall / spin event, this maneuver described simply as top rudder is a pilot skill that will set you apart from less skilled aviators. In the event of an unintended upset or loss of control incident, using top rudder will save your life.