On the Edge

The Airplane's Warning Signs

An airplane that is flying too slowly gives you clues before anything goes wrong. If you listen to the clues, you stay safe.

Buffet

A light shaking or rumble you can feel through the airplane. It means the wing is getting close to giving up. Think of it as a polite tap on the shoulder.

Stall Warning Horn

A loud BEEP BEEP BEEP. It is one of the most important sounds in flying. It means: add power now!

Recovery

The fix: full power, lower the nose a little, and climb away. Easy when you practice it.

Here's the fun fact: a wing doesn't stop working because of speed alone — it stops working when it is tilted too steeply against the air. That is why pilots talk about the angle of the wing, not just how fast they are going.

Instructor Setup

Cessna 172 with G1000, airborne in the practice area at 4,000 feet, set up in slow flight from the previous session. Plan about 20 minutes. Confirm a HELL check and a clearing turn before slowing further.

Session Flow

1. Brief and settle into slow flight (4 min). Re-establish minimum controllable airspeed, flaps 10. Remind the student the only job near a stall is to add power.
2. Feel the buffet (5 min). Have the student slow very gradually and call out when they feel the airplane shake. Keep it gentle and well above any wing drop.
3. Hear the horn (3 min). Let the stall warning horn sound briefly so the student knows the sound.
4. Practice recovery (6 min). At the buffet or horn: full power, nose slightly down, climb away. Repeat two or three times so the reaction becomes quick.
5. Wrap (2 min). Return to cruise and recap the warnings and the fix.

Always have the student add power at the first sign. Coach a calm, prompt push of the throttle every time.

Debrief

Confirm the student recognizes both warnings and reaches for power without being told.

• Felt the buffet (the shaking) as the airplane slowed
• Recognized the stall warning horn
• Added full power right away to recover
• Understands a stall is about the wing's angle, not just speed

Next Lesson

Next up is "Slow Turns" (K21): making gentle turns while flying slowly, and learning why the airplane stalls more easily in a turn. If reaching for power at the buffet was slow today, run two quick recoveries at the start of K21 first.

Skills You'll Work On

These are the maneuvers and procedures covered in this lesson. Your instructor tracks each one as you progress.

• Slow Flight (With & Without Flaps)
• Clean Stall Entry & Symptoms
• Recovery With & Without Power

Grades reflect what was covered in this lesson, not a certification of pilot competency.

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: Second of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 7, "Slow Flight." This session adds the stall buffet and warning at minimum airspeed; K19 introduced slow flight, and K21 adds slow-flight turns.

Prerequisite

K19 "Flying Slow" — can fly at minimum controllable airspeed and hold altitude.

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator, student checklist card, headset sized for the student.

Goal for this session

Student can recognize the buffet and stall warning and recover promptly by adding power and lowering the nose.

Looking Ahead

• K21 — Slow Turns: gentle turns in slow flight and how bank raises stall speed.
• K22 — What Is a Stall?: the science of angle of attack and why a wing quits flying.