Cessna 152 Does 60 Turn Spins

Published on July 19, 2007
Filed under: The Blurbs 

Catherine Cavagnaro I found an incredible video on YouTube of a pilot named Catherine Cavagnaro. She is a flight trainer and operator from the Ace Aerobatic School. In this video, she performs 60 turn spins in her Cessna 152 Aerobat. As you watch the video you can hear her sound off the number of spins. At times it almost seems like you can hear a little bit of anxiousness in her voice. I would be a little anxious too! As she counts the total numbers of spins, her altitude gets lower and lower. By the time she hits 60 turns, her plane was really low. Her skills were really illustrated when she demonstrated how quickly she recovered from the maneuver. Check out the video, this girl can fly!

The video is actually used as a demonstration for Ace Aerobatic School’s Spin Course Training.

The spin course covers spin theory, efficient recovery and typical flight situations that lead to inadvertent spins. Recoveries by instruments, emergency spin recovery procedures and a twenty turn spin may be included. The course may serve as a spin sign-off for the aspiring flight instructor as required by 14 CFR 61.183. With approximately three hours of ground school and two flights, this is normally a one-day course for one or two people. The Cessna Aerobat provides a solid and safe trainer for spins. - Aerobatic Spin Training

Ace Aerobatic School is operated by flight instructor Catherine Cavagnaro who holds CFI-I certificates in both single- and multi engine land airplanes. She is also a Professor of Mathematics at the University of the South and chairs the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Catherine has served as a spin demonstration pilot at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) as well as on research and flight testing teams for the aircraft icing project using the UTSI variable-stability Navion. Not only is Catherine Cavagnaro a CFI-I single engine and multi engine certified flight instructor, but she is also the operator of the Ace Aerobatic School. In addition to flying, Catherine Cavagnaro is also a Professor of Mathematics at the University of the South where she also chairs the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. It’s no doubt that I would find her videos on YouTube. She is a person well ahead of the times. At the University of Tennessee Space Institute, she has served as a demonstrator in turn spinning. The Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association featured Ace Aerobatic School in its August 2006 issue and published two associated multimedia presentations.

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Comments

6 Comments on Cessna 152 Does 60 Turn Spins

  1. Amazing Citabria 7GCAA Airplane Video on Fri, 20th Jul 2007 4:17 pm

    2. [...] puts the two elements together. Yesterday I published a wonderful article that shows a pilot named Catherine Cavagnaro piloting a Cessna 152 into 60 turn spins with a flawless recovery. As it turns out, I believe the video was recorded in a flight simulator. [...]

  2. Catherine Cavagnaro on Fri, 10th Aug 2007 6:55 pm

    3. My video was recorded inside my airplane, N7395L, and NOT in a flight simulator. (Although I’m flattered if you think it’s extreme enough that it must have been.) It was recorded one mile east of the Winchester, TN Airport (the airport you see going by in the video) in September 2006.

    Cheers,
    Catherine

  3. Garry on Sat, 11th Aug 2007 1:18 am

    4. Catherine,

    It’s nice to meet you. You’re a great pilot. I am sorry, I am having trouble believing that this video is truly of you flying your N7395L Cessna A152. It is some real good extreme flying, but that isn’t the reason why I believed it to be filmed in a simulator. The video is very still… no vibrations or shakes, just a smooth shot with no bouncing.

    I see you have uploaded a few others… Is Brandon your son?

    Best Regards,
    Garry Conn

  4. Catherine Cavagnaro on Sun, 12th Aug 2007 5:08 am

    5. Well, the camera is on a tripod mounted firmly to the floor of the back of the plane so it’s not moving with respect to the airplane. So, no bouncing.

    I’m not sure to what other videos you refer. A friend of mine is the one who uploaded my video to begin with.

    Catherine

  5. Kaycie on Sat, 10th May 2008 8:39 pm

    6. I watched this video several times, and I do not believe it is real. As a flight instructor, Aerobatics compition pilot (in a pitts special), AND former aerobat pilot & owner, I know the aerobat will only spin about 3….maybe 4 times per 1000 feet of altitude lost….as someone who has spun an aerobat hundreds of times, I just do not believe this. Unless you started at about 15,000 feet AGL, and spun right to the ground, then I have a hard time believing you…..I mean this is a great business scam, but prove it to me that I am wrong.

  6. Kaycie on Sat, 10th May 2008 8:42 pm

    7. By the way…..spins are not extreme flying. spins in a 150 aerobat…or normal 150 for that matter, are such a non event. it is a low G-Manuver, that puts relatively low stress on the airframe, andone can spin a 150, by simply holding the yoke back and stomping on the rudder. To spin a 150 takes no real skills at all..just a willingness to hold on. I am not downplaying your ability….I just do not think 10 or 20 spins shows any ability at all.
    Sincerely,
    Kaycie

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