When I was flying sailplanes I took spin training just because my instructor suggested that I learn to recover from unusual attitudes.
My first hint was when he trotted out the parachutes. We had never worn parachutes for any of the other training. BTW, you wear those things cinched down so tight you can't stand up straight. You walk hunched over because every time you try to stand straight it pull the groin straps right up
You learn pretty quick that hunched over is ok.
On the way up we were doing the usual stuff behind the tow plane, boxing the wake and the like. He was telling me what to expect. "You pull back on the stick and let it coast up. Just at the point where the nose drops through in the stall, tromp hard on the rudder in the direction of your choice to start the spin. Let it wrap itself up for at least two turns before beginning recovery. Push forward on the stick, opposite rudder, until the spin stops. Then gently pull back on the stick and don't pull too hard or you'll put yourself in another spin."
Seemed simple. . .
We disco'd from the tow plane and built up some speed. He told me to start. I put the nose up and watched the speed fall off. This particular plane stalled at about 65mph or so. Right at 65 the nose fell through and he said, "ok kick the rudder". Now I don't know about you but I didn't really expect a sailplane with a 65 foot wing span to spin very fast. I don't know how fast it was but it was plenty too fast for me. The ground was spinning around like an Bugs Bunny cartoon of an airplane crash. I remember there was a little pick up truck following a two laner in the center of my vision, going around and around.
The other thing I noticed right off the bat was that every time before the view out the canopy had been some ratio of sky/ground, usually with the sky on the top and ground underneath. Now that we were pointed straight down, the horizon was even with the top of my head and all I could see was ground. I had to look up and back to see sky. Bit disconcerting. Ground seems to be coming up faster when you look at it.
The third thing is that the plane doesn't spin around the nose but around its CG which feels like the spin point is under your nose. Feels and looks wierd.
I'm starting to get a bit anxious cause it seems we've gone around at least 10 times, so he says, "Ok that's two. Let's recover." I went stick forward like a shot out of a gun and opposite rudder. When I started to pull back it seemed like we were going real fast, sailplanes are pretty low drag and pick up speed in a hurry. I fought the urge to pull the stick back behind my ear, and pulled it out gently.
He said, "That wasn't bad. How about another one. . . ."
We did two and about that point my stomach was making itself known. Discretion being the better part of valor, and honor being served I passed on #3.
