How do pilots know the plane is going to stall?

[Guppy35]

Many moons ago when flying Piper Warrior IIs, it would buffet before the stall horn would go.  You could always 'feel' it first.  The horn told you that you'd  stalled.  Not that you needed telling by that point

[Seanaldinho]

I've found that along with watching the ASI you just feel the slowing of the airframe. Another thing is a lower level of control authority (in other words the controls dont effect the movement of the plane as much as they do while in normal flight, in contrast at higher speeds the controls have more authority which can lead to overcontrolling) also like they said the buffet and if you are at a high enough AoA Ive felt some -G force as the plane starts to fall back and nose over. When you feel those -Gs though your in the stall and at that point its get the nose down to gain airspeed and level the wings then pull out of the dive.

[MK-84]

What are cross controlled stalls?

[Tupac]

What are cross controlled stalls?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJQLjdC0mA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_control

[MachFly]

What are cross controlled stalls?

Stalling while having left ailerons and right rudder.

[Tupac]

Stalling while having left ailerons and right rudder.

or vice versa

[MachFly]

Yes except most people would install an AOA indicator vs a simple stall horn.

I have always want to fly a plane with an AOA indicator, to see what short field landings were like using it.

HiTech

Yeah I can certainly understand why you'd want a AoA indicator.

[hawkeye61]

Yes, characteristics of impending/actual stall vary widely by the type of aircraft. Some have a stall warning device - stall horn, rudder shakers, etc. - while others do not. Stall warning devices are meant to give the pilot warning prior to actual stall, either a few mph/knots or a few units AoA prior to the critical AoA.

As mentioned, the controls tend to get mushy, less responsive when you are approaching the critical AoA/stall. If you are trying to maintain level flight, you will find it takes more and more power to hold altitude as the AoA increases.

[PFactorDave]

In real life, there was no stall buzzer (right?), so how did pilots know they were able to stall?

Not going to read the entire thread, I can tell you from my own experiences that you can feel it in the controls.  I can also tell you that stall fights aren't what the real war pilot wanted to get into...   

[Ruah]

I don't have a stall horn on the glider I fly (I have never been interested in flying engine planes) but you can tell from sensation, wing buffeting, and finally the yarn falling forward tells you you have stalled.  When the wing i about to stall, it lets you know for sure.

[earl1937]

All aircraft do not have stall horns.

I have flown 4 that do not

P51d.
Rv8
Piper Cub.
Decathlon.

The P51d I stalled multiple times while dog fighting another mustang. It's really doesn't give much warning, the instructor said he could hear a "growl" in the air scoop just prior to departure. I couldn't hear it. But you could hook it back up in about a 1/4 snap with accelerated stalls.

The Rv8 I have stalled at almost all speeds and all attitudes, Inverted stalls  are very interesting. But postive g stalls it gives a very nice tickle/buffet prior to departure.

HiTech

Federal Aviation Regulation 23.207, regarding stall warning devices. Amended 8-13-69, 8-6-93 and 2-9-96.
Paragraph A- There must be a clear and distinctive stall warning, with the flaps and landing gear in any normal position! (usually a horn device)
               B- The stall warning be me furnished either through the inherent aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft or by a DEVICE that will give clearly distinguishable indications under
                   expected conditions of flight. However, a visual stall warning device that requires the attention of the crew within the cockpit is NOT acceptable by itself.
               F- For acrobatic aircraft, an artificial stall warning may be mutable, provided that it is armed automatically during takeoff and rearmed automatically in the approach
                   configuration.

As you and I both know, there are exceptions to all rules in certain situations. The Ponie you flew was certified under the Restricted category, the J-3 cub was excused by the old CAA in 1949 from this rule. Don't know about the Decathlon, as the ones I have flown had a working stall warning horn. The RV8 is certified under the restricted category. As you already know, to certify a aircraft from the restricted category to a "normal" category takes a lot of money and modifications to the aircraft.(Talk to CAF about carry paying passengers on flights).

Great threads and responses, hope the guy learns something!

For anyone interested, you can go to U.S.gov/FAA/rules for further info.

[MachFly]

Don't know about the Decathlon, as the ones I have flown had a working stall warning horn.

Occasionally I fly a Decathlon as well, it does not have a stall horn.

How do you mute a stall horn without leaving the airplane? I know you can turn off an electrical stall horn but what about the standard?

[hitech]

               B- The stall warning be me furnished either through the inherent aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft or by a DEVICE that will give clearly distinguishable indications under
                   expected conditions of flight. However, a visual stall warning device that requires the attention of the crew within the cockpit is NOT acceptable by itself.

You may wish to read in detail. The quote above which you sited reads OR BY A DEVICE. Not BY A DEVICE ONLY.

either through the inherent aerodynamic qualities

Means that a buffet is perfectly sufficient as a "STALL WARNING".

I.E. All that is required is the plane to clearly let you know it is going to stall. I.E. A stall horn is not required.

HiTech

[nrshida]

The Westland Whirlwind Pilot's Manual mentions a stall buzzer fitted in the headrest. Fantastic wishlist thread over here Mr. Hitech, sir:- http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,313538.0.html   

Additionally stick shakers were one of the earliest implementations of haptic technology 

[MachFly]

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