Cross-Control Stall (Demonstration)
A CFI demonstration stall that shows the danger of a skidding (cross-controlled) turn from base to final. With crossed controls — aileron one way, opposite rudder — the airplane can snap into an incipient spin at the stall, with little warning, at a low altitude where there is no room to recover. The point is to recognize and avoid it.
Step by step
- 1At a safe altitude, clear the area and set up to simulate a base-to-final turn at approach configuration/airspeed.
- 2Establish a shallow descending turn, then cross the controls: apply aileron one direction and opposite rudder (a skid), simulating a pilot trying to tighten the turn to final with rudder.
- 3Hold top aileron and excess bottom rudder while gradually increasing back-pressure.
- 4At the stall, the airplane will tend to roll rapidly toward the rudder (over the top) into an incipient spin.
- 5Recover immediately: reduce the angle of attack, neutralize/coordinate the controls (rudder to stop the rotation), level the wings, and add power.
- 6Discuss why a stabilized, coordinated approach prevents this — never use rudder to "fix" an overshoot on final.
Tips & common errors
- This shows why you must never skid the base-to-final turn — a cross-controlled stall departs fast and low.
- Recovery is the standard incipient-spin recovery: reduce AOA and coordinate (stop the yaw with rudder).
- Demonstrate with plenty of altitude; the entry is sudden and can surprise students.
- Teach the prevention: if you overshoot final, go around — do not horse it around with rudder.
ACS completion standards
The commonly-tested tolerances for this maneuver. Always confirm the current ACS for your certificate.
- Demonstrate the entry and recognition of a cross-controlled (skidding) stall at a safe altitude.
- Recover promptly at the first indication using coordinated control inputs (reduce AOA, stop yaw).
- Explain the aerodynamics and the real-world prevention (stabilized, coordinated approaches).
FAA source
FAA-S-ACS-25 (Flight Instructor ACS), Task: Cross-Control Stall (demonstration); Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3, Chapter 4.
This is an original, plain-English study summary grounded in the public-domain FAA Airman Certification Standards and FAA handbooks cited above. It is a study aid, not flight instruction, and not a substitute for the official ACS, the handbooks, your aircraft’s POH/AFM, or a certificated flight instructor.
Related maneuvers
- Maneuvering During Slow FlightSlow flight is sustained flight at a low airspeed just above the stall warning, where the airplane is on the back side of the power curve and controls feel mushy. You learn to control altitude, heading, and airspeed precisely with coordinated use of pitch, power, and trim. Per the current ACS, slow flight is flown at a speed above the one that would activate the stall warning.
- Power-Off Stall (Approach-to-Landing Stall)A power-off stall simulates the stall that can occur in the approach/landing configuration — power reduced, flaps and gear down, descending. You recognize the aerodynamic stall (buffet, mushy controls, stall warning) and recover promptly with minimum altitude loss.
- Power-On Stall (Departure Stall)A power-on stall simulates the stall that can happen on takeoff or initial climb — takeoff power, takeoff/departure configuration, nose high. Torque and P-factor make the airplane want to roll/yaw left, so coordinated rudder is essential to a clean recovery.
- Accelerated (Maneuvering) StallAn accelerated stall demonstrates that an airplane can stall at a higher-than-normal airspeed whenever the load factor is increased — for example in a steep, level turn. The increased G raises the stall speed, so the wing reaches its critical angle of attack while the airspeed is still well above the 1G stall speed.
Keep studying
Turn maneuver knowledge into a passing checkride
Drill ACS-aligned questions and ask the AI tutor, Ace, anything — free to start, no account needed.
Take a free practice test →