Commercial pilot · ACS CA.VII.A · Instructor lesson plan
Maneuvering During Slow Flight
Student pack: Train: Maneuvering During Slow Flight · Full lesson: Prepare guide
1 · Objective
By the end of this lesson your student can explain maneuvering during slow flight in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for CA.VII.A.
Why it matters for safety: Loss of control is the leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents, and it usually starts slow and low: on climb-out, in the pattern, or while distracted. A commercial pilot carries passengers into exactly those phases. Slow flight builds the feel for an airplane near the edge, so you notice it and correct before a stall, not after.
2 · Assign before the lesson
Pre-work: the free Train pack, Maneuvering During Slow Flight. Fly right at the edge, without a stall warning, to commercial tolerances: ±50 feet, +5/-0 knots.
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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/maneuvering-during-slow-flight · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/maneuvering-during-slow-flight
3 · Teach sequence
Key points to land
- A wing stalls when it exceeds its critical angle of attack, at any airspeed, attitude or power setting.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
- Slow flight is flown at the airspeed where any more angle of attack, more load factor or less power would give a stall warning; there is no warning during the maneuver.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.VII.A.S3-S4)
- On the back side of the power curve (below the speed for best L/D), induced drag rises steeply as you slow, so holding altitude slower takes more power. There, pitch sets angle of attack and airspeed and power sets altitude (both affect both): add power to stop a descent, don't pull. If a stall warning sounds, lower the angle of attack first.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Stall speed rises with load factor, weight and a forward center of gravity; in a level 60° bank it is about 41% higher.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
- Fly it about 5 to 10 knots above the 1G stall speed in the configuration asked (typically landing configuration), short of the stall warning; turns shallow, about 20° or less, remembering stall speed rises in a turn. Left-turning tendencies are strong and the controls less effective: lead power changes with rudder and keep the ball centered.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Commercial standard: altitude ±50 feet, heading ±10°, airspeed +5/-0 knots, bank ±5°.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.VII.A.S5)
- Finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL in a single-engine airplane, 3,000 feet AGL in a multiengine airplane.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.VII.A.S2)
The aerodynamics
- To hold altitude while slowing, you must raise the angle of attack. The wing always stalls at the same critical angle of attack; the airspeed where that happens changes.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
- More load factor or weight raises the stall speed; a forward center of gravity raises it because the tail pushes down harder. Flaps lower it by raising the wing's maximum lift. Power lowers the measured 1G stall speed (thrust carries some of the weight and the slipstream energizes the inboard wing), but the critical angle of attack is the same.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
- High power at low airspeed means strong left-turning tendencies (P-factor, torque, spiraling slipstream): expect a lot of right rudder in level flight and climbs, but the right input is whatever centers the ball, and it differs in turns. At high angle of attack, adverse yaw from the down aileron is strong too. In a twin with both engines running, VMC isn't the limit (it applies with an engine out); fly to the stall-warning threshold.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), multiengine airplanes)
How it's flown
- Choose a practice area clear of terrain, obstacles and wires, with a forced-landing option in mind; clear it with clearing turns before each maneuver, and keep looking outside while you fly it, especially when the high nose blocks the view ahead.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Reduce power, raise the nose to hold altitude as speed decays, configure as asked, then add power to stop at the target speed. Trim.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Hold airspeed with pitch and altitude with power. Turns, climbs and descents are gentle and coordinated: uncoordinated flight at high angle of attack is the setup for a spin.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- To exit: maximum allowable power, forward pressure to reduce the angle of attack while holding altitude and coordination (and leveling the wings as needed), then retract the flaps in increments only as airspeed builds (all at once at low speed and the airplane sinks), gear as the POH says, and trim.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Warnings and the environment
- Stall warnings (horn, light) must start at least 5 knots above the stall in each configuration, typically 5 to 10 knots (check the POH), and continue to the stall; they are angle-of-attack driven and can fail, and in an accelerated stall the warning comes at a higher speed. Buffet differs between airplanes. Know the other cues: mushy controls, quieter air noise, a high nose, sink.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Inadvertent slow flight is the danger: a steep climb-out, a slow pattern, a tight turn to final. Recognize it and lower the nose before the warning becomes a stall.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
- The high nose blocks the view ahead: clear the area for aircraft, terrain, obstacles and wires first, keep scanning, and use gentle turns to look ahead.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
- Turbulence and gusts change the angle of attack suddenly; a microburst or wind shear can drop the airspeed in seconds; at high density altitude there is less power to recover with, and the true airspeed at the stall is higher.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Staying ahead of it
- Distraction is how stalls happen in real flying: a frequency change, a passenger, traffic. Keep a scan outside and inside, and if in doubt, lower the nose first.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches for clearing turns, airspeed held with pitch and altitude with power, the ball centered, eyes outside, an immediate response to any stall warning, and every number inside the commercial tolerances.
4 · Ask your student
In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.
Recall · What causes a stall?
A strong answer: Exceeding the critical angle of attack. It can happen at any airspeed, attitude or power setting.
Understand · Why does adding power, not back pressure, stop a descent in slow flight?
A strong answer: You're on the back side of the power curve: back pressure raises the angle of attack and slows you toward the stall, while power gives the energy to hold or gain altitude.
Apply · Climbing out heavy on a hot day, the nose is high and you're busy with a frequency change when the horn chirps. What do you do?
A strong answer: Lower the nose to reduce the angle of attack, keep coordinated and full power, look outside, and only then finish the frequency change.
Scenarios to talk through
In slow flight with flaps, you begin a gentle left turn and the ball slides right. What's happening and how do you fix it?
Sound decision: You're skidding: too much left rudder for the turn. Center the ball with right rudder; a skid at high angle of attack is how spins start.
Slow flight in a light twin at 3,500 feet AGL, with the speed close to the red line on the airspeed indicator. What else limits you?
Sound decision: With both engines running, VMC isn't the limit: it's the minimum control speed with the critical engine out, and the stall-warning threshold is. Slow flight in a twin is usually above VMC anyway; if an engine is failed or simulated, then VMC matters. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
Turbulence on a summer afternoon, flying slow on a long final. What do you change?
Sound decision: Add a margin to the approach speed (as the POH allows for gusts) and keep the angle of attack lower: a gust can push a wing past the critical angle.
5 · Common student errors
Chasing altitude with the elevator.
Why it matters: It raises the angle of attack and slows you toward a stall.
How to correct it: Power for altitude, pitch for airspeed.
Drifting outside +5/-0.
Why it matters: Too slow triggers the warning; too fast misses the standard.
How to correct it: Trim carefully and make small, early power corrections.
Forgetting rudder as power changes.
Why it matters: Uncoordinated flight near the stall invites a spin.
How to correct it: Lead power changes with rudder.
6 · Completion standard
- Altitude ±50 feet; heading ±10°; airspeed +5/-0 knots; bank ±5°; no stall warning.
- Finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL (ASEL, ASES) or 3,000 feet AGL (AMEL, AMES).
- Your student answers each "Ask your student" question in their own words, up to the Apply level, without prompting.
- They talk through the scenarios and reach a safe, legal decision, explaining why.
- They complete the pack’s quick check and can say what they flagged.
Area trained? Close out with a practice oral focused on CA.VII.A: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.VII.A
7 · References
- Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Slow flight, stalls and spins; multiengine airplanes
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight
- AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training
- AC 61-67C, Stall and Spin Awareness Training
- Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area VII
- Your airplane's POH/AFM, stall recovery, speeds and limitations
- Airman Certification Standards, task CA.VII.A
PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Maneuvering During Slow Flight lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-13). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.