Private pilot · ACS PA.VII.B · Instructor lesson plan

Power-Off Stalls

Student pack: Train: Power-Off Stalls · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain power-off stalls in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for PA.VII.B.

Why it matters for safety: Power-off stalls happen for real in the traffic pattern: a slow, overshooting turn to final, a distracted approach, too much rudder to tighten the turn. Close to the ground there is little room. This task is about recognizing the stall coming and recovering correctly by instinct, so it never gets that far.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Power-Off Stalls. The approach-and-landing stall: recognize it, recover, and fly away safely.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/ppl/power-off-stalls · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/ppl/power-off-stalls

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

Recovery, every time: Disconnect any autopilot or wing leveler; reduce the angle of attack (pitch down until the stall warning stops); then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder; add power as needed (with right rudder for the left-turning tendency), retracting any speed brakes; then return to the desired flight path. The POH procedure governs.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
Reducing the angle of attack comes first. Power alone does not recover a stall.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
The power-off stall simulates the approach and landing: the approach or landing configuration (as the evaluator specifies), coordinated throughout, a stabilized descent (about 500 fpm at approach speed), then a smooth pitch-up to the stall.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S3-S5)
Know the cues: the stall warning, mushy controls, buffet, quieter air noise, a high nose.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Pulling back too soon in the recovery causes a secondary stall.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
A skidding turn (too much rudder, opposite aileron) at low speed causes a cross-control stall, which can become a spin.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Clear the area with clearing turns and a look for traffic and terrain, and pick an entry altitude so the whole task is completed no lower than 1,500 feet AGL (3,000 in a multiengine airplane); bank no more than 20° in turning stalls.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S1-S2, S6)

Why wings stall

The wing stalls when it exceeds its critical angle of attack. Airflow separates from the upper surface and lift drops.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Stall speed depends on load factor, weight, CG, power and configuration; for a given configuration the critical angle of attack doesn't change. It rises with the square root of the load factor (a level 60° bank is 2 G, about 41% higher), and with weight and a forward CG; an aft CG lowers it but degrades recovery and spin resistance. A stall can happen at any airspeed, in any attitude, at any power setting.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Attitude and yaw matter too: in a skidding turn the inside wing stalls first and the airplane rolls toward it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Many trainers are designed so the root stalls before the tips (washout), which delays the loss of roll control; that's a design tendency, not a guarantee. Near the stall the ailerons are weak and produce strong adverse yaw: don't use aileron to pick up a dropping wing while stalled; reduce the angle of attack first and coordinate with rudder. Some airplanes break sharply or drop a wing; know yours from the POH.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Impending stall cues: the stall warning, mushy controls, buffet, quieter wind noise, a high nose and falling airspeed. Full stall: a nose-down pitch break or a high sink rate you can't arrest with back pressure. On the checkride, acknowledge the cues of the impending stall out loud, then recover promptly after the full stall.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S7)

How it happens, and the recovery

Real power-off stalls come from turning too steeply or too slowly onto final, stretching a glide, or pulling the nose up to avoid landing short.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
The recovery: Disconnect any autopilot or wing leveler; reduce the angle of attack (pitch down until the stall warning stops); then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder; add power as needed (with right rudder for the left-turning tendency), retracting any speed brakes; then return to the desired flight path. The POH procedure governs.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
Lowering the nose is what un-stalls the wing. Adding power without reducing the angle of attack can make things worse.(AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
After the recovery, establish a positive rate of climb before retracting flaps to the recommended setting (or the gear, if retractable); accelerate to VX (obstacles) or VY before the final flap retraction; then return to the altitude, heading and airspeed the evaluator specified.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S9-S10)
Prevention: fly a stabilized approach at the right speed, avoid steep turns low, and go around early.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)

Warnings, other stalls, and the environment

A stall warning device typically activates 5 to 10 knots above the stall in the configuration flown (see the POH). Treat it as a command to reduce the angle of attack now. It can fail, be dead with the electrical power off, or be masked, so use sight, sound and feel together (buffet, mushy controls, attitude) rather than the horn alone.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
A brief stall horn just before touchdown in a full-stall landing is normal. Anywhere else, it's a warning.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Secondary stall: pulling back too hard or too soon during recovery stalls the wing again.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Accelerated stall: a stall at higher than normal airspeed from abrupt or excessive back pressure or a steep turn.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Cross-control stall: in a skidding turn with too much inside rudder and opposite aileron, the inside wing can stall first and roll the airplane toward a spin. Keep turns coordinated.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Gusts, turbulence, wind shear and microbursts change the angle of attack and airspeed suddenly. At high density altitude the climb after recovery is weaker.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)

Doing it safely

Clear the area and keep looking for other aircraft, terrain, obstacles and wires, during the clearing turns and the recovery; you'll lose altitude and change heading.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.B.S1, R7)
Distraction, poor task management and lost situational awareness or disorientation are how real stalls start. Fly the airplane first; radio calls and checklists can wait.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
In the pattern, on a low overshoot from base to final, be reluctant to exceed about 30° of bank, and never skid the turn to correct it: keep it coordinated or go around.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)

Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches for a prompt nose-down recovery (not power first), coordinated rudder throughout, no secondary stall, and the correct POH clean-up and climb.

4 · Ask your student

In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.

Recall · What is the first step in recovering from a stall?
A strong answer: Reduce the angle of attack: lower the nose until the stall warning stops.
Understand · Why doesn't adding full power recover a stall by itself?
A strong answer: The wing is still past its critical angle of attack. Only lowering the nose brings the angle of attack back. Power helps you accelerate and limit altitude loss.
Apply · You overshoot the turn to final and feel tempted to add rudder to tighten it. What do you do?
A strong answer: Don't skid the turn. Keep it coordinated with a normal bank, and if I can't line up, go around.

Scenarios to talk through

On a gusty day you're low on final, and the airplane is sinking toward the trees short of the runway. Pull back to stretch the glide?
Sound decision: No: go around. Pulling back increases the angle of attack, slows you and can stall the wing close to the ground. Full power, pitch to the VX/VY climb attitude without exceeding the critical angle (if the stall warning is on, reduce the angle of attack first), flaps up in stages only with a positive rate of climb, then the gear, and climb away.
During a practice recovery you pull back hard right after the nose drops, and the buffet comes back. What happened?
Sound decision: A secondary stall: you increased the angle of attack too soon. Relax the back pressure, let the airspeed build, then raise the nose smoothly to climb.
Turning base to final, you're overshooting the centerline. Which control input sets up a spin here?
Sound decision: Adding inside rudder to tighten the turn while holding opposite aileron to keep the bank shallow: a skid. That's a cross-control stall setup. Use a coordinated turn or go around.

5 · Common student errors

Adding power before lowering the nose.
Why it matters: The wing stays stalled until the angle of attack comes down.
How to correct it: Pitch down first, then wings level, then power.
Pulling up too early in the recovery.
Why it matters: It causes a secondary stall.
How to correct it: Let airspeed build, then raise the nose smoothly.
Using ailerons to pick up a dropping wing at the stall.
Why it matters: Down aileron raises that wing's angle of attack and can deepen the stall on that side.
How to correct it: Reduce the angle of attack first, keep coordinated with rudder, then level the wings.

6 · Completion standard

Heading ±10° in straight flight; bank no more than 20°, ±10°, in turning flight.
Recover promptly after a full stall; complete no lower than 1,500 feet AGL; return to the specified altitude, heading and airspeed.
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 PA.VII.B: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=PPL&focus=PA.VII.B

7 · References

Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Slow flight, stalls and spins
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight
AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training
Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), Area VII
Your airplane's POH/AFM, stall recovery and speeds
Airman Certification Standards, task PA.VII.B

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Power-Off Stalls lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-12). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.