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

Power-On Stalls

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

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1 · Objective

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

Why it matters for safety: Departure stalls are among the deadliest because they happen low, right after takeoff or during a go-around: a high nose to clear an obstacle, a distraction, an engine hiccup with the nose held up. This task trains recognition and a reflexive recovery for exactly that moment.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Power-On Stalls. The takeoff-and-departure stall: high power, high nose, and how to stay ahead of it.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/ppl/power-on-stalls · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/ppl/power-on-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)
The power-on stall simulates takeoff and departure: the takeoff, departure or cruise configuration (as the evaluator specifies), coordinated throughout, power set as assigned to no less than 65%.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S3-S4)
High power at low airspeed means strong left-turning tendencies: right rudder keeps you coordinated.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
A wing drop at the break with uncoordinated flight is how spins start. While still stalled, don't use aileron (a down aileron raises that wing's angle of attack): reduce the angle of attack until the warning stops, then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Elevator trim stall: a go-around with nose-up trim and full power can pitch the nose up sharply. Push and re-trim.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Accelerated stall: abrupt back pressure stalls the wing above normal stall speed.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Clear the area and choose an entry altitude so the task is completed no lower than 1,500 feet AGL; bank no more than 20° in turning stalls.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S1-S2, S6)

Why it's different with power

The wing still stalls at its critical angle of attack. Stall speed rises with load factor (as its square root), weight and a forward CG, and falls slightly with power on; an aft CG lowers it but flattens the break and weakens stability and recovery. Any stall speed figure is valid only for its stated weight, load factor and configuration. With power on, the nose attitude at the stall is much higher.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Left-turning tendencies at high power and low airspeed: P-factor and the spiraling slipstream yaw the airplane left; torque mainly rolls it left; gyroscopic precession acts only while the propeller's plane is changing (pitching down yaws left, pitching up yaws right, for a clockwise propeller) and disappears in a steady climb. It takes right rudder to stay coordinated.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Impending stall cues are the same: the warning, buffet, mushy controls. The break can be sharper, often with a wing drop if you're uncoordinated.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)

How it happens, and the recovery

Real power-on stalls come from a too-steep climb after takeoff, trying to clear an obstacle, a go-around with too much nose-up trim, or a distraction during the climb.(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)
The recovery follows your POH; the steps above are the generic AC 120-109A template behind most POH procedures. If a wing drops, reduce the angle of attack first; once the warning is gone, level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder. Don't pick up the wing with aileron while still stalled.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins; AC 120-109A, Stall Prevention and Recovery Training)
The entry, step by step: clear the area, pick an entry altitude that lets you finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL, set the assigned configuration, slow to normal liftoff speed, set at least 65% power, then smoothly raise the nose to the attitude that induces the stall and hold it (heading or bank as specified) until the stall. Departure stalls are normally practiced at maximum power, reduced only to avoid an excessive nose-up attitude.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S1-S5)
After the recovery: retract flaps only to the recommended setting, and the gear, once there's a positive rate of climb; accelerate to VX or VY before the final flap retraction; then return to the specified altitude, heading and airspeed.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S9-S10)
Prevention: hold the climb attitude for Vy (or Vx when needed), not a higher nose, and keep your scan going.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)

Warnings, other stalls, and the environment

Stall warning devices come on shortly before the stall but can fail or be drowned out. A stall warning on climb-out means lower the nose now.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Elevator trim stall: during a go-around from a landing approach trimmed nose-up, full power can pitch the nose up steeply. Hold forward pressure, lower the nose, and re-trim.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Accelerated stall: abrupt pull-up or excessive back pressure stalls the wing above the normal stall speed.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Secondary stall: re-stalling during the recovery by pulling back before the angle of attack and speed have recovered. Cross-control stall: an uncoordinated (usually skidding) turn with aileron held against rudder, classically overshooting final with inside rudder and back pressure; the inside, slower wing stalls first and the airplane can roll into a spin.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins)
Turbulence and gusts change the angle of attack and load factor suddenly; a microburst, downdraft or loss of headwind on departure can drop the airspeed and performance; at high density altitude the engine makes less power. For all three: hold the correct climb attitude and speed, don't pull the nose up to fight it, and plan before takeoff.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)

Doing it safely

The high nose blocks your view ahead: clear the area first and keep looking for traffic.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S1)
On a real departure, fly the airplane first. Checklists, radios and passengers can wait until you're climbing at a safe speed.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches your right rudder as the airspeed drops, a prompt nose-down recovery, no aileron use to fight a wing drop while stalled, and a smooth climb at Vx or Vy afterward.

4 · Ask your student

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

Recall · What configuration and power do you use for a power-on stall?
A strong answer: Takeoff or departure configuration, as specified, with at least 65 percent power.
Understand · Why does the airplane want to yaw left as you approach a power-on stall?
A strong answer: High power at low airspeed: P-factor, torque, slipstream and gyroscopic effects all push the nose left, and the rudder is less effective at low speed, so it takes more right rudder.
Apply · On a go-around, you add full power and the nose pitches up hard. What's happening and what do you do?
A strong answer: An elevator trim stall setup: I was trimmed nose-up for landing. Push forward to hold a safe climb attitude, then re-trim and clean up the flaps per the POH.

Scenarios to talk through

Departing a short field with trees at the end, you pull the nose up hard to clear them and the stall horn sounds. What do you do, and what should have happened before takeoff?
Sound decision: Reduce the angle of attack until the stall warning stops and the wing is flying again, keep full power, let the airplane accelerate to VX, and only then hold the VX climb attitude; pitching to an attitude while stalled doesn't by itself get you below the critical angle. A stall here is far worse than a lower climb. Before takeoff: compute the takeoff distance and obstacle clearance for the conditions, and don't go if the margin isn't there.
In a practice power-on stall, the left wing drops sharply at the break. How do you recover?
Sound decision: Reduce the angle of attack first, until the warning stops; then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder, add power as needed and climb away. Don't raise the wing with aileron while still stalled.
It's 95°F at a field 5,000 feet above sea level. The airplane climbs much more slowly than usual. What's the temptation, and how do you avoid it?
Sound decision: The temptation is to raise the nose to "help" the climb, which slows you toward a stall. Hold the Vy (or Vx) attitude, accept the lower climb rate, and plan the departure around the reduced performance.

5 · Common student errors

Not enough right rudder.
Why it matters: Uncoordinated flight at the stall can drop a wing and start a spin.
How to correct it: Add right rudder progressively as airspeed falls; keep the ball centered.
Raising a dropped wing with aileron.
Why it matters: Down aileron increases that wing's angle of attack and can deepen the stall.
How to correct it: Reduce the angle of attack until the warning stops, then level the wings with coordinated aileron and rudder.
Leaving the nose-up trim in on a go-around.
Why it matters: Full power plus nose-up trim can pitch the nose up into a stall.
How to correct it: Push to a safe climb attitude, then re-trim.

6 · Completion standard

Power no less than 65%; 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.C: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=PPL&focus=PA.VII.C

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.C

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Power-On 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.