Private pilot · ACS PA.VII.C
Power-On Stalls
A power-on stall reproduces a stall on takeoff or departure: high power, high nose, slowing down.
With power on, the stall can be sharper and the left-turning tendencies stronger. Coordination and a prompt nose-down recovery are the core.
Why this one matters
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.
Can’t miss
- •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)
What you should know
Why it's different with power K1 · K2
- 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 K3 · K4 · R1 · R4
- 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 R2 · R3 · R5 · R6
- 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 R7 · R8
- 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))
On the flight
ACS standards
- Power no less than 65%; heading ±10° in straight flight; bank no more than 20°, ±10°, in turning flight.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S4, S6)
- Recover promptly after a full stall; complete no lower than 1,500 feet AGL; return to the specified altitude, heading and airspeed.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VII.C.S2, S7, S10)
What your instructor is watching for
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.
Scenarios
Decide what you would do first, then see the worked answer.
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? See the worked answer
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.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins
In a practice power-on stall, the left wing drops sharply at the break.
How do you recover? See the worked answer
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.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), slow flight, stalls and spins
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? See the worked answer
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.
PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight
Common mistakes
Not enough right rudder.
Uncoordinated flight at the stall can drop a wing and start a spin.
Instead: Add right rudder progressively as airspeed falls; keep the ball centered.
Raising a dropped wing with aileron.
Down aileron increases that wing's angle of attack and can deepen the stall.
Instead: 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.
Full power plus nose-up trim can pitch the nose up into a stall.
Instead: Push to a safe climb attitude, then re-trim.
Now train it
Say it out loud, hear it asked, and take the quick check in this lesson’s practice pack. It tracks your shaky spots.
Got it?
When it feels solid, practice power-on stalls out loud with our examiner.
Your progress is saved in this browser. Create a free account to keep it on every device, with your shaky spots and mock oral results in one place.
Go to the source (free)
Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →
Sources
- 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
Study aid, not FAA guidance. Regulations change; check the current text at eCFR and the ACS. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.