Commercial pilot · ACS CA.VII.A · lesson pack

Maneuvering During Slow Flight

Why this one matters

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.

1 · Know these cold

•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)

2 · The lesson

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))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

Altitude ±50 feet; heading ±10°; airspeed +5/-0 knots; bank ±5°; no stall warning.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.VII.A.S4-S5)
Finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL (ASEL, ASES) or 3,000 feet AGL (AMEL, AMES).(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.VII.A.S2)

What your instructor is watching for

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.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

Remember Recall it
“What causes a stall?”
Understand Explain why
“Why does adding power, not back pressure, stop a descent in slow flight?”
Apply Use it on a flight
“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?”

4 · Common mistakes

Chasing altitude with the elevator.
It raises the angle of attack and slows you toward a stall.
Instead: Power for altitude, pitch for airspeed.
Drifting outside +5/-0.
Too slow triggers the warning; too fast misses the standard.
Instead: Trim carefully and make small, early power corrections.
Forgetting rudder as power changes.
Uncoordinated flight near the stall invites a spin.
Instead: Lead power changes with rudder.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

1. What are the commercial slow-flight tolerances?
2. What is the minimum altitude for finishing the maneuver in a multiengine airplane?
3. In a level 60° bank, how much does the stall speed rise?
4. Does a forward center of gravity raise or lower the stall speed?
Scenario5. A gusty day and you're slow on final. What do you do?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice maneuvering during slow flight out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Slow Flight & Stalls

Turning to avoid traffic, you pull hard in a steep bank at cruise power and the airframe buffets well above the published stall speed.

What happened, what's the recovery, and what makes it dangerous? Decide, then see the worked answer

An accelerated stall: the wing reached its critical angle of attack under a higher load factor, so at an airspeed above the 1 G stall speed. Stall speed rises with the square root of the load factor: about 1.41 times the 1 G stall speed at 2 G, twice it at 4 G. Accelerated stalls tend to break more abruptly and more severely than 1 G stalls, often with a wing drop, and can cost a lot of altitude. Recover by unloading first: release back pressure until the buffet and the stall stop. Then roll the wings level with coordinated controls, then add power as needed. Power doesn't unstall a wing; only reducing the angle of attack does. A spin needs a stalled wing plus yaw, so uncoordinated rudder at that moment, or aileron used to pick up a dropping wing while still stalled, can roll it into one. Speed matters too. At or below maneuvering speed, the wing stalls before the airplane reaches its limit load factor, which protects the structure. Above it, a hard pull can exceed the limit load factor before the wing reaches its critical angle of attack, with no stall to protect you. Maneuvering speed decreases as weight decreases.

AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Maintaining Aircraft Control; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight

Brings together: Accelerated Stalls · Spin Awareness

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); AC 120-109A; AC 61-67C; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B); Your airplane's POH/AFM. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.