FAR 23.2150 — Stall and Spin Certification
FAR 23.2150 sets stall handling, stall warning, and spin recovery standards for Part 23 airplanes. Key concepts for student pilots and checkride prep.
In Plain English
FAR 23.2150 is a Part 23 airworthiness standard that defines how a small airplane must behave near the stall and, if approved, in a spin. It's a certification rule for manufacturers, but understanding it helps you trust how your airplane will respond when you slow it down.
Key requirements:
- The airplane must have controllable stall characteristics in straight, turning, and accelerated turning flight.
- It must provide a clear and distinctive stall warning with enough margin to prevent inadvertent stalls.
- Single-engine airplanes not certified for aerobatics must not tend to depart controlled flight inadvertently.
- Level 1 and 2 multiengine airplanes (non-aerobatic) must not depart controlled flight from thrust asymmetry after a critical engine loss.
- Aerobatic airplanes certified for spins must recover within 1½ additional turns after the first recovery input, up to six turns (or more if certified).
- Spins must not become unrecoverable from typical control use or from pilot disorientation/incapacitation.
Operationally, this is why your trainer has a horn, light, or buffet before the stall and why it tends to recover predictably when you reduce angle of attack.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 23.2150§ 23.2150 Stall characteristics, stall warning, and spins.
(a) The airplane must have controllable stall characteristics in straight flight, turning flight, and accelerated turning flight with a clear and distinctive stall warning that provides sufficient margin to prevent inadvertent stalling.
(b) Single-engine airplanes, not certified for aerobatics, must not have a tendency to inadvertently depart controlled flight.
(c) Levels 1 and 2 multiengine airplanes, not certified for aerobatics, must not have a tendency to inadvertently depart controlled flight from thrust asymmetry after a critical loss of thrust.
(d) Airplanes certified for aerobatics that include spins must have controllable stall characteristics and the ability to recover within one and one-half additional turns after initiation of the first control action from any point in a spin, not exceeding six turns or any greater number of turns for which certification is requested, while remaining within the operating limitations of the airplane.
(e) Spin characteristics in airplanes certified for aerobatics that includes spins must recover without exceeding limitations and may not result in unrecoverable spins—
(1) With any typical use of the flight or engine power controls; or
(2) Due to pilot disorientation or incapacitation.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What does FAR 23.2150 require regarding stall warning in a Part 23 certified airplane?
Per FAR 23.2150(a), the airplane must provide a clear and distinctive stall warning with sufficient margin to prevent inadvertent stalling, in straight, turning, and accelerated turning flight.
Q2For a non-aerobatic single-engine airplane, what stall behavior is prohibited under Part 23?
FAR 23.2150(b) prohibits any tendency to inadvertently depart controlled flight, meaning the airplane shouldn't unexpectedly enter a spin or uncontrolled condition during a stall.
Q3If an airplane is certified for aerobatics including spins, what spin recovery standard must it meet?
Under FAR 23.2150(d), it must be recoverable within one and one-half additional turns after the first control input, up to six turns or any greater number for which certification is requested, while staying within operating limits.
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Related Sections in Part 23