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Photo credit Divinity Price (non-flying/ non-instructing pilot during flight)Today we will discuss what a stall is and the important role ailerons play in the stall.
A stall is an aerodynamic condition that occurs once disruption of smooth airflow over the airplane's wings, results in loss of lift. Specifically, a stall occurs when the aircraft wings exceed its critical AOA (Angle of Attack). It is possible to exceed the critical AOA at any airspeed, at any attitude, and at any power setting. The wing does not stop producing lift during a stall. Rather, it does not generate adequate lift to sustain level flight.
Now let's take a look at the main concept— how ailerons can impact a stall. Look in the manufacturer's recommended stall recovery procedure for your aircraft type. If you think about each of the steps involved, based on the type of stall, it all makes sense. But why should we roll ailerons neutral? Let's think about what ailerons do for you. They help you roll the airplane by increasing the angle of attack on one wing and decreasing the angle of attack on the other wing, causing the airplane to turn. What else is happening when you turn the airplane? You change the lift vector. Lift is no longer acting vertically but is now split between horizontal and the vertical components of lift. Depending upon how steep the bank you are producing, your rate and radius of turn may be asymmetrical making you uncoordinated.
The most important part of recovering from a stall is to lower the angle of attack. If you exceeded it, correct it and lower it. but once we get into ailerons anything other than neutral, we are now further aggravating the airflow over the wings. You can exceed the angle of attack on one wing, while increasing lift on the other wing, causing an extreme rolling motion. In other words, can induce a spin or spiraling motion. Ailerons neutral allows both wings to gain symmetrically airflow over them before moving them. Always follow your manufacturer's recommendations on recovery as they are tested and often proven effective for you're aircraft type.