Spinning the T-6

[Chipfire]

Is spinning permissible in the T-6 under FAA registration?

[Rod Schneider]

The one I work on is placarded against intentional spins........

[Scott 'Gunny' Perdue]

The T-6 can spin, it does so pretty nicely. Spins were taught in WWII. The T-6 was a military airplane designed and built prior to WWII, it gained certification with the CAA/FAA in the standard category based on a grandfather clause on that basis. It does not recover from a 1 turn spin in 1 turn and therefore spins are not authorized by the TCDS.

You be the judge.

gunny

[Lynn Allen]

When you spin to the left, they are fun and when you spin to the right, be ready. The accelerated stall/spin will open you eyes...

[bdk]

I know someone that almost jumped out of one that was spinning. Just as he was unbuckling his seat belt it suddenly recovered. Or so he told me.

[cessnaguy]

When I had a T-6, my father, a former T-6 instructor, climbed into the cockpit, looked at the panel and read the placard "INTENTIONAL SPINNING PROHIBITED"!!?? They trained students to recover from spins while FAA certification wants the airplane to recover if you just let go of the controls. Someone at the South African Air Force Test Pilot School studied T-6 spin recoveries as a school project and documented that it would recover hands off with a forward CG but required pilot input for recovery with CG further aft. Some Cessnas are certified for spins in utility category with restricted CG and prohibited in normal category with full CG range. That could have been done for T-6 but in 1945, I'm sure that North American was only interested in getting the CAA Type Certificate as cheaply as possible.