Flying and Skating
I earned my private pilot's license back in the 70's and find that many of the practice elements required for my pilot's license are similar to figure skating elements. Even the terms are similar - spins, spirals, etc.
For no other reason than some nearly OT posts in the rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational newsgroup and idle curiousity, I created this series of web pages comprised of scans from my study text for a pilot's license.
Skaters may find some amusing similarities, and will certainly find differences. For example, there is an added dimension to consider when flying a plane. Turns are not limited to a two-dimensional surface, and unintentional altitude changes are a common error.
The highlighted links below take you to the airman's requirement for the term.
Spins - a spin in an airplane is a rapid turning descent nearly straight down. The link shows a picture of the airplane's attitude during a spin. One thing in common with a figure skating spin is vertigo or dizzyness when the spin rate is high. Of course an airplane's spin is much more risky than an ice skater's spin. It would take more than a good set of knee pads to survive a crash!
I chuckled at the sentence in the spin description that states "Occasionally, some people get a little sick in a spin."
Series of Turns - a prescribed sequence of turns of varying direction and bank angle. This reminds me of the Moves in the Field requirements in figure skating, or even figures.
Spirals - a steeply banked gliding turn. Most unlike any figure skating move you will attempt, however the name is sure familiar.
Steep Turns - practiced at several levels, these turns are usually taken at 50 or 60 degrees bank. The little illustration at the top of the text depicts the bank of an airplane at different angles. When turning at a 60 degree bank, you feel very heavy which is a combination of gravity and considerable centrifugal force pressing you into the seat. Vertigo and disorientation accompany the first few times you experience this maneuver.
The steep turn described is a 720 degree variant (twice around), and the requirement that you feel the wake from the first turn in the second revolution is prescribed to see if the pilot was able to maintain the altitude and turn radius. Unlike figures, you can't see where you've been by a tracing, but you can feel the turbulence!
Pylon Eights - figure eights, not quite like skating, performed around reference markers on the ground. Wind and altitude must be given consideration to perform this move accurately. I enjoyed the "Common Faults" listing at the end. That section echoes the Common Errors part of the USFSA rulebook.
Enjoy!
Bill Schneider