the price of safety What price would you be willing to spend to ensure the safety of your friends, family, and yourself? $100? 1000? 10,000? I am often surprised at some of the actions taken by pilots in order to save a few dollars. One area in particular I am passionate about promoting is the fitment of stall warning or angle of attack devices. In an environment where loss of control events are the number one cause of fatal accident world-wide, I believe all aircraft owners should consider the fitment of a device to warn pilots of an impending stall!
Reed-type stall warning device
Whilst training for stall recognition and avoidance and familiarising yourself with your aircraft stall characteristics must always be the primary barrier to protect against encountering a stall in flight, a stall warning device may just act as a final barrier to safety, and better yet - They may not be as expensive as you think! Let’s take a quick look at a few different types of stall warning device available to aircraft owners: Vane-type stall warning device
If you have ever flown a Cessna, you will likely recall the unmistakable screeching of the stall warning during landing. This is the sound of a reed-type stall warning device. This type of stall warning device is a small slot on the leading edge of the wing. As the angle of attack increases the reed (much like that in a musical instrument) sounds, alerting the pilot of a stall. Stall Strips
No doubt you have seen aircraft fitted with a small tab on the leading edge of the wing. This type of stall warning device uses a small tab, or vane, to detect change of the stagnation point on the wing. When an aircraft airspeed decreases, the angle of attack increases and the stagnation point moves aft. This change in stagnation point activates an electric switch which engages an aural alert to notify the pilot of an impending stall.
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Have you ever noticed wedge-shaped strips fitted to the leading edge of an aircraft wing? Stall strips may be fitted to an aircraft and offer two advantages. Firstly when a stall does occur, stall
