Definition
The descending, spiraling flightpath traced by an airplane during a spin, in which the aircraft rotates around its vertical axis while simultaneously descending along a tight, helical trajectory toward the ground.
Plain English
The tight, twisting downward spiral an airplane follows when it is spinning. Think of water swirling down a drain — the airplane is rotating around its own axis while falling along a narrow, screw-shaped path.
Context Anchor
Seen in spin awareness discussions when describing what the airplane’s flight path looks like during a spin.
Derivation
A corkscrew is the spiral metal tool used to pull corks from bottles. Its tight, helical shape became the standard way to describe any narrow spiraling path. Pairing it with 'downward' captures both the rotation and the descent that define a spin.
Why Pilots Care
Confirming this path tells the pilot a spin has fully developed and immediate recovery inputs are required to stop rotation and reduce angle of attack.
Analogy
Like a spinning leaf falling from a tree, twisting as it drops in a tightening spiral.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane screwing itself down through the air along a tight vertical spiral, nose low, one wing stalled, rotating steadily as it descends.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as simply “going down fast.” In this context, the key idea is the twisting, rotating path during a spin.
Example Sentence 1
Once the spin developed, the airplane settled into a steady downward corkscrew path until the pilot applied the recovery inputs.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor pointed out the downward corkscrew path so the student could recognize when recovery should begin.