Definition
An aerobatic maneuver in which the aircraft is in a stalled, autorotating descent while upside down. The aircraft rotates around a vertical axis with the pilot's head pointing toward the ground and negative G acting on the airframe and pilot. As in an upright spin, one wing is more deeply stalled than the other, which sustains the rotation until proper recovery inputs are applied.
Plain English
A spin where the aircraft is upside down while it falls and rotates. The pilot is hanging in the straps, looking down at the ground, and the airplane keeps turning around a roughly vertical line until the pilot recovers it.
Context Anchor
Seen in aerobatic training, spin training discussions, upset recovery, and aircraft limitations that state which spin types are approved or prohibited.
Derivation
Inverted comes from the Latin invertere, meaning to turn upside down. Spin describes the rotating, stalled descent. Together they name a spin entered from, or flown in, an upside-down attitude.
Why Pilots Care
Inverted spins produce negative G-forces and require specific recovery inputs that differ from upright spins; failure to recognize one quickly can lead to loss of control.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane upside down with the nose low, rotating as it loses altitude.
Intuition Check
Inverted does not mean merely steeply banked or partly rolled over. In an inverted spin, the aircraft is upside down, stalled, rotating, and descending.
Example Sentence 1
The aerobatic instructor demonstrated an inverted spin and then talked the student through the recovery before letting her try one.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor demonstrated an inverted spin entry so the student could feel the negative G and practice the correct recovery sequence.