Definition
An informal aviation expression describing the dangerous and usually fatal attempt to recover an airplane from a stalled or near-stalled condition at low altitude by pulling back on the controls, when the only correct response would have been to lower the nose to regain flying speed. The phrase captures the futility of trying to climb or level off an aircraft that has already lost the lift required to do so.
Plain English
Trying to save an airplane that has already stalled close to the ground by pulling the nose up — which only makes things worse. By the time a pilot reaches for that fix, it is almost always too late.
Context Anchor
Used in training for engine failure after takeoff or other low-altitude power-loss situations, when the pilot must quickly lower or set the nose to keep the airplane flying.
Derivation
A figure of speech borrowed from everyday English, where 'raising the dead' means attempting the impossible — bringing something back that is already gone. Applied to flying, it captures the hopelessness of trying to recover lift that has already been lost too close to the ground to do anything about it.
Why Pilots Care
A successful restart can restore power and avoid an off-airport landing when altitude is too low for a normal glide.
Grounding Statement
When power is lost close to the ground, the airplane needs enough forward speed to keep the wings working; pulling back too much takes that speed away.
Intuition Check
Do not take this phrase literally. In this context, “raise the dead” means trying to force the airplane to climb or stay up after power is lost, usually by pulling back when the airplane needs to keep flying speed instead.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor warned that trying to stretch the glide back to the runway after an engine failure on takeoff is a classic attempt to raise the dead.
Example Sentence 2
The checklist directed the pilot to raise the dead only after confirming fuel flow and mixture were set correctly.