Definition
A spin-recovery action in which the pilot applies and holds full rudder opposite the direction of rotation to stop the yawing motion that sustains a spin. The rudder is held firmly against its stop until rotation stops, after which the elevator is used to break the stall and recover from the resulting dive.
Plain English
Pushing the rudder pedal all the way in the opposite direction the airplane is spinning, and holding it there hard until the spinning stops.
Context Anchor
Seen in stall and spin awareness training, especially when discussing how to stop yaw before a stall develops into a spin.
Derivation
"Blocking" here carries its everyday sense of stopping or halting motion. The rudder is being used to block the rotation of the spin, not just to oppose it briefly. Naming it this way emphasizes that the input is firm and held, not a quick stab.
Why Pilots Care
Proper application halts the spin quickly and reduces altitude loss while preventing entry into a more aggravated or unrecoverable spin state.
Grounding Statement
If the nose starts swinging left or right during a stall, the rudder blocking technique uses opposite rudder to stop that swing before it grows into rotation.
Intuition Check
Do not read “blocking” as locking the rudder pedal in place. Here it means using the rudder to block, or stop, unwanted yaw.
Example Sentence 1
During spin recovery training, the instructor emphasized the rudder blocking technique: full opposite rudder, held firmly until the rotation stopped before moving the elevator forward.
Example Sentence 2
Once the rotation ceased through rudder blocking, the pilot neutralized the rudder and applied forward elevator to recover from the dive.