Definition
A set of FAA airworthiness standards under 14 CFR Part 23 that an airplane must meet to be certificated as spin resistant. The aircraft must demonstrate, through flight testing, that it resists entering a spin even when the pilot applies and holds the controls in a way that would normally provoke one. Specifically, the airplane must show controllable stall behavior with full pro-spin control inputs, and must recover from incipient spin tendencies when the controls are released or normal recovery inputs are applied.
Plain English
These are the official rules an airplane must pass to be certified as resistant to spinning. The plane is flown through tests where the pilot deliberately tries to make it spin, and the aircraft must show it will not enter a developed spin under those conditions.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of intentional spins, airplane certification, and the airplane’s approved operating limitations.
Derivation
Resistant comes from a Latin idea meaning “to stand against.” In this term, the airplane is not guaranteed to prevent a spin; it is designed and tested to stand against spin entry under specific required conditions.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots flying aircraft that meet these requirements have a built-in safety margin when practicing stalls, reducing the chance of an unintended spin during training.
Intuition Check
Do not read “spin resistant” as “spin-proof.” It means the airplane met specific test standards for resisting spin entry, not that it can never spin.
Example Sentence 1
The airplane was certificated under the spin resistant requirements of Part 23, so it is designed to resist entering a spin during a stall.
Example Sentence 2
During flight testing, the manufacturer demonstrated that the new model satisfied spin resistant requirements by recovering quickly from aggravated stalls without entering a spin.