Definition
A phase of a spin in which the airplane has settled into a stabilized rotation, with angle of attack, rotation rate, vertical descent rate, and pitch attitude remaining roughly constant from turn to turn. It follows the incipient phase and continues until recovery inputs are applied.
Plain English
The point in a spin where the airplane has stopped changing how it is spinning and is now rotating and falling at a steady, repeating pattern.
Context Anchor
Seen in spin training and spin-recovery discussions, especially when separating the incipient phase from the fully developed part of the spin.
Derivation
‘Steady-state’ comes from engineering, where it describes a system whose key values stay constant over time. Applied to a spin, it means the rotation has stopped evolving and the motion is now repeating itself each turn.
Why Pilots Care
Recovery techniques are most predictable and effective once the spin has reached this stabilized condition.
Grounding Statement
In a steady-state spin, the airplane is still in trouble, but its spinning and downward motion have settled into a consistent pattern.
Intuition Check
Steady-state does not mean safe, stable, or under control here. It means the spin’s motion has become relatively constant.
Example Sentence 1
Once the airplane entered the steady-state spin, the rotation rate and descent rate stayed about the same on each turn.
Example Sentence 2
In a steady-state spin the airplane maintains a constant nose-low attitude and constant rate of rotation.