Rich Stowell has been a full-time flight instructor since mid-1987, specializing in the spin, emergency maneuver, and aerobatic training of pilots from around the world.
Stowell estimates that he has performed 31,500 spin entries/recoveries with students in more than 195 different spins-approved, single-engine airplanes. He was designated an "Official Spin Doctor" by the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) in 2000, was the first instructor to earn the Master Instructor-Aerobatic designation, and was honored as the FAA's 2006 National CFI of the Year. Stowell was a Charter Member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators and is on the Master Instructors LLC Board of Review for applicants seeking accreditation in the Aerobatic Instructor Designation Program. In the 36-year history of the IAC Achievement Awards Program, Stowell is the 157th pilot in the world to earn the "All Five" Smooth Achievement Award for satisfactorily completing the requirements set forth for the Primary through the Unlimited Categories.
In addition to having conducted more than 265 aviation safety seminars across the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Indonesia, Stowell has written numerous articles for various aviation magazines. He was the lead script writer for the FAA's three-part video series entitled, "Loss of Control." He has also written three aviation books including, "EMERGENCY MANEUVER TRAINING, Controlling Your Airplane During a Crisis" in 1996, and more recently the 520-page treatise, "The Light Airplane Pilot's Guide to STALL/SPIN AWARENESS," released early in 2007.
Over the years, Stowell's focus on light airplane stall/spin dynamics has brought him into contact with several key personnel involved in landmark NASA stall/spin research as well as a number of FAA spin test pilots, all of whom have contributed to his understanding of the stall/spin environment.
Stowell developed the PARE spin recovery acronym--which merely restates the NASA Standard spin recovery protocol which has been known for more than 70 years. PARE is a registered trademark of Rich Stowell.