Spencer Suderman Will Attempt To Break His Own Record Sunday

Plummeting toward the ground in a plane that is upside down and spinning is Spencer Suderman’s signature move. The maneuver is called an inverted flat spin, and on February 17, 2019, the professional aerobatic pilot will attempt to smash his own world record by spinning his biplane 120 times over Yuma, Arizona.

Suderman, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, is an air show performer and two-time Guinness World Records title holder for the most inverted flat spins in an aircraft. For this attempt, Suderman will fly an experimental Pitts Special S-1c. The plane is a different version of the one he used in 2016 to set the current world record of 98 spins. It is lighter and has a flat bottom wing, which lowers the stall speed and should allow it to reach a higher altitude. It also has a smaller engine that was custom built with extreme modifications for the attempt.

Suderman says he wants to do more than just break his own world record, he wants to crush it. “Go big or stay home! I want the world to see that an ordinary person can do amazing things and get so far ahead that no one wants to catch up.”

Suderman will start the maneuver at around 27,000 feet and anticipates it will take between three-and-a-half and four minutes to complete 120 spins. “High altitude flying is inherently risky,” says Suderman. “A failure in the oxygen system at attitude is potentially fatal.” The recovery is set to occur at 2000 feet above ground level, and according to Suderman, if something goes wrong at that point, bailing out high enough for the parachute to work is not guaranteed.

(Source: Spencer Suderman news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.spencersuderman.com