Oh, One More Mistake.
Total Size Of The Hole Looped And Barrel Rolled Through My Pocket: $3,080.25
Thinking of becoming aerobatics rated? DOUBLE TAKE!
Benefits of Aerobatics: Taking off upside down. Craig Hosking in his Pitts S-2 “Double Take.”
Aerobatics! Lesson 11: Review. Hours Flown: 78.8
Mr. Rapp took me for a final review before my stage check, just to make sure everything is on par. Rolls, loops, half cubans, immelmanns, check.
Spins were back after not having done them for a while, and we discovered that the Super Decathlon like to take its sweet time recovering. Instead of starting the sequence to break the spin a half turn in advance, a full turn or more was required. And McCloud still turns green pretty fast. Not good.
Need to keep everything fresh in my mind. Next… stage check.
Above: Two Extra 300’s looking eye-to-eye. Photo by Miami.FlyMe
Aerobatics! Lesson 10: Split-S. Hours Flown: 78.0
I feel bad for the Split-S. This maneuver has caused a lot of death and destruction, but for all the wrong reasons. Basically a ‘reversed Immelmann’, it has most often been inadvertently executed by non-aerobatics pilots that suddenly encounter an unexpected upset at low altitude, and causing them to impact the ground at high speeds… with disastrous results.
The Split-S should only ever be attempted with definitive intent, and with plenty of altitude. It’s not a particularly difficult maneuver, but the right essentials must be taken into account:
When done right, it’s beautiful and a classy way to reverse direction.
So, next time you happen to find yourself unexpectedly turned over, remember… Don’t split, just roll!
Above: Called “Renversement” in French, the Split-S has been useful for Military pilots since World War I. Re-illustration from ancient documents.
Aerobatics! Lesson 9: Immelmanns. Hours Flown: 77.0
A different way to change direction, but similar to the Half Cuban 8, is the Immelmann. Invented by German World War I flying ace Max Immelmann as a way to escape fighters on his tail, this maneuver trades speed for a gain in altitude and sets you on an opposite course from where you came from.
All great and nice, but there are some perils. Performing this in my trusty Thunderbird 6, it gets you dangerously close to the stall speed, progressing many an Immelmann into a nice - yet unintended - downward spin after the roll at the top. The key to the Immelmann is to dive in with plenty of speed and to stay vigilant at the top.
Above: Diagram showing the Immelmann maneuver in a Sukhoi Su-27.
Aerobatics! Lesson 8: Inversions & Unusual Attitudes. Hours Flown: 76.0
Not all aerobatics maneuvers go right first try (or even tenth try). In that case, the unusual attitude presents itself with the question, “How are you going to get back to level flight without picking up too much speed or placing too much stress on the airframe?”
Mr. Rapp brought on the onslaught: Rolls rolled too slow, loops stuck at vertical, half cubans not pulled tightly enough. Does wonders for your confidence.
Above: What do you do when you see this in your windshield? Unusual attitude training in a Zlín Z 142.
Aerobatics! Lesson 7: Wheel Landings. Hours Flown: 74.1
A special kind of landing that requires an extraordinary amount of precision and finesse is the wheel landing. Only executable on taildragger airplanes, this method causes the airplane to touch down on the front landing gear in an almost level flying attitude.
Difficult? Extremely. Many pilots never master this skill or understand its usage. Besides obvious benefits to control and aircraft handling, these landings can be invaluable on sketchy landing strips or in high crosswinds.
As for me… definitely not something to learn quickly. Nine landings and many bounces later I got one in. Barely. This is one that takes time.
Above: A perfect wheel landing in a Pitts Special. Since the tailwheel does not touch, steering is accomplished with the rudder only.
Benefits of Aerobatics: Changing direction while doing silly races.
