Rolling circles?

[Arbo]

I've seen some good pilots do what I think is called rolling circles... where you are doing slow rolls, but doing them while making a big circle.....

I've seen some direction for most acrobatics, but never for this... no doubt it's complicated, or seems to be, but anyone have any ideas?

Paul

[flyfalcons]

It is complicated, but not impossible for a mere mortal. First thing you have to do is get comfortable with rolls. Comfortable as in you can tell them a personal secret and they won't hold judgement against you. You need to use the rudder and elevator to keeps your rolls perfectly straight. After that, work on doing three or four rolls in a straight line without losing altitude or changing heading. This is really important. Orientation is key. Once you can do perfect rolls in your sleep, you can start attempting partial rolling circles. Just try one roll, and try to be heading 90 degrees off from your original heading when the roll is completed. You were probably doing that when you were first learning how to roll a plane but now you're doing it intentionally. Lead with some rudder, and as the plane goes on its side you'll be pulling back elevatorto help it keep turning. Once upside down use some opposite rudder to keep it going, then as it goes on its side again you'll be giving down elevator. Finish the roll with some rudder into the roll to keep it turning. Do that over and over again until you feel confident doing two rolls. Once you can do two rolls, the second half is pretty easy. Just don't lose orientation when the plane is coming toward you.

Now don't get me wrong, you don't need rudder to do rollers. I've done rolling circles with a Zagi but they weren't as clean as a plane with rudder control. It takes some practice but this maneuver has a WOW-factor up there with torque rolls.

[Armin Mangelmann]

Hi Paul,

hope i can help you....

the rolling direction is right (in the direction of the motor torque the models rolls easier)

do some fly bys from the left to your right side and gain some security high...

when the model is in front of you, use left rudder and fly a circle just with the rudder...this is for getting used to the rudder...

if you are used using the rudder you can try more:


Usually you start with left rudder and right aileron (not to much aileron) keep the left aileron until the knife edge poision is approched..know start to move you stick from left rudder to down elevetor (this will do the "rudder" funktion during knife edge) still keep the ailerons going...after the down rudder the model is on its back and still rolling, now rudder right is needed to procced the circle, after that elevator up...

I have my elevator and rudder on the right stick..so you are actually rolling your stick from left rudder up to the elevator down position, than to rudder right than elevator up..

Hope this does not confuse you, i think it is not as hard as it looks...it gets hard if you want to do circles with one, or two or three rolls, doing knife edge in between...

Well, if you want you can see a rolling cirle on my site:
www.mamo-models.com push button video the first picture with the lipoly equipped ultimate..as it only weighs 270 g the wind was not my friend, that is why the rolling circle is not really clean...

kr
Armin