Hi guys,

What are your top 5 most impressive 3D manoeuvres that have the biggest wow factor for an audience?

Here are 4 that come to mind

1. Rolling hover with the rudder touching virtually the ground
2. Knife-edge spin
3. Very low knife-edge (not 3d) but seems to have a wow factor
4. Poptop

I think it can depend on your audience somewhat too - to me, as someone that flies rc planes, the single roll rolling circle is an absolute amazing maneuver. To an audience that doesn't really know what's involved in it, it looks like a relatively tame maneuver.

I like the crankshaft, plane flying normally then all of sudden it starts eating it’s tail.

For me rolling loop and rolling figure 8. Next is a well executed rolling harrier circle.

This shows not only shows 3d but shows how to use the landscape for the wow factor

Spookfest 2014 (3 min 55 sec)

1 and 3 are very easy, so anyone who is even half decent will not be so impressed. Some maneuvres are not massivly difficult but can be done usually mediocre by most people, so doing these types of maneuveres extra special is imo a crowd pleaser. In this caterogory i would say Pop Top for example.
I just wish every body would stop this maneuver where they aim for the floor at 45 degrees and then go back up at 45 degrees A Mountain Top i think they call it. It isn't cool, looks a bum note.

My current favorite.

SKYWING 67 inch ARS 300 from Jonathan BOSSION (5 min 10 sec)

As mentioned, it is totally dependent on the audience type.
People without any RC flying knowledge will be pleased by the most simple maneuvers such as hovers and torque rolls. High speed maneuvers with sudden attitude change will be also appealing (crankshafts, pop tops, KE spins, etc).
An experienced 3D/XA audience will be much harder to please but very controlled rolling harriers, rifle rolls, rolling loops, vortex, etc will definitely win points.
The noname maneuver would probably be on the list for both audiences.
Ronaldo

Originally Posted by ronaldopn

As mentioned, it is totally dependent on the audience type.
People without any RC flying knowledge will be pleased by the most simple maneuvers such as hovers and torque rolls. High speed maneuvers with sudden attitude change will be also appealing (crankshafts, pop tops, KE spins, etc).
An experienced 3D/XA audience will be much harder to please but very controlled rolling harriers, rifle rolls, rolling loops, vortex, etc will definitely win points.
The noname maneuver would probably be on the list for both audiences.
Ronaldo

👍

This list of top 5 maneuvers is for the general public to give them the biggest wow factor for an upcoming club open day.

It’s a somewhat interesting question? For me I put at least 75% of the score on the execution. I would say best skilled pilots impress best.

Originally Posted by D.L .White

I would say best skilled pilots impress best.

I think that is obvious.

Not all of us can be best-skilled pilots all of our life.

Using the 80/20 rule, I am hoping some average 3D pilots can still put on a good show using the right manouvers.

Originally Posted by Tronn

👍

This list of top 5 maneuvers is for the general public to give them the biggest wow factor for an upcoming club open day.

In this case there is no need to go crazy on the maneuvers, just fly closer and lower so they can see the planes better.
If there are 2 good 3D pilots in the club, try having them fly together with some coordination, again nothing crazy or too difficult, a few slow KE passes with enough separation and maybe some coordinated upright/ inverted harriers and hovers.
Remember, it doesn't take much to impress the general public with aerobatic planes and most people will be sad seeing a crash.
Ronaldo

I personally hate tandem/triple co-ordinated flights, for me it just takes away the joy of watching and concentrating on the flight. Instead i am watching how their timing is, how their judgement is, and so on. I can actually FEEL the nervousness of the Pilot's when they fly in tandem, the flights are just not as natural.

Unless they crash, then then that is really natural

The usual 'Big BIG BIG' is claimed to be a crowd pleasure, but as other's have already said,,, depends on your audience, Half decent 3D Guy's KNOW it is a LOT easier on a big plane than a smaller plane. If you take into account turbulent wind which affects small models and not so much big models, and at a show you often have to fly at some distance away. Small models is MUCH more difficult and more appreciated by 'those in the know'.

Tron, what's the 80/20 rule?

Figure 9 is a crowd-pleaser

Originally Posted by cardsQC

I think it can depend on your audience somewhat too - to me, as someone that flies rc planes, the single roll rolling circle is an absolute amazing maneuver. To an audience that doesn't really know what's involved in it, it looks like a relatively tame maneuver.

You are right; it is harder than any other manoeuvre cited here but for the average punter it looks tame. So not really suitable for the prospective audience.