[Guest]

Rolling circles are a bit of a quirky manuver in that it usually takes a higher than normal flight throttle setting to fly around them (at least for the backside), lots of drag on those controls when you do it. Never thought of using throttle hold to do that, unique idea.

Now the rolling loop, there is a fun one. The trick is to do the downward side of the loop at 3/4 or so throttle If you throttle back the drag from slipping the model is excessive enough to really slow you down Just remember to get on that throttle on the way up!

Anyways I digress

[JimMcIntyre]

Originally Posted by can773

Rolling circles are a bit of a quirky manuver in that it usually takes a higher than normal flight throttle setting to fly around them (at least for the backside)....

I'm curious, why would the backside of the maneuver (I assume you meant the furthest point of the circle from you the pilot) require more throttle? I've never noticed this.... :

[Guest]

If the throttle setting is too low, the drag from doing the manuver (you are using all controls and essentially slipping the model or you should be anyways) can really decrease the speed of the plane during the first portion (especially on a 4 roller with reversals at every quarter). If the throttle is not increased a bit during the last half of the manuver you will likely need to decrease the roll rate (a downgrade) to keep the diameter of the circle the same and end up where you started.

If your throttle setting is high enough to begin with you probably wont notice or need extra, but we generally dont fly with that much power during normal flight.

Also dont forget most of these circles are massive, probably approaching or exceeding 800 feet in diameter, so have a lot of "hang time" to lose speed.

[JimMcIntyre]

Different entry I guess. I generally enter with low power/low speed and add power as I begin the maneuver.... then again, as I'm not a pattern flyer, I've never been judged for this maneuver....

[Guest]

There is no wrong approach to entering a manouver (well maybe there is). Anyways the key it to maintain constant airspeed, as you lose airspeed through a manouver you must correct for that loss of airspeed usually with more control throw and in turn more loss of speed. The key is visually being able to determine (or better yet feel the plane) when you need to add more throttle to keep the plane doing the same speed, making the control inputs a constant during the flight (for similar manouvers).

Master that art and you are probably one of the top 10 in the world. I have only ever seen it done to a near level of perfection once, that was at the Worlds in Ireland by CPLR, even Somenzini who placed second had some fairly major airspeed changes during flight (but flew exceedingly slow compared to the rest, which was neat).

There are certain manouvers that if entered too slow is just asking for major mistakes.

[AJCoholic]

wow, rolling circles... I do those sometimes by accident

I have read a thousand times in Dave Patrick's book on aerobatics how to do it, but the series of control inputs still overwhelm me..

I remembered another mix I used on one plane. The mix fed in some down elevator with increase in throttle, to stop it from zooming up. The engine was set at the proper incidence and it was just a characteristic of the plane I guess (probably should have just set more down thrust now that I think of it).

[Guest]

Andrew

Start off by doing nice straight slow rolls.....now make them not so straight A rolling circle is just a slow roll that goes around a corner, same with a rolling loop. Dont change the control inputs that you put in, just modify when you put them in and the duration that they are held for.

Not really any more complicated than that (well maybe a little).

[JimMcIntyre]

The fun begins on the incoming leg.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by JimMcIntyre

The fun begins on the incoming leg.

If you stand on your head and cross your eyes during that part, then it gets much easier

[JimMcIntyre]

I'll have to try that, I generally hold my breath and curl my toes while trying to look non-chalant.