Aerobatic Workout

[D.B. Cole]

Went up today in the Super Decathlon for the third time in as many weeks. As I mentioned previously on the board, I'm coming back from a 13 year flying hiatus and a 16 year aerobatic hiatus. Today was tiring, but in 1.4 hours we managed to get in aileron and slow rolls, inverted flight, six multi-turn spins, loops, Immelmanns, Split-Ss, Hammerheads, Shark'sTooths, Humpty Bumps, half Cubans, reverse half Cubans, and Competition Turns.

We then put together a few sequences before heading back. Pleased this much older body could handle it.

 

[Ed Haywood]

That is a LOT of acro. I find diminishing returns after 20 to 30 maneuvers. That usually works out to 2 Sportsman sequences with a climb break in between, plus 5 or 10 additional iterations of one maneuver to refine. That usually takes 15-20 minutes, plus transit. I find I get best results from 2 or 3 short practice sorties with a 1-2 hour break in between. That mirrors a contest.

Of course as you know, your tolerance will improve with practice and recency. I find 2 or 3 flights a week will have a big effect.

One tip: do the inverted stuff last.

Congrats getting back into it!!

 

[D.B. Cole]

That is a LOT of acro. I find diminishing returns after 20 to 30 maneuvers. That usually works out to 2 Sportsman sequences, with a climb break in between, and 5 or 10 iterations of one maneuver to refine. That usually takes 15 minutes, plus transit. I find I get best results from 2 or 3 short practice sorties of less than 30 minutes, with a 1-2 hour break in between. That mirrors a contest.

Of course as you know, your tolerance will improve with practice and recency. I find 2 or 3 flights a week will have a big effect.

One tip: do the inverted stuff last.

Congrats getting back into it!!

Thanks for the advice Ed. I only had one flight in the books towards my BFR when I suffered from a series of canceled flights due to MX and then the instructor leaving early for the airlines. I found out about this beautiful 2021 SD nearby and felt the urge to get back into aerobatics. So my first aerobatic flight was only my second flight after that long layoff. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to jump back in so soon, but I'm glad I did. My goal is to get about five flights in before starting the commercial rating, and flying one to aerobatic flights per month.

I had forgotten how much nose up attitude the SD requires when inverted for S&L, but I agree that inverted seemed to take more effort and energy.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I had forgotten how much nose up attitude the SD requires when inverted for S&L, but I agree that inverted seemed to take more effort and energy.

With me, inverted sometimes triggers the stomach thing. If I plan to work on slow rolls or inverted flight, I will do that at the end of my session.

 

[MajorTurbulence]

Went up today in the Super Decathlon for the third time in as many weeks. As I mentioned previously on the board, I'm coming back from a 13 year flying hiatus and a 16 year aerobatic hiatus. Today was tiring, but in 1.4 hours we managed to get in aileron and slow rolls, inverted flight, six multi-turn spins, loops, Immelmanns, Split-Ss, Hammerheads, Shark'sTooths, Humpty Bumps, half Cubans, reverse half Cubans, and Competition Turns.

We then put together a few sequences before heading back. Pleased this much older body could handle it.

Do you actually practice split Ss? It used to be something to be avoided in routines. IDK, maybe OK for unlimited but the possibility of over stressing the airplane was generally great. Maybe not an issue for airplanes with high +&- g limits.

 

[Dana]

I like doing split Ss in the Hatz and do them all the time. It's draggy enough that I can do them from cruise speed with no worry about getting too fast.

 

[D.B. Cole]

Do you actually practice split Ss? It used to be something to be avoided in routines. IDK, maybe OK for unlimited but the possibility of over stressing the airplane was generally great. Maybe not an issue for airplanes with high +&- g limits.

Hey MajorT. We slowed down well below cruise before performing them such that the loading was similar to a loop entry or exit. In the 15 or so aerobatic flights I've taken, I would estimate without looking at my logbook that I've practiced them on about four flights.

 

[MajorTurbulence]

Hey MajorT. We slowed down well below cruise before performing them such that the loading was similar to a loop entry or exit. In the 15 or so aerobatic flights I've taken, I would estimate without looking at my logbook that I've practiced them on about four flights.

Years ago at my aerobatic school, if you exceeded certain G meter limits, there would be a penalty charge to cover the mandatory inspections. It went up depending on how badly you abused the aircraft. It forced you to be a better pilot and ham fisted maneuvers were not tolerated. At lower levels of pilot skill, the Split S was to be avoided because of the obvious dangers inherent in poor technique.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Split S was a required maneuver in the IAC 2022 Sportsman known sequence. So a whole lot of people practiced a whole lot of Split Esses last year.



Actually, to be technically correct, it was a 2/4 roll followed by a half loop down. That was a little trickier, because you could pick up extra speed in an aircraft with a slow roll rate, like an older Decathlon. I practiced that maneuver quite a bit to get where I could do it without backing off the throttle. I found the key was being aggressive in the pull. Load up the G's early, rather than letting speed build up. Too many pilots make the mistake of flying "gentle".