Doug?s Whatchamacallit?s?.

[Ironflight]

Straight an level gets boring after awhile – and especially so when you’re doing it with the autopilot flying on a long cross-country. I am realistic about it, and know that the autopilot can hold heading and altitude more accurately for a lot longer than I can, saving fuel and time in the process, so it gets to fly much of the time – and recently, long cross-countries have been my game. Houston to Virginia and back, out to California and back, then out to West Texas…..the Val was complaining that she needed to get upside down and stretch her legs a bit! And who was I to argue?

After seeing Louise safely off on her way back to Virginia this morning, I strapped in and took the bird up to work the kinks out. Did the normal stuff – loops and rolls, playing with variations on the rolls to stop and look at things directly underneath me. I was also playing with my new A-210, and had maintenance work to do, so I decided I’d do a short flight, and go back up in the evening.

The evening session, had me remembering what Doug wrote about the other day – pulling up to 45 degrees, rolling inverted, then letting the nose fall until 45 low before rolling back upright, keeping just a touch of positive G on to keep the oil where it belongs. I started playing with these and had a ball – we couldn’t get enough! Of course the fact that the air was smooth and cool, with the sun sinking low didn’t hurt….these machines are magical in ways other than pure transportation, after all….

I looked down from one of these little whatchamacallit’s, and saw a friend’s private strip that Louise and I had visited just the other day. A couple of great guys that we know (both RV’ers, so you know they’re good people…) purchased a Legend Cub earlier in the year, and like to make it available to folks who know how to fly rag-wing tail draggers… Louise hadn’t had a chance to go Cubbing before, so we took her -6 down and touched down lightly on the smooth turf runway, taxied up to the hangar and swapped stories while looking at airplanes for a little while before taking the big-winged wonder up for a little evening joy ride. The Legend is great – doors on BOTH sides make you feel like you’re really out in the breeze, and we floated along at a thousand feet, enjoying the first cool air of the season, the sun, and just being pilots in a great plane. So different from an RV, yet in enjoyment, so very much the same. (Louise looked out the side at 1200’ and said “You know, I’ve rappelled into pits deeper than we are high….yikes!)

After about a half hour, we wafted back down and I made one of those rare landings where I said “OK, I can’t do any better than that…we’re quitting with that one!” more hangar talk, and then climbing back into the -6 to once again feel the pure performance of an RV lifting off the grass in less than 500 feet. About the same distance as the Legend, but it climbed a whole lot faster….A few rolls on the way home (Hmm, my rolls to the right are better than to the left in the -6, opposite that of the -8….oh yeah, I’m flying with the other hand!!)

Aviation….slow, fast, experimental, LSA….what a great life!

Tomorrow…more Whatchamacallit’s….and maybe I’ll invent my own kind of Thingamajig!

Paul

[Jaypratt]

Paul,

I looked up your name in the dictionary and it read inspiration after your name.
Every one say a prayer for Steve Fromhals. Hoping for a speedy recovery.

Thanks

[RV7Guy]

Well, the figure you did doesn't really have a name but the IAC description would be:

Pull to a 45 up line, 1/2 roll, pull to 5/8 inside loop.

I can't get my graphics thingy working this morning to get the figure posted. In competition the key is centering the roll element in the up line.
It is often used as a turnaround figure.

Another fun one is to start the same way with a 45 up line, then do a half roll to inverted, then another half roll to upright, drive up up then do a minor "push" to level flight.

THEN, reverse all of the above. Pull to a 5/8 inside loop, establish a 45 degree downline, half roll to upright, drive the down line, level. Someone would call this a half Cuban eight. IAC doesn't name the figures however.

Good fun. Gotta work today or I'd be out there!!!!!

[Tom Navar]

Well, Paul, therein the reason why I became so enamoured of the Pitts. There is something about seeing the world from the inverted position that somehow erases all of its worries and preoccupations. From what you write, you are well into the sportsman sequences, and it won't surprise me one bit when you set up a local IAC chapter, to include an official box. The Secretary of the IAC happens to live nearby, and we are looking to setting one up at 5T6, home of LOA. Perhaps you could check it out next year.... Once you start competing, the needle will be deep into the vein.
I was sorry to have missed you after LOE here at Cielo Dorado, but duty called.

Tom
RV-8 QB
(hanging flaps)

[Tom Navar]

BTW, In recent IAC publications, the IAC makes mention of the huge RV population, as compared to the relatively smaller present IAC membership. It seems that they would more than welcome the RV'rs into their ranks. Check out their website... great articles on technique, safety, parachutes, aircraft, etc.
TN

[jdmunzell]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

...Tomorrow?more Whatchamacallit?s?.and maybe I?ll invent my own kind of Thingamajig!

Paul

Paul, I think the "technical" term for your Whatchamacallit's is actually Wifferdoodles (or Wifferdiddles in some circles). ....or at least that's what I've been led to believe. ...probably buried somewhere in the FARs..

[dan]

Originally Posted by RV7Guy

Pull to a 45 up line, 1/2 roll, pull to 5/8 inside loop.

Sounds like a reverse half cuban to me!

[Ironflight]

Well, it would be if I pulled all the way around after rolling inverted - in this case, when I'm 45 low, I just roll upright....I guess if I went zero-G, it would just be a Weightless Wonder parabola, but inverted over the top.....

Ah...lots of fun !

[BuckWynd]

Doug and Paul,

I think you could get away with calling it a Two-Point Extended Hesitation Roll. Unless, of course, you "unwind" it by rolling upright the opposite direction from the first half. Then, you could call it whatever you want. (A "Reeves Roll"?)

They are a lot of fun.

[Robert M]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

The evening session, had me remembering what Doug wrote about the other day ? pulling up to 45 degrees, rolling inverted, then letting the nose fall until 45 low before rolling back upright, keeping just a touch of positive G on to keep the oil where it belongs. I started playing with these and had a ball ? we couldn?t get enough! Of course the fact that the air was smooth and cool, with the sun sinking low didn?t hurt?.these machines are magical in ways other than pure transportation, after all?.

Paul

This almost sounds like a Cobra roll. Anyone else heard of this maneuver? Pull to the 45, half roll to invert, pull 90 over the top to down 45, half roll back to up right, then back to level flight.