PROCEDURE
TURN
IDEAL LINE
Immelmann turnaround: two
steps and you’re done!
TOP VIEW
HALF LOOP
slightly reduce elevator input to float the
top of the loop. Then, a fraction before the
airplane reaches the top of the loop, quickly
return the elevator past neutral into a slight
push while simultaneously rolling upright.
PROPER EXECUTION
CUBAN-8: LOOPING OVER THE TOP
The 1⁄2 Cuban- 8 is one of the most frequently performed turnaround maneuvers
because it finishes close to the altitude and
on same line from where it was started. Performing a basic 1⁄2 Cuban turnaround is
similar to the Immelmann, except the elevator is held in a little longer past the top of
the loop to a 45-degree downline before
rolling upright. Developing the ability to
judge a precise 45-degree downline takes
practice. In the meantime, a simple
approach of neutralizing the elevator as
soon as you see the airplane fly over the top
of the loop works amazingly well to achieve
a ballpark 45 coming down. Make certain
you quickly return the elevator to neutral at
the instant that you see the airplane fly over
the top. If you attempt to finesse or
smoothly take out the elevator, you’ll most
likely overshoot the 45 and find yourself
rushing to recover. Also, make sure that you
apply full aileron when rolling upright to
complete the 1⁄2 roll quickly before it uses
up too much altitude and causes you to
rush the pullout.
The 1⁄2 Cuban should contain a line
before and after the 1⁄2 roll. During the early
stages, this is accomplished simply by pausing at neutral before and after the roll. You
can reinforce this by pacing the 45 with the
time it normally takes to say or think,
“Pause, roll upright, pause, pull out.” Most
importantly, the pauses at neutral before
and after the roll will help ensure that the
roll is axial and not barreled, as well as provide time to be certain that the wings are
level before pulling out.
FLOATING OVER THE TOP
As your skills increase, start reducing your
elevator input slightly at the 10 or 2 key
point to keep from pinching the top of the
loop. Floating the top of the Cuban not
only adds precision, but the float also buys
a little more height and therefore time to
apply additional precision to the 45-degree
downline. You can also buy some time on
the 45 by smoothly reducing the throttle to
Treat the Immelmann as two separate parts:
a 1⁄2 loop and then a 1⁄2 roll to upright, with a
return to neutral between them. The key to
performing a good Immelmann is a wings-level
entry to ensure that the loop tracks vertical.
