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Friday, January 2, 2009

The Torque Roll

What it is
Plane "Hovers" vertically in place, rotating left around its roll axis.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D throws in elevator and rudder are a must. An aft CG helps a little also. Some flyers will run their CG back to make this maneuver easier, however a plane that is balanced will Torque Roll just as good as one that is tail heavy. It all about getting the plane in the sweet spot. Once you get the plane completely vertical it become very easy. That is the hardest part is recognizing the true vertical plane. The pros will also tell you to add 3/4 degree of up thrust to your engine. This helps keep your plane from falling forward in the Torque Roll, and it'll fly straighter up lines in non-3D maneuvers, too.

How to do it
The easiest way to learn is to start by learning the "Elevator" and then the "Harrier". After you have mastered this it is an easy transition to the Hover. Once you can "Hover" then "Torque Rolling" is the next step. As your plane descends in an "Elevator" start adding power as your near the ground this will transition you into a Harrier. All you have to do from here is give a short burst of power and your plane should stand up vertically. Adjust throttle to keep the nose pointed up and make corrections with rudder and elevator to keep things straight. One thing to remember is that most planes want to fall off to the left and toward the landing gear. (Tip: Most of the inputs that you give are up elevator and right rudder.) The throttle curve is key for this maneuver. Set your ATV or Travel to the maximum %. You will then need to find a servo arm that enables you to open and close the carburetor completely without backing down your travel. This is getting your throttle mechanically perfect as you can get it. The next step is setting up your throttle curve. This takes a little time and patience but it is well worth the time and effort. The key is that once you find the stick position that the plane will hover, you want to set your curve so that your are hovering when the throttle stick is at half throttle. You adjust your curve from there as needed to barley let the plane climb or decent with one click up or down on the throttle. This really keeps you from fighting with the throttle and lets you focus on controlling the plane.

Trickiest Part
Recognizing your correction when the plane's belly is toward you. (Tip: Think push the rudder toward the low wing when the belly is toward you.) You have to be fast with throttle corrections. Most flyers add "bursts" of power, along with rudder/elevator corrections. If you simply hold full throttle, you'll climb out of the maneuver. One of the most common mistakes is giving wrong rudder inputs when the plane is belly in.

Recovery
Fly out at full throttle.

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