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Aerobatics

General

Think your way through each maneuver before performing it. During the maneuver, think ahead - stay ahead of the airplane. Be alert to any hazardous condition that may develop and know how to get out of it safely.

Many maneuvers can be performed with a variety of conditions. In order to learn the skills better, start with a consistent approach - entry, performance, and completion of the maneuver. Always perform it this way until you are proficient in it; then broaden your horizon to look at other entry and/or performance variations.

Aerobatics are VFR maneuvers! Do them with outside references. Be precise, but don't expect IFR precision. Occasionally, turn the flight director system off (front cockpit on left console) and do the aerobatics totally VFR with neither ADI nor HSI operating.

Always be clearing for other airplanes. Some maneuvers are inherently self-clearing if you are properly flying them VFR (e.g. Lazy 8); others require special efforts to look where you are about to go.

As you enter each maneuver, have all of your visual reference points already chosen and know when and how you will use them. Don't count on selecting them "on the fly" as you need them; a little delay can put you behind the airplane and a lousy maneuver will result.

Think about what the maneuver will look like - both to you in your moving reference frame and to an observer on the ground. Often they will appear differently to an observer than to you. You'll need to understand both to know what the airplane is doing and what you need to do.

These are written for you, now. I assume considerably more proficiency and airplane knowledge on your part than the USAF Training Command rules do. Be careful, be alert! As you get more proficient modify the rules, setups, performances, etc.

Always plan ahead and know what you intend to do after the maneuver. Try to exit one maneuver and go right into the entry of the next one. Remember, aerobatics is essentially a continuous conversion of kinetic energy to potential energy to kinetic energy, etc. Some maneuvers start with high kinetic & end with high potential energy (e.g. Immelmann); some start with potential & end with kinetic (e.g. Split S); others end as they started. Keep all this in mind and fly a well coordinated sequence or aerobatics maneuvers, using wifferdills where necessary. HAVE FUN!