Unlimited Aerobatics

Some time ago I wrote about the aerobatic competition categories, as they are in Australia, and the key changes from lower to the next.  I stopped at Advanced, as that was where I was then.   It was early days Advanced also, now I'm in a similar position with Unlimited.   Probably presumptious of me to write anything with any credence!   But, then it is the person starting out and feeling there way that crave information and may glean something here they can apply.  The experienced Unlimited pilot doesn't have to agree with my observations, and would have discovered his/her own methods.   I'd love to hear from some of them and milk their experience, it would save me many dead ends I am sure.   I joked to Paul at the Boot Camp, that once you get to ADV/UNL level, all assistance stops!

What do you need to learn going from Advanced to Unlimited?  The key new figures are:  Negative flicks/snaps, tailslides, and inside/outside rollers.   Not much huh?   Excepte that all the rolls, all the flicks, can occur on all the lines, i.e. up, down, 45's.   And every roller in the book seems fair game.

First the rollers:    You can practice these anytime, at any level.   Have a crack.  They shouldn't hurt and practice plus technique will make them better.  Technique?   Lead with rudder and get the first 20 degrees or so cheap.   Keep the nose above the horizon, don't let it slide down as it will be very hard to recover.   The nose actually bobs up and down in a rhythm when you get it right, not stay on, and roll, around the horizon.  Sacrilege you say?  Well, each to their own, but I challenge you to fly a 180 one roll roller without lifting the nose.   Done nicely you won't be running out of rudder.

Negative Flicks:   Like diving off the high board for the first time, you just have to do it at some point.   Start gentle from an inverted  45 up line.   Get the 'hang' of it, as at first it feels strange hanging in the straps looking out as you get flung around!   Cool!   Then try from level inverted at low speed.   Try different feet - I like left footers, but others like right.   To me they go in easier with left foot.  This isn't ideal, as you will get more diversion from the flight path and larger cone angle with left foot (like for right foot upright snaps).  And, as for 3/4 down snaps in Advanced, you need 3/4 up and down, with either foot, in Unlimited!   My current project is right foot neg snaps, I've got them biting, but the exits are untidy.   The picture just looks different.

It may be my aircraft, but I seem to get more 'feel' in the neg snaps.   You pitch, then feed in rudder, and at a point you feel it break into autorotation, then you can unload and it accelerates.   The pos snaps seem more graunchy in comparison.   Possibly my wimpy push prevents 'burying it' as I tend to do for pos snaps.

Tailslides:  Mmmmm.   Hard for me to give advice, as mine are terribly unreliable still.    Cheat is all I can say, and cop the downgrade.   It sounds obvious, but a well set, stable vertical is very important, then try and centralise rudders (hard to do), and watch your tell-tail for the slide, then stick forward or back, as required.   Aggressive (as in ALL) rudder on the low wing side can sometimes salvage a poorly set vertical.

And what to do when it all goes wrong when flicking or sliding?    Power - IDLE, Controls - CENTRALISE (both hands), and wait for god's g to take over, then recover.   This will only work if you have enough altitude, obviously.  Don't say I didn't tell you so, Captain.

So that's it.  Go out and cut sick.  Once all that is working to some degree, you need to try it in a sequence, in a box, for judges.    That's where some extra techniques to make life easier may come in handy.   I called them 'cheats' in an interview recently, and that hasn't gone down so well.   So we'll stick to 'skills and techniques', with 'cheating the wind' being just that.

Thanks to my friend (as in FB), Thierry, for the video.

WAC Day 0

Wended my way down to Foligno Aeroporto this morning to catch up with the guys. Both Rich and Paul flew early in the box - the first time they had while still cool. Both looked comfortable and flew well. The 300S with 4-blade prop isn't as fast as Paul's but seems to hang on and accelerate from slow speeds better. The different spades means aileron feel is different also - a case of adapting it seems. The South African's said the same regarding flying Rob Holland's MXS vs. their MX2's.
Needless to say there is an enviable collection of hardware parked about: several 330SC, an LT, a couple of CAPs and a surprising number of Sbach, as well as the Sukhoi variations.
Watched a little flying apart from our guys, and the difference from the top to the rest is apparent. Very interesting to see how some do their thing.
Lodged the Free and registered. Met quite a few people, most very friendly, all focussed on getting organised and enjoying the event. Pilot briefing at 1630 and then opening ceremony at 2000 tonight.

WAC Training Terni

I'm still on the Grand Tour of Italy, but have been in contact with Paul and Richard

via text and skype this morning.

Temperatures in Italy have been pretty warm, with 38-40C in Rome and the lowland

areas. Hopefully it will be cooler north at Foligno for the comp.   Weather has been

fantastic though, with very little cloud and light winds only.

The Team is flying regularly and yesterday had a practice in the  competition box at

Foligno.   Word is the box layout is OK from an orientation viewpoint.   The training

airfield,Terni, is a tight runway and the surrounds are very hilly with few good

horizons.   The rented Extra is running OK, but doesn't seem to have the performance

of Paul's 300S.  The 4 blade prop and small spades make it handle and accelerate

differently, but the boys are adapting and compensating. The US Team and the South

Africans are also at Terni, and Rich and Paul have been assisting in some of their

maintenance issues.   Generally a good bunch, with Rob Holland showing the way in

freestyle mode flying his MXS-RH.   The SA Team, sharing the MXS-RH, have strugggled

a little with the aft CG Rob has set up. Today's plan was another run in the Foligno

box, and general airwork.

The Russians have had some technical issues which grounded them, thus freeing up box

slots.   Rumour has it that the French were grounded after upsetting the locals at

their training field. Training will continue until Wednesday, with the opening

ceremony that night, competition starting the next day. Be sure to follow this blog,

as the primary means of communication, with key info being repeated on the AAC FB

page and AAC website.

Looking forward to it!

WAC 2011 Foligno, Italy

I ducked down to Tocumwal, the training site for our Team, last Tuesday. It is a great flying location with Lee Gordon-Brown's beaut hangar made available, a box marked on the airfield, and little traffic. The crossed runways, 09/27 and 18/36, might be taking it too far in the easy direction though!

Paul's Asset Insure Extra 300S hasn't missed a beat during training and was neat and shiny. Coincidentally, the 300S the boys are using in Italy is only one serial number different, so hopefully it will fly the same.
As it was the first day back after a few days off, Paul and Richard began by flying the Q. Certainly both looked sharp and the intensive training with critique and video assistance has paid dividends. After lunch at the local bakery it was Free time, with some further tweaks to the sequence being tried out.

An unfortunate occurrrence due to the regular training at Toc were a couple of noise complaints - considering most days were ony 4 flights of 15 minutes each or so, everyone was a little surprised! Most satisfying was that many other locals came out in strong support for us. In fact, one lady started a petition and walked the streets doorknocking for signatures! Thanks Tracy. We handed the petition to the Berrigan Shire Councillors the next day as part of our, or more correctly Paul's, address to them on the activities. We showed them a cockpit video and explained some of what we are about, and they expressed support provided there weren't any legal ramifications from the EPA.

Rain moved in on Tuesday night, and Wednesday was unflyable. After the obligatory several coffee's, council meeting and visit to the bakery, Paul departed for Melbourne to fly out on Friday. Rich and I held until 1430, and when there was no chance of me flying out for home he offerred to drive via my place to Sydney. Thanks a lot Rich.

So now we soon depart for the 26th WAC at Foligno, keen to experience this great sport at the highest level. It will be a great learning experience to see the best aerobatic pilots doing their thing!


Check out the boys on the WIN news WIN, and Paul pushing his way around an Unknown UNK .

Make this your homepage for the duration of the Championships, and follow the action.

The Plan

I’ve had a few enquiries about where the new (2011/12) Known sequences are for Graduate, Sportsman and Intermediate grades. I’ve talked this through with many people, so sort of assumed everyone knew of our plans. Obviously not, as I’ve been reminded, so this is as good a time as any to describe the new annual workcycle and other changes we are making to the Club, and why.

The annual programme is the first item to tackle. A Cohesive Competition Season is the aim, so the new competition season will run as follows:

Feb/Mar – Victorian Championships

April – NSW Championships

June – QLD Championships

Sep – SA Championships

Oct/Nov - Australian Championships

Why? Because people tend to think and plan in calendar years. Think New Year’s Resolutions etc. With a competition season that starts in Jan/Feb with the Vic Champs and finishes in Oct/Nov with the Nationals, our season is well defined annually and something members can commit to for each year.

Skills can be refined through the competition year with the objective of peaking for the Nationals. This applies to both pilots and ground staff. This altered season also ties in nicely with the international schedule. After our Nationals an Australian Team will have 8 months to train, organise a coach, sponsorship, find or ship aircraft etc. prior to the relevant World Championships.

Rules: The CIVA rules are amended at the end of the year. We (the AAC) also usually amend our rules at this time. So now we will have a series of State Championships to learn, apply, and bed-down any new changes before the Nationals. This will remove a lot of the pressure of getting judges up to speed with recent changes and having the Nationals bearing down on us. (Note: we are currently doing a major revision of the AAC Regulations for release in 2012, until then 2010 Regs will be used with Supplementary Rules as appropriate).

Sequences: CIVA issues the new ‘Q’ sequences at the same time as the amended rules, for Advanced and Unlimited. We can now do the same – Known sequences will come out with the amended AAC Rules, and we’ll fly the same sequences all through the calendar year. Also, to eliminate committee time spent on Known sequence discussions, and to negate accusations of bracket-creep (either up or down), we will rotate Knowns from a pool of past-flown sequences. (Note: We will continue to fly 2010 Knowns for the rest of this year).

Other Embellishments

Presentation Dinner: This will be held after the Nationals, as usual, and can now be a celebration of the whole competition year. The Australian Team can be announced, the location of the next Nationals, and of course the hardware handed out. A true occasion.

Yearbook/Magazine: To complement the year’s activities an annual yearbook-style magazine can be produced. Complete results for all the domestic competitions as well as Team results from overseas, along with articles and pictures, to serve as a historical document of the Club’s activities complementing the website. Publish it for release and sale at the Showcase - see below.

Public Showcase: Competition aerobatics lacks public exposure – fact. Many beers have been drunk while discussing this topic. I don’t think it can be changed, and don’t think it needs to. Maybe I’ll write my views on this later. For now though, let’s envisage a day where we showcase the Australian Aerobatic Team to the public, media and potential sponsors (when - Australia Day?). An Australian Team going to a World Championship hopefully has some pull and we can use it to fundraise and gain a little exposure that we can leverage into a little sponsorship.

Annual General Meeting: Traditionally has been held at Easter prior to the Nationals, and should be held within 3 months of the end of our financial year (Dec 31). I suggest it now be held along with the Showcase. Get the new Committee on deck early in the year so they have time to plan following events, particularly the Nationals.

Something to chew on.

Some Thoughts

Since taking the reins of the AAC the new Committee has decided on many things that will alter the way we do things. You may ask, 'what is their motivation?'

Our simple objective is to increase the participation rate in the Club, and grow the sport of aerobatics in this country. To this end we must keep trying to remove impediments to people joining the Club and being active. Along with attracting new members, we must make participating in Club activities a desirable thing for people to do. Only through increasing the membership and the participation rate of all members can we hope to address the recurring issue of lack of Judges and skilled ground staff at Club events. Chugging along as we have been doing won’t change things, no matter what we write in the rulebook. Same as ‘doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result’ story.

I am also fully aware that the Club runs on volunteer labour. You can’t demand things, and people only have so much spare time and energy they can contribute to the Club. Eventually everyone’s enthusiasm wanes and/or other activities in their life take priority. This is normal and nothing to be ashamed of – life happens whether you are ready or not.

Therefore, as a Club, we must utilise people effectively while they are enthused, and value their contribution. Simply, we must be efficient in how we employ people so that goals are achieved while the enthusiasm lasts. If people feel they have achieved something, then they are more likely to stay involved longer. If we burn people out and squander their enthusiasm without any gain, then they leave deflated and with no sense of accomplishment or reward. To be efficient we must simplify some things, shorten the process, spread the load, so that the objective is reached with VFR reserves still in the tank.

Everything we do I test against that objective - enthuse people, increase participation, remove impediments, simplify, progress.

So, the secret is out. World domination didn't make the final list (maybe next year....)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

The Giles G-200 was going well last year. No squawks, all sorted, going really well. I flew the NSW Champs at Temora and immediately afterward went to Tamworth and got my Unlimited LLP with the CASA-man. Full steam ahead for a solid summer of training with a view of maybe moving up to Unlimited in 2011.

But, the A$ was so strong - what could I buy? I HAD to take advantage of it. So I ordered a Sky-Dynamics sump, cold air intake and 4-1 exhaust. I didn't NEED any of this, the 'plane had more performance than I could currently use, my only concern on occasion was oil pressure drops. Regardless, off went the money and in due course it all arrived. Merry Xmas to me..
In between harvest and New Year I fitted it all up, changing some cable runs and oil cooler hoses etc, all with the goal of less weight and less complexity. I was really happy with the finished job - neat, sanitary, light and simple! There was only one problem - it ran like crap. Rough, some cylinders lean, some rich. At WOT it felt like two cylinders dropped out altogether. Horrible it was, really bad. And it was hotter. Oil temps had always been marginal, now they were over redline after a sequence on a warm day.

I tried to sort the problems, but nothing really helped. I suspect oil temps were up due to the loss of cooling from the fuel/air mixture going through the sump, and maybe a hot cylinder or two.
The cold-air intake with no plenum, no heat from the oil and sharp bends to the intake tubes just would not play nicely with the Ellison TBI I'd used with success up to then.
So what do I do now? Put it back to original? I'd trashed my old inverted oil lines to make the new ones. I'd spent the money....and the exchange rate is so good, right? So.........
I investigated fuel injection options and ordered an Airflow-Performance FM-150. Delivery will be six weeks....what! So much for Summer training.

Eventually it arrived, after only three weeks, and I started installation. Not as straghtforward as you would like. Due to the previous mixture conniptions, I'd bought and installed a 4-channell EGT gauge. I also had to change the low-pressure electric boost pump (Facet - simple cheap type) for a high-pressure one (Weldon - heavy, dear). Luckily I had the old one that was in the airframe when I bought it. The engine driven fuel pump also needed changing for a high-pressure type. More $$ and a bastard to change with the engine on.
And, surprisingly (or maybe not, it is an aircraft after all...) the servo orientation was limited by the Sky-Dynamics intake support struts, making the throttle and mixture cable runs more difficult, and putting the fuel supply and outlet ports in less-than-optimum positions. I thought being in neighbouring US States and this being a 'typical' acro combination, it would fit up sensibly.
Solution - simple, drive to Sydney (400km one way) and purchase special hose fittings to do what I needed.

Finally it is all on, and ground runs are complete. Seems to run OK. Not as tidy an install as the Ellison, and substantially heavier. I haven't weighed it yet, but it won't be sub-900lb as it was before. And the CG will be further forward.
So for my $X,0000 I got a heavier, less balanced aircraft! Maybe, hopefully, I gained a few HP and guaranteed oil pressure in all attitudes.

Somehow, I think my $$ would have been better spent on avgas. So, next time - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Postscript: So far two test flights and some gentle aeros. The A-P FI is doing as it should, only the idle needs adjusting up a little. EGT's mid 1200's at WOT leaning to mid-1400's before power goes down (my probes are 6-7" from exhaust flange). 25-30F max. EGT spread most of the time. The trim has changed, as expected. Time to boogie!

More photos from Temora

Michael Greig, new owner of this Giles 202, has only a few hours in this aeroplane and is already competing in Sportsman with a very decent first-time result!
Morning brief!
Guy Hanby competed in KGZ (Laser):
Starter, Cam McDonald did a great job of getting competitors on the starting line:

Pics from Day 1 of 2009 NSW Aerobatic Championship, Temora NSW

Joel Haski and XRB (Extra 200) - flown in Advanced by both Joel Haski and Laurent Lamy:Glenn Graham and Paul Bennet competed in Unlimited in IPB (Pitts S-1S):
Richard Wiltshire competed in Unlimited in his DR-107 :
Mark McNichol from NSW competed in his Edge 540S in Sportsman (leading at last count!):
Paul Monoghan's YMP (Pitts S-1S) competing in Sportsman:

Results to date

Lack of available manpower has meant we can't seem to get time to blog! The Aussie Aviator has been updating the results in live from Temora today - check it out here!

Where to Begin Part IV - Advanced

Advanced

The steps between grades do not get any smaller. Advanced is a big step and should not be taken lightly. A lot of preparation can and should be done while still competing at Intermediate level. This will help your Intermediate flying immensely, and lessen the (di)stress when you do decide to enter your first Advanced competition.

New figures you will need to master are: vertical down positive full and partial flicks, partial positive flicks on level and +/-45 degree lines, rolling circles (upright, inverted, inwards and outwards), inverted spins (both clockwise and counterclockwise, as viewed from above) and opposite rolls on all lines.

Oh, and a lot more pushing. Lots and lots. And then some more. A good thing to do at this stage is to fly some simple inverted stalls and reinforce in your brain exactly where the inverted stall stick position is. When you find yourself pushing out of a figure a little below your comfort altitude, you don’t want to be wondering where the inverted stall stick position is. The last thing your confidence needs at this stage is a high-speed negative flick on a down-line at low altitude. We’re not up to that part yet.

You will need to get comfortable pushing around and out of figures, and this takes time to adjust to. Talk to people, do some research, and make a plan on how you are going to approach it. Self-assess your physiological condition after negative g practice and pace your work-up based on how you feel and the signs your body gives you. When you find yourself wanting a better g meter that goes past negative 5, you’re making progress!

CIVA Section 6 will be mandatory reading – but you won’t mind (how weird are you?) and you will find an extensive list of permitted Unknown figures, and their combinations, to practice. You’ll find it hard to make petty conversation at dinner parties, and will be prone to start rap-miming pull-push-push humpties with ¾ snap down onto the b-axis while standing in queues.

Your Box-Craft and ability to handle wind in the box will need to be first-class in Advanced. Wind correction and positioning should start to become second-nature and all brain cells will need to be on duty to keep orientation, presentation and figures tidy while pushing lots of g.

Good luck! And keep smiling.

Where to Begin Part III - Intermediate

Intermediate

Life starts to become a lot more interesting in Intermediate. You will need a more capable aircraft than what you may have learnt in, unless you really like to punish your mount or are already suitably equipped! You will also need to get a Low Level Permission to 1000ft AGL as the lower level for Intermediate is 1200ft.

Intermediate is a big step and should be approached methodically considering all the changes: possible new aircraft, new lower limit, new figures and coping with an Unknown sequence as well! You don’t want to max yourself out to the point safety is compromised.

Specific new figures you will have to fly are positive flicks on horizontal and +/-45 degree lines, and sustained inverted flight including inverted steep turns, and even a rolling turn on occasion. Your training sessions will have to include the Known (as it is scored in competiton, unlike in Advanced and Unlimited) and your Free sequence, as well as the permitted Unknown figures in Appendix 3 of the AAC Rule book. This is a high workload after the relative ease of Sportsman.

Once you have your head, hands and feet around most of the Intermediate stuff, it is a good time to get some extra aerobatic tuition and get signed up for inverted spinning, if you haven't already. This will give you more confidence inverted and allow you to safely start practice on some Advanced manoeuvres, lessening the step when/if you decide to move up a grade. About now you also want to start playing around with those dastardly rolling turns....

Advanced next week.

Cowra 9th August.

Beautiful weather, again, at Cowra. The aeroclub had a flying day on as well, so there were aircraft coming and going all day. Colin and I both got good training flights in, with Reggae on the radio. Some more locals also had joyflights with Colin. The BBQ was on max burner for lunch with some excellent egg and bacon rolls served up. One chap thought they were so good he had a second chew on one in the front of Colin's Extra.....

The flight home was memorable with smooth air and the low sun casting our shadows onto the wing, which Langdon used to advantage by making a dog, chicken and waterhorse silhouettes!! Excellent.

Our next weekend is the 12-13th September. We'll be having a judging seminar Saturday evening over pizza and beer (or wine, your choice).

So, you want to be an aerobatic pilot....,

Over the next few weeks I'll be adding information relevant to aerobatics pilots, judges, and others interested in the sport. The best place to start is usually at the beginning, so off we go!

The Beginning

Like many other beginners, you probably aren’t quite sure how to go about getting involved in competition aerobatics. But, like most sports, the first thing to do is join your local club ( nsw.aerobatics.asn.au ) where you will find many like-minded people who can point you in the right direction.

The first step, if you already have a pilot licence, is to get an aerobatic endorsement. Flying schools that can do this are listed on the contacts page of our website. The syllabus and aircraft type may vary between schools, but as a minimum you will need to be able to fly the basic aerobatic manoeuvres: barrel roll, loop, slow roll, roll of the top and stall turn. You will also need a spinning endorsement, which most schools should include in their aerobatic syllabus.

Some Furphy’s you may hear:

1. ‘You need a parachute to fly aerobatics.’ This furphy arose because in the USA the International Aerobatic Club requires a parachute to be worn in their competitions (IAC also require a secondary lap belt or restraint, which is the source of the double harnesses now commonplace), and the US FAA requires parachutes when doing aerobatics dual. In Australia it is not mandatory to wear a parachute while flying aerobatics. However, some aircraft flight manuals specify that a parachute is mandatory in the aircraft (eg. Extra), so check for your aircraft type. If you want to wear one, that’s fine, but it is a personal choice.

2. ‘You need a Low Level Waiver/Permission to compete.’ No, in the lower grades (up to Sportsman) you can come along and fly above 3000ft AGL without a problem. Once involved in the sport you can then decide if you wish to progress to lower altitudes and higher grades. CASA Delegates able to issue low level aerobatic permissions are listed on our website also.

3. ‘It costs a lot to join the AAC and there aren’t many competitions.’ This was true once, but now you can elect to join only your local State Club and only pay their membership fee ($38 p.a. in NSW). This will allow you to fly in all NSW Club Training Days, Club Competitions and the annual State Championship. Check the calendar on the website, but we have something on every month except Dec/Jan . So you can get value for money and not have to travel interstate.

4. ‘I need a specialist aerobatic aircraft.’ You will need an aircraft that is approved for aerobatics, true, but any aerobatic training aircraft can be flown competitively up to and including Sportsman category. Intermediate category is where basic aerobatic aircraft start to become limiting. You don’t even need inverted fuel and oil systems in the lower grades (Entry, Graduate, Sportsman). Victa, Citabria, Aerobat, Tiger Moth, Tipsy Nipper, Robin/Alpha, Stampe, Skybolt, RV-4/6/7/8, T-18, Cassutt, Corby Starlet, Sonerai – and many more, can get you into the sport at an affordable price.

So give it some thought and make some enquiries. Next time we'll look at the competition categories.

Don't forget our next training weekend is the 8-9th August at Cowra.

Cowra 11-12 July

A good turnout this weekend with ~15 people and 4 aircraft attending. A big thankyou to Colin, Reggae and the others who got the box markers out Friday arvo. Perfect weather saturday for flying and much was achieved. A blazing fire and BBQ under the night sky, and a few quiet ales, made for an equally satisfying evening.

Sunday dawned cooler with some scuddy showers but improved as the morning went on. More flying and positive comment that it was much better to practice overhead an airfield and be able to get immediate feedback. One comment was that it was much easier to concentrate on flying than when scanning for traffic in the Sydney training area - how true.

Thanks again to the aeroclub for opening their doors for us. Our next weekend is the 8-9 August.

NSW Training Weekend at Cowra

Well, here it is, the inaugaural blog! We'll try and give regular updates and keep you informd of what is going on in the (small) world of aerobatics in NSW and Australia.

While we advertised this training weekend at Cowra, in the end only Colin Appleton (club Treasurer) and myself (President) and Scott (student from Red Baron) made it. Colin busied himself with practising Advanced figures in the Extra 300, and exposing Scott and some of the locals to high performance aerobatics. Needles to say, all were amazed at what a specialist aerobatic aircraft can do! I arrived on Sunday morning and took the RV back up for some gentleman aeros as I surveyed potential box positioning. Much different to acro in the Giles, it is incredible what you get used to. Then I gave critique for Colin as he worked on the recalcitrant rolling circle manoeuvre. I think we made good progress. Outside rollers next time Colin.....I also took the Extra up for a run, and struggled through the Advanced Q. Again, it wasn't quite like the Giles - I've been spoilt I fear.

The locals made us very welcome. Glen from the aero club was most helpful, as was Paul Goard. We also met Bernie, the local CFI and still actively instructing at 83!! We look forward to working closely with them in the future.

The next training weekend is scheduled for 11-12 July. That's two months away, due to the Queensland Championships being held over the June long weekend. We intend having some box markers out then and minibus transport available. Check back for more info closer to the date.