[Funboy]

These are principals that were shared with me by Mike Hurley many years ago, that have enabled me to learn 3D much faster then i ever could have without his help. Most of the guys on this site take this information for granted, but I thought I would post it here as a 3D/ orientation/ top rudder tutorial. Hopefully this helps some pilots to step up their game!

OK, here we go. The ultimate goal before trying this DOD is to practice until you reach a zen level or proficiency, where muscle memory, or reflex action takes the place of conscious thought. This is all pretty simple, but usually I would prefer a multi-media type presentation. Just knowing this will not help you in the air- it has to be practiced until muscle memory can start taking over. While we can think about what we are doing while flying, it really slows down reaction times. We want to reach a zen level of proficiency before we try this DOD! It can take hundreds of hours to master some of these concepts, so practice, practice, practice!

First we will start in a hovering position top facing us. Since we see the top of the airplane, we are going to FLY the TOP of the airplane- namely the cowling and spinner. The two stick movements we are going to focus on are rudder and elevator. Assuming you fly mode 2 like 99% of us do. OK since the top of the airplane is facing us this should be easy;

If we need to move the nose to the left, we simply apply left rudder by moving the rudder stick in the same direction the nose needs to move. If we need to move the nose right, we apply right rudder, moving the stick the same direction the nose needs to move. If we need to pull the nose closer to us we apply up elevator, pulling the stick closer to us; the same direction the nose needs to move. If the nose needs to move away from us we use down elevator, pushing the stick away from us, the same direction the nose needs to move.

The correlation between the stick movements and the aircraft's reactions should be pretty easy to relate to each other since this is an easy orientation that you have probably already mastered.

OK, now we are flying the belly or bottom of the airplane in a hovering position.

When seeing the top of the model, we fly the top(nose and spinner). When seeing the bottom of the model, we fly the bottom (the tail or horizontal stab).

When hovering belly in, we are looking at the bottom or the tail. IE, the horizontal stab. If we need to move the tail to the right, we move the rudder stick to the right, the same direction the airplane needs to move. If we need to move the tail to the left, we move the rudder stick to the left, the same direction the model needs to move. If we need to push the tail away from us we push down elevator, moving the elevator stick the same direction we want the tail to move. If we want the tail to come closer to us we use the elevator stick to pull it closer. As we have established, the stick moves in the same direction we want the bottom to move.

Try this on the sim before trying it in flight. I showed this trick to a friend and he wanted to try it right then- he took his Airfoilz foamy up and immediately crashed it. This orientation practice needs to be done on the sim to develop muscle memory before it is tried in the air with something of value. It takes time to re-train our brains.

Next, we are going to talk about Knife edge orientation.

Knife Edge flight is going to follow the same principals that we have learned in a hovering/ torque rolling position. This is all about rudder inputs, since the same push/pull principles still apply to the elevator.

To start out with, and you probably already know this, but I will repeat it for redundancy's sake. When rolling onto your side from an upright position, the aileron and rudder sticks need to go move in opposite directrions IE- roll to the left, give right rudder input. Roll to the right, and you need to give left rudder input to achieve knife edge flight. If you are inverted, and want to enter a knife edge you move the aileron and rudder sticks in the same direction; right aileron= right rudder. Left aileron=left rudder.

Ok, now lets say you find your model on its side. If you are looking at the top of the model, you fly the top wing. To achieve a knife edge, you always want the top wing to go back from the direction of flight. You need to move the rudder stick the same direction you want the top wing to go, back. As an example, if you are traveling from right to left, with the top of the airplane facing you, with the airplane is on it's left side, you want to apply right rudder, moving the rudder stick the same direction you want the top wing to go; towards the tail of the model. The same applies going left to right, looking at the top of the model, you want the top wing to go back, or move the rudder stick to the left.

Now, for belly in it is the same thing- with one important difference; we are now looking at the bottom of the model, so want the bottom wing to move forward to achieve a knife edge. So, when looking at the bottom, we fly the bottom wing. To do this we move the rudder stick towards the nose of the airplane, pushing the bottom wing forward, or in the same direction as forward flight.

Top: wing back, Bottom: wing forward. This is the mnemonic device I still use. Try this on the sim. I practiced alternating knife edge passes rolling from left to right, from upright or inverted. Then I used the elevator to push the tail away, or pull it closer.

Ok, not to do too much all at once, but we are going to talk about inverted rudder inputs.

Inverted harriers this time. I'm going to keep this super simple, as it really is.

If you are flying inverted and want to do a rudder turn, all you need to remember is to move the rudder stick in the same direction you want the closest part of the airplane to move. If you are inverted, coming directly toward yourself the nose is the closest part- so if you want the nose to move to the left, you move your rudder stick to the left. If you want it to move right, move the rudder stick to the right. If you are inverted making a pass from left to right, then the left wing tip should be closest to you. If you want to steer the model away from the runway, you want to move the rudder stick the same way you want that wing to move- the direction of flight, or to the right. If you are flying away from yourself, and want the model to turn to your left you fly the closest part to you- the tail. If you push the tail to the you right with the rudder stick the tail will move the same direction as the rudder stick movement.

This is a lot of information to assimilate all at once- so try it in small increments, bite-sized pieces. Take the time to verify what I have laid down on the sim and hopefully it will start to make sense in the real world. unfortunately it takes a lot of language to convey some very simple principles-

When looking at the top, fly the top. When looking at the bottom, fly the bottom. When inverted, making rudder turns, fly the part of the airplane that is closest to you.

I hope this helps- I've spent the last hour punching all this stuff into the keyboard!

[Votec Yak Guy]

This is great text book suggestions. Thanks for sharing. I would add that the goal is to get to a point where you are inputting control corrections without having to think about what direction to move the stick and this is what sims are great for.

If you have to think about what correction to input, its already too late.......

[Mithrandir]

"When in doubt... Left Rudder Out"

he he he he

[Bodywerks]

If you have to think about what correction to input, its already too late.......

Famous quote from Yuri Higuchi, I believe.
That is how I learned my rudder, but I didn't know who Mike Hurley was back then, and I don't own a flight simulator.

[Mithrandir]

I noticed once I was in close on the deck, I could see the flipper move, and sometimes I saw the incorrect motion of the flipper and fixed it before there was any real aircraft response to the wrong control!!

Another approach learning TR's for example.. is to give it what ever rudder you want, and if it is wrong, just be quick going the other way.....

But.. it has been my experiance, (Say in a TR) that you notice the plane is out of whack in yaw, but by the time you can make a correction, the correction is elevator, and you have learned to make the elevator correction rather then yaw (as it would be too late)..... I think that is why Anti-TR's are kinda hard.....

[Chris]

Great job Cody !!!!!!!!!!! I know this will help alot of people, aswell as myself!!!!!!
Thanks for taking the time.

[Funboy]

Originally Posted by Funboy

We want to reach a zen level of proficiency before we try this DOD!

What I should have said is this: "The ultimate goal before trying this DOD is to practice until you reach a zen level or proficiency, where muscle memory, or reflex action takes the place of conscious thought."

We all utilize trial and error in the real world to further our abilities. I have found that using a slightly more objective perspective helped me to minimize the number of aircraft I destroyed in the process of learning how to 3D!!! With simulator practice there is no reason someone could not practice the sim a few hours a night, grasp these concepts and learn to 3D a capable aircraft in a few months.

It's all rather elementary, but it took someone else to shine the light for me to grasp the constants. I thought I would pay it forward and pass it along.

And yes- Yuri had it right- if you have to think about it, it's already too late! The instant my reflexes and zen state fade (I lose orientation) I level the wings and re-set for another go.

Now go practice LOL!

Check this out- it's no flying circus, but they have a very interesting article on the front page called the nature of practice. It is very insightful, and shows us how to lay down new neural pathways. http://www.rc3daerobatics.com/2009/03/3d-aerobatics-and-the-nature-of-practice/

[crazyjoe]

Thats a lot of thinking Cody. Maybe you could just stand behind me and tell me what inputs to make.

[Funboy]

Lol you seem to have them down...


Tool!

[Buttface]

So ...did someone put a jinx on the "bottom rudder"....nobodys using bottom rudder these days?

Reminds me of the time I went out on a fishing pier in Cape Hatteras. Every one was fishing off the north side......Me lil' ol' Buttface standing there in confusion holding my poles says...did someone put a jinx on the South side? For some reason they thought that was hilarious. Superstition is a powerful thing I guess...