Watching extreme aerobatics at the field performed by accomplished MaR/C 3D flyers is always a pleasure. But it can also be intimidating, even discouraging. The maneuvers seem so crazy they are out of reach to the majority of us. You might think there must be computers involved. That new AI stuff perhaps. Or maybe black magic. But pilot Ken Threedee says no, it just comes down to practice. Practice, practice, and a little extra practice.
Also, he says, you need to keep your focus on some fundamentals, especially when you try your first, oh, inverted flat spin. These are an airplane’s four fundamental controls: elevator, rudder, ailerons, and throttle. When you see these guys at the field throwing their planes around the sky, twisting and spiraling tail over prop inches from the ground, everything stems from those four inputs; they’re all they have. Ken says you must remember that each control only and always performs its one crucial function. The rudder turns the plane laterally around its vertical axis. It doesn’t change its direction. Ailerons do the same, around the plane’s front-back axis. They don’t change its direction. The elevator, around the wing tip to tip axis. It doesn’t…well, you get the idea. Finally, the throttle makes the plane go forward.
You already knew all that, right? But when you see those complex 3D patterns you forget what you know, throw up your hands and return to the whole black magic thing. But Ken’s point is, remember that even the most complex sequence of patterns, the most violent change in speed or direction, can only be performed by setting up combinations of those four, simple, single-purpose controls. He refers to those controls being used to “add energy”. For example, energy imparted by a little more throttle and a touch of opposite aileron that converts that inverted flat spin from a graceful if unremarkable descent, into wild tail-out commotion.
Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
— Steve Jobs
So next time you’re at the field taking a break and watching Ken defy gravity and whatever it is that holds his planes together, think about how even when things seem most mind-bogglingly complex he’s only using those simple controls to rotate the plane around each axis x, y, and z – combined with more or less throttle. That’s how you can begin to understand what you’re seeing, and build your own collection of 3D skills.
And that’s all there is to it.
Oh I really like this one. I’m heading over to the MaR/C site to signup for training TODAY!
Here’s a related post from Wargo that points out the connection between the control surfaces – how the elevator becomes the rudder to correct yaw as you roll into a knife edge. Very interesting and great to try out in the simulator with the graphics slowed down a little!
https://youtu.be/2F-pMhnQ4RQ?si=EZrCKROClGgb7Sgp&t=255