Control Line: Aerobatics
Wynn Paul
A request has been received from Pete Crevier, Burlington, VT, for information regarding the correct methods to perform the reverse wing-over and the overhead eight. Pete states that for the wing-over he "stands in one position with my legs firm and slightly apart during the whole maneuver until immediately after the final upright pullout, at which time I pivot to the left on my left foot. My start is facing 90 degrees ahead of the model looking 90 degrees to the right in the direction of my arm extension. My arm motion follows the model with twisting at the waist to accomplish this."
The first thing to check is the wind direction. Learn to feel it on the back of your neck and your ears. Not all of us can smoke a pipe like Gieseke or carry talc in a squeeze bottle like some of the Europeans. You can also:
- Watch the trees.
- Look at a flag.
- Observe smoke.
Remember that where a building, group of trees, or high fence is near the circle you will probably get "different air" up at the top than down at the six-foot level. Establish the wind direction before you even start the engine. Then check it again as you pick up the handle; however, as Steve Wooley once said, "Don't throw grass, that looks bush league."
Unfortunately, the writer is left-handed, so some of the descriptions here may be biased toward that style of flying. There are probably two major stances to assume when going into the wing-over: face directly upwind, or face crosswind. The choice is up to the flier — use whichever feels more comfortable.
If you are facing upwind, you will probably have to pivot either your upper body or your whole body as the airplane goes over the top. You should give the "up" control to initiate the first wing-over directly upwind, so that the wind helps the plane over the top. The only way to tell if the plane goes directly over the top is to have someone spot for you. It is impossible to tell from inside the circle whether it is straight up or canted to one side.
One of the most frequent and serious mistakes is to overshoot or undershoot the spot of vertical flight when entering the reverse part of the wing-over. You have to spot something outside the circle to use for a reference point so that the second wing-over starts at the same spot.
Pivoting the body when the plane is overhead can sometimes lead to a jerk or irregular path of the airplane unless the hand is held steady. This irregular path sometimes cannot be seen from inside the circle.
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Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
