Whoo Hoo!!! Did inside loops today!!

Hello all,
Thanks to all the great input I recieved from this froum I was able to go out to Whittier Narrows today and finally fly some inside loops! I know this doesn't mean a whole lot to most of you, but I was stuck on this and just couldn't seem to get past it. Got to the point of being able to do three inside loops in a row when disaster struck.
Things were going so well I desided to fly inverted. Went up, flattened out on top, flew half a circle, then wanted to bring the model down a bit. Beginners panic took over as I was bringing it down, then needed to give it a little up to level the model out. I gave it up and, of course, it went straight into the ground!
Broke the fuse in half right behind the wing, broke the prop and the tail.
Have built a new fuse (profile, easy to make)and have repaired the tail. Now have to wait for the epxoy to dry and re-assemble the plane.
Someday I'll get this all figured out! Untill then, I'm having a really good time at something I haven't done since I was 14 years old.
Again, thanks for all the input I recieved from everyone at this forum.
Rob Johnson
Orange, Ca.

Congratz!!!!

Paul

I would love to be able to go out and just fly level for a tank or two. Right now, its snowy/windy/and freezing.

C'mon Spring.....

fly them loops high, and get ready for the lazy eight.

That'l put you on inverted saving you a lot of plaesss.

I miss the feeling of my first loops!

God bless,
Ion

Rob, welcome to the Exalted Order of the Loop! You have passed the test, and performed the appropriate sacrifice. The loop gods are pleased. I well remember that feeling - congratulations! Looking forward to hearing about more progress!

I still remember my first loop. 12 years old. Sig Akromaster. Fox .15. 1973. I actually remember that better than my first solo in a Cessna 150. Of course I sweat a lot more in the 150 and was so busy, I didn't have time to be nervous.
But there is no substitute for the pure fun, joy and sense of accomplishment of my first loop. Kudos and more fun

Good Job,
It will only get better from here on . After you get the outsides going , the inverted will come easy by stretching out the lazy 8 into inverted..

Just enjoy your flying , and keep your plane fixable .

William Davis
Member of "The Carolina Gang"

I went through all this over 50 years ago. You will never know how much I envy you!

Rob, my first attempt at inverted flight went pretty much as you described. After that one time experience I never made the same mistake again and I don't think you will either.

Good luck next time.

>I went through all this over 50 years ago. You will never
>know how much I envy you!

Oh yea, Those first flights of fifty years ago, seems I used more Testors extra fast drying glue then I did fuel!

When a man longs for his boyhhod home, it's not the home he's longing for......it's the boyhood!

You know, for something as simple as a loop it is amazing how much of an effect it has on us. Just like finally getting the thing to fly in a circle it is a hurdle that we finally make it over, made even sweater if we don't make it the first couple of times.

I remember my first loop. I also remember my first INTENTIONAL loop.

It is a new level of flying that you've accomplished. Inverted flight is the next major hurdle in my opinion. Inside manuevers are just variations of the loop. Once you've made inverted flight, the outside manuevers are yet again just variations.

There will also be a time, and you'll notice it, when your preception of time will slow down. Anyone who has played baseball or probably any other sport knows this. Those fastballs just look like blurs to most of us. Professionals look for the spiinning of the laces. Same happens with us. Loops will take seconds to complete. This is a good thing as it makes it possible for you to guide the plane through these manuevers. It's also a curse cuzz you'll see every mistake in Panramic view.

No matter what discipline you decide to follow, racing, stunt, carrier, speed or whatever, remember to just go out and cut some circles for the fun of it. Just flying is still fun and you don't have to spend every flight practicing.

Congradulations, now go enjoy.

Fun, ain't it!!!!
Don't lose the "fun".
Bill <><

I must admit, when I did it I yelled out to my wife,"Babe, I did it!". Of course, she wasn't watching!
My Sig Skyray is no more, can't be repaired. A victum of learning to loop. Now I need a new .049 powered plane to fly at work during lunch break.
My loops were made with a Sig Akromaster with a Magmun .15. Rebuilding it allowed me to make it lighter, shorten the nose, move the engine back and re-do the landing gear. All stuff I have picked up on this forum.
I'm building a ARF Nobler now with a .46 OS. Will save this plane for later, when I know what I'm doing.
Have also joined the AMA, and would like to check out the next Knights meeting. I think this has gotten into my blood!
Thanks,
Rob Johnson
Orange,Ca.

well what can you say????? the first loops are something else...I did my first loops about 3 months ago and had the same jubilation as yourself....(I am new to this too) have since progressed to lazt eights, flying inverted wingovers, reverse wingovers etc....all progressing nicely ( it is summer here in New Zealand so time to fly )

I got told something which has really helped me out as far as inverted flight goes....and that is not to think in "up and down" but to think..."wheels and conopy " by this I mean...when you are looking at the plane and you are inverted, you want the wheels to go up so apply down control.......

i sit at work, at home....well everywhere.....moving my hand up and down...repeating wheels/canopy wheels/canopy down being wheels, up being canopy......

havent hit the deck yet inverted.......just gotta remeber to make the WHEELS go up....so push down,....

works for me....

MY FIRST Inside LOOPS: A HIGH LIGHT OF MY LIFE STILL TO THIS DAY.

Yes.I had a new Veco Warrior in November 1949 powered by my new Glo- Torp 32 and I had just turned 15. Had just learned to fly C/L with an O&R 23 powered Testors TC-2 in September 1949 after demolishing (I had a sudden learnig experience about climbing in a crosswind) my O&R 23 powered Enterprise New Era in August 1949.

The Glo-Torp powered Warrior was so powerful and so flyable it generated all kinds of confidence. I quickly learned to make nice climbs and dives and beautiful takeoffs and landings. Even fly the plane straight over my head for long periods. Then one day I learned to do wingovers and they were so easy and rythmic.

I told my flying buddy that on my next flight I was going to do a whale of a wingover. So up I take the Warrior (to me it might have been a BT-13 at Maxwell Field, AL)with the roar of the Glo-Torp generating all kinds of confidence and I pull back on the wooden EZ Just Hot Rock handle to make a perfect wingover. The plane is climbing and I keep pulling up on the handle and WOW in ein augenblich it has completed an inside loop and starts into another one before I give down control and level out the Warrior. What a super feeling! I am master of the sky with my Warrior!

Well I flew the Warrior around a lap and pulled up on the handle and held it and the Warrior executed two consecutive inside loops effortlessly. So the next lap I did three consecutive inside loops. Another lap then four insides. I lost all sense of time (and fuel supply)and and kept doing consecutive insides in greater and greater numbers. Straight non-braided control lines were wonderful for this flying.

Finally I was in a long series of insides and the plane went over on its back and the engine quit. The light dawned: no more fuel. I stood there paralyzed and unbelieving that this fun was all over and the plane fell at my feet on the red Georgia ball field near the pitchers mound. The silkspan split and the engine got red dirt in it. The prop of couse was broken. I was embarrased and disgusted with myself but very happy too. A few more flights after that in the following Spring I could run back and get the lines tight and regain control after the engine quit but that time I just could not react.

So enjoy your inside loops and consecutive ones, outsides and all the rest of the pattern as you enjoy C/L over the seasons to come and please continue to share your flying with us!

Thanks.

For another 1/2-A plane, I'd suggest Phil Cartier's Little Hacker. Tough, very repairable. If you want to build from scratch, try a Platter. I built one recently out of 3mm Coroplast.

My other piece of advice - it is MUCH safer to learn inverted flights after learning the Lazy 8. When you do Lazy 8s, the plane is always turning AWAY from the ground. Then just stretch the 8 out longer and longer. Much, much safer than trying to stretch out your loops.

I'll give the planes you suggest a look. I do need a new 1/2a as I really miss flying at lunch time, and we don't have the room for larger planes. That plus the boss is worried about our saftey record. No accidents for a couple years and he doesn't want someone getting hurt from exploding aircraft as they hit the concrete.
As for flying, the Akromaster is repaired and better than new. It would seem by the many posts that a lazy 8 would be next on the list. It just seems "scary" to me somehow, but as another post has mentioned, things do seem to slow down once you do them a few times.
Rob Johnson
Orange, Ca.

Rob,
Don't assume that your loop doesn't mean much to most of us. As you can see from all the posts, other flyers are happy for you. We've all been through it. From now on when someone mentions a loop, you will remember your first one...as we have.
If you haven't already, join the AMA. The insurance coverage will make your boss more receptive to your flying on company property.

Best of luck,
George

Yes, I wanted to share the pure joy of being in control of my airplane. Many remember the first time, as I shall.
After completely destroying my Sykray tring to do a simple loop, and watching as my Akromaster pulled it off, there was joy, pure and simple.
Things did slow down. From being completly out of control to doing loops at will, watching the plane and knowing I had more than enough time if things went bad.
I have all of you to thank for this simple pleasure. Flying without expert help is challenging. Everything is by trail and error. After awhile, after many failures, you have to ask those how know "What an I doing wrong?".
This is great. It brings back times spent with my Dad flying CL as a kid. Sure helped having him yell directions from the sidelines.
My kids are grown. Never got them into flying. Too busy with life I guess. Now, I have grandkids that are getting close to the age. Last weekend, the weekend of the loops, my youngest grandson(1 1/2 years) pulled around a broken up Cox Piper Cub tied to a ribbon I found on the Combat field. I have another who can't wait, but is to young by a couple years. I won't miss this chance.
CL flying is pure, direct control fun.
Rob Johnson
Orange,Ca.

Rob,
I have really enjoyed reading this thread, Far from the std boring gotta have the latest tuned ,piped ,c/f this and that to be the next champ ,Your entheusasm reminds me of alot of the people that I hacew been at fiels with that are learnibg Basic /Flight pattern , Lots of fun and really alot of learning .

If you need a good tough trainer/stunter , don't forget the Top Flite ARF Flite Streak , With a LA 25 , it will be hard to beat for learning the basics of flying, after you have worked on some of the other planes. real good OTS Pattern Trainer too( Thou Not OTS LEgal ), Put a bigger tank on if you want longer flights , but smaller is ok for starts

Thanks " Member of Carolina gang "

Forgot to mention another tool to help you learn to fly inverted and/or maneuvers. A stunt kite. A small stunt kite attached to a control line handle (or a piece of broomstick) makes a great CL trainer, AND it'll be more crash proof as anything out there.

Rob,
If your flying at Whittier Narrows and live in Orange, you should attend the Knights of the Round Circle club meeting tonight, Tues Feb 10. It's at the Fullerton Airport, just west of the control tower, 4119 W. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton. &:30 pm. I can't make it but the second Tuesday is our regular meeting night. Bring your plane for show & tell.
Happy Landings