I don't will try to do the above sequence (improvised for the lack of negative G ability) and post both a cockpit( GO PRO ) and ground video ,as long as you guys promise not to laugh...at least not loud enough for me to hear...
on the "saw tooths" what is flown at the tops and bottoms .just a pull to vertical then horizontal?
Hi Dan, thanks for your response. It sounds like the Panther has more vertical performance than I expected. Penetration is commonly inadequate in light airplanes of my experience, but perhaps not with the Panther. That is cool.
The Sportsman sequence is designed for airplanes without inverted systems, so you shouldn't have any trouble flying it as drawn. however, keep in mind that you don't actually fly it as drawn. It is impossibly to not have a radius in each pull. What you can do though is try to make the radius at the sharp corners smaller than the radius for a loop. The Humpty Bump for instance, can be flown using your hammer head speeds. Pull to vertical, when aileron input will no longer prevent torque roll, pull over the top to a vertical down line, and pull to horizontal when you get your desired speed for the next maneuver. The low speed over the top will result in a very small radius.
Sawtooths are represented in symbology as having a sharp corner at the top and bottom. The top radius will be small as the speed is low. The pulls to horizontal will not be sharp like they are drawn, so don't try. A radius can not be avoided. In my old Pitts, I would pull 6 Gs in a pull up to vertical up line, or a pull from a vertical downline to horizontal. But I did so only because testing determined that this gave me the best trade of drag loss. 4Gs resulted in a longer exposure to the drag of the pull, a larger radius, and a slower exit speed. 6Gs resulted in shorter exposure, tighter radius, and a longer vertical up line. The best G for a high energy corner will vary for each airplane.
A very short primer on IAC competition styled flying:
1) All maneuvers start and end on a horizontal line.
2) All lines are horizontal, vertical or 45 degrees.
3) Maneuvers can be placed on lines or loops.
4) Lines are judged by the angles they appear to have from the ground
Which can be quite different and even incorrect from the pilots view point.
5) Loops are round as viewed from the ground.
Therefore, they do not have a constant angular velocity from the pilots view point. In fact, it may be necessary to have a period of zero angular velocity over the top (e.g. strait line) to create a round appearance.
6) The beginning, end, or a break in the sequence is signified with a "wing wag"
Which is three crisp dips of the wing preferably toward the judges (it is considered bad form to reveal your belly to the judges
)
7) Crisp arrivals on a line is rewarded
Show the judges that you are on the line by holding the G to the last moment, then reverse the stick input to immediately stop the pitch inertia.
8) Smoothness is rewarded
It is possible to be smooth and crisp, but always start with smooth, crisp can come later.
9) Maneuvers such as rolls need to be centered on the line.
This is tough to do in a vertical roll. I do know some Suhkoi drivers who purposely got called for "long after" just because they could.
10) The heart of a maneuver is placed in the center of its third of the box
The box is a cube 3000' in each direction. From the judges view point, it is subdivided into thirds- left center and right. Maneuvers shown in the diagram on the left, should be centered in that left third, and so on.
11) The top of the box is 3000' agl.
The box actually goes to the earth for Unlimited, but a bottom is placed at differing levels for the remaining categories. Sportsman is 1500' agl. Effectively then you are contained to 1500 vertical feet, however, nobody gets called for out the box high, unless it is extremely obvious. In reality, rarely does anyone ever get near the top of the box after they first dive in. Energy management tends to be a downhill game.
For comparison sake, my 180+ hp fixed pitch (76x60 cruise prop) Pitts S-1E with factory T model wings installed (360 d/s roll rate) would just barely complete one vertical roll, draw a short line, and still be able to fly away at the top (albeit at zero G). An entry speed of ~180 mph and a 6G pull would generate a 1200' increase of altitude at the end of the maneuver. My fighting weight with partial fuel resulted in ~5:1 power to weight ratio. My top dive speed which seemed to be prop limited was 220 mph. This is the speed I would begin a sequence with after a 45 degree down line dive into the box.
You won't hear any laughter from me Dan, as anything you do will be far better than anything I could do now. I haven't flown in more than 15 years. Your Cougar's affordability is key to getting my butt back in the air.
I look forward to seeing your results.
Cheers,
Rick