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ED MOORMAN'S |
STALL TURN |
TEACH YOURSELF MANEUVER CARD |
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STANDARD SETUP |
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1. FULL POWER 2. PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 3. 1 MISTAKE HIGH |
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The Stall Turn is a turn around maneuver and should be done off to one side. |
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The maneuver is best done INTO the wind |
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It is a timing maneuver. Your timing of the stick movements is critical to performing the maneuver correctly. |
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The timing of the stall turn depends on how much vertical performance your airplane has. The more vertical performance, the more leeway you have in starting the stall turnaround at the top. |
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A Brief Description of the Stall Turn |
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Called a Hammerhead Stall by some full scale pilots, the stall turn is a 180 degree yaw turnaround from a vertical up line to a vertical down line. It is normally done off to the side of the flying area and turns the airplane around so at the end of the maneuver the airplane is flying in the opposite direction from the start. |
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The Four Commandments |
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1. Flirt with the vertical
2. Go with the flow
3. Give 'em "L" 4. Timing is everything. |
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DOING THE STALL TURN |
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0. Start with full power, flying parallel to the runway and about one mistake high. Do this maneuver into the wind. |
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1. Fly past yourself and do a smooth pull-up to approximately a vertical attitude. A perfect stall turn is done from a true vertical line.
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2. As you pull up, look at the top of the plane. This is one reason for doing the maneuver off to one side. Note which way the plane is leaning, right or left. Normally, it will be canted into the wind. |
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3. Once you decide which way to go, reduce power to idle and put in full rudder to make the turn. You don't move the stick diagonally, it is two straight movements. That's why I say, GIVE 'EM "L." The stick moves in an "L" shaped direction, back, then over. |
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4. TIMING IS EVERYTHING. There is no pause between the two parts of the "L" stick movements. It's one, two. Throttle back, then rudder. After the turn, release the rudder, let the plane descend back to slightly above the starting altitude and recover to level flight, adding power as you do. |
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ERRORS & CORRECTIONS |
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The major error in a stall turn is a flop over. Basically, if you pull up to do one, you get something that generally looks like a stall turn, or you flop over. If you flopped, you probably violated one of the commandments. |
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You went too far past the vertical. You have to flirt real close to the vertical, but don't go too far. |
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You went against the flow. Guaranteed flop. If the plane wants to go one way, don't fight it, go with it. |
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Your timing is off. If you wait too long before reducing power, you may be too slow for the rudder to be effective. Try climbing less before you give 'em "L." |
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MINOR ERRORS |
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The plane rolls during the turn. Some planes do this, especially high wing planes. Just use opposite aileron to counteract the roll. You'll have to practice to find how much aileron to use. |
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The plane wig wags back and forth after the turn. This is caused by holding the rudder in too long. Release the rudder before the plane completes the turn. Once it gets going, gravity will make sure it gets around. |
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FINAL TIPS |
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If your plane always flops or doesn't seem to want to turn, try blipping the throttle to give a blast of air across the rudder. You still do the "L," but once you get the stick in the corner, blip if upwards to about half throttle, them immediately back to idle. |
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Some planes tend to slow very quickly when you chop the power. You may want to place the throttle trim to the high position before you start practicing |
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To E-mail the author about this article/page |
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To return to the Moorman Aircraft Works home page |
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To return to the Maneuver home page |
