From the Mid Atlantic Radio Kontrol Society, Snow Hill, Maryland
Learning to 3-D and 3-D Well; Part 3 of 5: High
Alpha Knife-Edge Flight
by Jeremy Chin
In the previous articles, you got
the right equipment (both virtual and real) and you
learned how to fly a Harrier. Then you expanded your
3-D horizons by learning to fly an Inverted Harrier.
You are well on your way to building a solid base of
fundamental 3-D skill.
Next in line is another fundamental skill that can
be built upon later. It is time to learn to do a
High Alpha Knife Edge.
If you followed earlier suggestions to build your
basic aerobatic skill set, you learned to fly a
Knife Edge during that effort. If not, then go back
and learn to fly it. Make sure you can fly both left
tip down and right tip down, and both orientations
with the top and the belly of the airplane toward
yourself. This basic aerobatic skill can also be
developed quickly using the simulator.
If and when you are comfortable flying regular Knife
Edge flight, you are ready for the next step in your
3-D education: High Alpha Knife Edge. This name is
really just the common name for flying Knife Edge at
a high angle of attack.
To learn this skill, start by flying a regular Knife
Edge down the field repeatedly. As you fly,
gradually increase the rudder deflection, while
balancing that against changes in throttle. Some
airplanes require more throttle, some less. All have
a point of equilibrium that you must find on your
own.
This skill can be learned at any lower altitude, but
I’ve found that having the lower wingtip at around
eye level is the most effective. This altitude gives
enough time to roll the airplane back to level in
the event of a problem, but is not too high to allow
good vision of the airplane.
You may find that the airplane you are flying will
require a higher angle of attack in
high-angle-of-attack Knife Edge than it did for
Harrier flight. This is because the fuselage
typically has less area than the wings do, and thus
requires a higher angle of attack, more power, or
both, to maintain a flat heading. You may also find
that you need some aileron correction or elevator
correction to keep the airplane on the same heading
while in High Alpha Knife Edge. Fly the airplane in
this case rather than relying on a mix. I’ve found
that rarely are mixes effective in maintaining High
Alpha Knife Edge when compared to regular Knife
Edge.
Perform the same exercise in both directions down
the field, and both directions with both
orientations to yourself. When you feel comfortable
in all orientations, begin to make circles with the
airplane. Use your elevator to ‘steer’ the airplane
in your intended direction. Practice this skill
repeatedly until you feel comfortable in all
attitudes and orientations, and turning in all
directions.
When you have mastered High Alpha Knife Edge and
flying upright and inverted Harriers, you are ready
to move on to two more advanced 3-D skills: The
Hover/Torque Roll and the Rolling Harrier. Each will
be covered in upcoming articles.
Q
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