Mild Aerobatics

Well, my favorite eye-opener for select passengers is a lazy eight.
It's a non-aerobatic manuever but it looks and feels like one to the
unitiated - especially when done sloppily. A turn in a lazy eight feels
like a wing-over and is probably quite close to what Bob did.

I'm not sure of the technical description for a wingover but if you keep
the pitch and bank under 45 I guess it's technically non-acro(?). You
don't even have to get close to those figures to get the desired effect.

I've had the benefit of formal acro training (gliders) and lot's of
informal practice (gliders). Stall turns and wingovers (whatever they
are) can get dangerous so it's nothing to play with without instruction.
But non-acro 'wingovers' and lazy eights are easy and fun as long as
know where the limits are.

Now if I can just get my hands on that clown that snapped a C150 on me
during my pre-solo....

Jay Honeck wrote:
During primary training, many moons ago, I was growing frustrated with the
sedate nature of our flying, so I asked my flight instructor (Bob -- a guy
with 20K hours in every known flying machine) when we were going to get to
the "fun stuff"? He didn't know what I was talking about, so I told him I
wanted to see what these things could actually *do*...

At which point he smiled that crooked smile of his, and proceeded to do a
wing-over with a recovery out the bottom, going the opposite direction! I
was whooping and hollering for more, but he just went back to our lesson for
the day....

Nowadays, Mary and I are very cautious in our Pathfinder, rarely exceeding
45 degree banks, and never pulling more than mild G turns. Mary hates steep
banks (except in a Super Decathlon -- then all bets are off!), and the most
rambunctious thing we ever do are "Up-Downs" (as the kids call them), which
is a firm pull up with a steady push-over at the top that induces negative
Gs in the back seat.

Just curious -- what do you guys do with your spam cans? I've seen video
from inside a Cessna that shows a guy doing some pretty radical maneuvers,
but in real life what's the most you push your aircraft?