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3. Aerobatic Lesson Plan - Aileron Rolls/Competition Rolls

Pilot:                                                                                Date:                   

       Schedule:                                          Equipment Required:
Preflight Instruction                                  .30                Aerobatic Airplane
CFI Demo                                               .30                Aircraft POH
Directed Pilot Application & Practice       .75                Parachutes
Postflight critique                                     .15                Weather Briefing
Total                                                     1.50                Model airplane


Objective: Aileron Rolls

Student should exhibit proper knowledge and use of controls in pitching up, use of aileron into roll, and recovery at wings level

  1. Select safe altitude - no less than 2000 feet AGL
  2. Establish 140 KTS in MX2, or proper speed in other aircraft
  3. Pitch up to 10 degrees nose up angle, +5/-0 degrees and neutralize elevator
  4. Use  aileron into roll and stop roll wings level after 1 roll, maintaining heading +/- 10 degrees
  5. Aircraft should finish roll at same pitch down as initial pitch up, i.e. 10 degrees nose down
  6. Perform same maneuver in opposite direction

Elements:
  1. Proper Airspeed
  2. Minimum safe altitude awareness
  3. Flight control utilization and coordination
  4. Proper division of attention
  5. Forces acting on aircraft and controls required at various angles of bank: 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 270 degrees
  6. Proper use of rudder
  7. Stall recognition & avoidance

Common Errors:
  1. Poor use of elevator to pitch and set 10 degree nose up angle
  2. Poor attitude control & unintended bank
  3. Line too long before roll
  4. Inadvertent stall/spin
  5. Leaving back pressure in elevator control during roll
  6. Stopping roll off heading, wings banked, nose angle wrong

Instructor Actions:
  1. Explain & discuss the lesson objective & required knowledge criteria, difference between aileron rolls and slow (competition) rolls
  2. Instruct that aileron rolls should start with nose up attitude and finish with similar nose down attitude after completion of one roll
  3. Establish the proper airspeed, 140 KTS.
  4. Pull briskly to 10 degrees nose up and release elevator back pressure.
  5. Check stick at neutral elevator position.
  6. Use aileron deflection to make one complete roll and stop with wings level in roll and on heading
  7. Pull nose up to level flight
  8. Perform rolls in opposite direction
  9. Demonstrate differences between aileron roll and slow roll
  10. Conduct a post flight critique to review procedures, techniques and preview the next lesson

Pilot Actions:
  1. Participate in discussion of objective, listen, ask questions
  2. Preview this outline prior to the flight lesson
  3. Practice and experience aileron rolls including the aircraft attitude at 10 degrees nose up and throughout complete 360 degree rolls, recognizing the 0 Gz environment during inverted flight

Completion Standards:
Pilot can explain and demonstrate aileron rolls in both directions, left & right, including maintaining neutral elevator and rudder controls throughout roll, starting & stopping at correct nose pitch angles, and with wings level, while correcting for torque and P factor and maintaining flight orientation throughout the performance of the rolls.