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The Elevator

njswede

150cc
[H=1]Description of the maneuver[/H]
An Elevator simply means that the plane is put in a straight and level attitude without any forward speed and allowed to slowly lose altitude.

The Elevator is arguably one of the easiest 3D manuevuers to perform. However, it is an important one, since it introduces the concept of post-stall flight and serves as a transition to and from other tricks, such as [wiki]The Harrier[/wiki].

[H=2]Level of difficulty[/H]
Very Easy

[H=1]Performing the Maneuver[/H]
There are many ways of entering an Elevator, but the easiest one is to enter from an up-line and a stall. Fly the plane straight up, then cut throttle and let the plane stall, while applying some down elevator to make sure the plane falls forward in the stall. Then, as the plane stalls, apply full or almost full elevator. The nose of the plane will probably start dropping, so you will need to add some throttle to keep the nose up. Adjust the throttle and elevator to keep the plane falling straight down. With a good airframe, there shouldn't be any wing rock, so no aileron adjustment should be needed. You can adjust the yaw using the rudder, but you may need to apply some throttle to get enough airflow over the rudder.
[H=2]Entering from up-line[/H]
The easiest way to enter an Elevator is probably from an up-line and a stall, as described above.

[H=2]Entering from dive[/H]
Another way of entering an Elevator is by putting the plane in a steep dive and applying sudden full elevator and reducing throttle. When done right, this should immediately put the plane into an Elevator. It takes some practice to find the best elevator input to make the plane enter an elevator without tendencies to flip over. However, when performed correctly, this is a relatively easy maneuver that can add excitement to a routine. The lower, the better... :cool:

[H=2]Steering[/H]
No steering is required with good airframes lacking wing rock, but you may use the rudder to turn the model to position it for the next maneuver in a routine.

[H=2]Exiting[/H]
There are many ways of exiting an Elevator, but the two most basic exist are straight and level flight and [wiki]The Harrier[/wiki].

  • Exiting to straight and level flight - Increase throttle, reduce elevator input and simply fly out.
  • Exiting to harrier - Slightly increase throttle and slightly decrease elevator input to create forward motion while keeping the main wings stalled.
[H=1]Common mistakes[/H]
The only possible mistake (apart from forgetting to recover) is give too much aileron input. Normally no aileron should be needed, but if the model has severe wing rock, some aileron input may be needed to stabilize. Over-correcting can result in a sudden wing-drop.

[H=1]Tips[/H]
When starting to learn 3D, the Elevator is an important manuever to practice, since it's the basis for all post-stall flight.

[H=1]External Links[/H]
www.3drcforums.com
 
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