Basic Aerobatic Maneuvers
The manual’s Flight School concludes with a description of basic aerobatic maneuvers:
the roll, the loop, and their variants. Follow the Flight School procedure to learn
how to perform the aileron roll, barrel roll, loop over, and loop under. The roll
and the loop are called basic aerobatic maneuvers for a good reason—combining a
partial roll with a half-loop lets you reverse directions while gaining altitude
or speed at the same time. You’ll be using variations of this maneuver over and
over again when fighting!
Begin by practicing rolls, and make sure you roll both to the left and to the right—you’ll
notice your plane rolls more quickly and happily to the left (causes for this are
described in the Flight School section “How It All Works”). When practicing loops,
make sure you’re going fast enough (over 300 mph) before you begin a loop over or
you’ll run out of speed and stall (see Figure 2.4)! The reverse applies to the loop
under: cut the throttle when you initiate that maneuver, or you might find yourself
diving much faster and farther than you intended to.
You should conclude this part of your flight training by learning to execute two
classic maneuvers which combine elements of the roll and the loop: the Immelmann,
and the split S.
The Immelmann and the Split S
The Immelmann is named after Max Immelmann, a World War I German ace who reportedly
invented the maneuver. To execute it, you should begin a loop over; when the aircraft
reaches the apex of the loop, perform a half-roll to get out of inverted flight.
You’ll have reversed directions and gained a lot of altitude at the same time, at
a cost in speed.
The Split S is the Immelmann in reverse, and consists of a half-roll followed by
a partial loop under. Make sure you’re at least 5,000 feet above the ground before
you try it! Begin with a half-roll; once upside down, pull back on the stick to
execute a vertical U-turn. You’ll have reversed directions and gained a lot of speed
at the same time, at a cost in altitude.
Extracurricular Training
The training program outlined in Flight School is very basic, and you might want
to learn a few extra moves before you conclude by practicing takeoffs and landings.
The Flight School discusses spins and stalls, and the relevant recovery procedures.
However, it also advises you to avoid both stalls and spins. You should definitely
spin out a few times while learning to fly; simply ignore the stall warning when
it appears, tighten your turn (adding hard rudder if necessary) and off you’ll go.
Mastering the recovery procedure in a P-47D is easy; usually all you have to do
is release the joystick when the spin starts. If this doesn’t work, follow the procedure
in Flight School, applying opposite rudder and centering or pushing the stick forward.
This quickly changes the spin into a regular dive. Of course, don’t start practicing
it until you’ve got a few thousand feet of altitude you can afford to lose.
Flying Slow and Flying Low
The exercises below are helpful in honing your skill at controlling aircraft, just
like the paint-the-horizon turn. Flying slow and low is definitely not recommended
in combat, although sometimes it can’t be helped.
The first exercise consists of flying with no engine. It’s a great confidence booster
and helpful while learning how to land an aircraft. Make sure you’re high enough
(10,000 feet is good), then cut the throttle to idle. You need speed to fly, but
you can gain speed any time by diving. Make sure you execute several turns, and
make a point of doing a split S. You’re flying a heavy plane, so you’ll lose altitude
fast; try to lose it as slowly as possible. If you spin out, you get a golden opportunity
to practice spin recovery, and the whole experience is very helpful in learning
how to handle an aircraft at low speed.
Flying combat missions in CFS 3 will very often force you uncomfortably low.
The quick way to gain confidence and skill is to spend a few minutes flying low
and upside down. Fly at 500 feet above the ground (not above sea level) and 90%
throttle; then execute a half-roll to put your plane into inverted flight. You’ll
need to push the stick forward quite sharply to keep the nose up and avoid losing
altitude. However, you’ll also find out that your P-47D can climb, let alone keep
altitude while upside down (increase throttle to 100% if having difficulties). Let
yourself down lower, to a couple of hundred feet above the ground, and spend a minute
skimming the treetops in this manner. Climb a little, then roll back into normal
flight. You’ll find hedgehopping in a P-47D is easy while flying the right way up,
so easy that it’s fun.
