Problems with point rolls
The flight sim is great place to get the kinks worked out. If your having problems point rolling in a zero-loss/crash environment, we should start at the basics.
* General rule (passed to me by another flyer): If you are having problems with "heading" during a roll, it is control input "timing". If you are changing altitude, it is "amount" of control input."
1. Hopefully you have an aerobatic model chosen. The first thing to really think about and CHECK, is that you are not accidently bliping the elevator when trying to just get an aileron input. IE, do a straight pass with some 1/4 rolls. Don't worry about the rudder at this point. Do the 1/4 rolls and ENSURE that you are not getting any amount of "uncommanded" elevator.
2. Lets talk about the 4 point roll. To me, the goal is to perform a beautiful, long slow-roll, with 4 tiny hessitations. The 4 point roll consists of 4 segments that can be worked on individually.
3. First segment: Practice performing only a 1/4 roll. If you are rolling right, apply small amount of rudder when the plane reaches the 80 degree point or so. IE, do NOT add the rudder to early, or you will get a definate heading change. Practice this 1/4 roll untill you get it pretty good. Essentially, you are just practicing entry into knifeedge flight.
4. Second segment: once satisfied, you will continue the roll from the 90 degree position to level inverted flight. Start to roll and ease off the rudder, adding some down elevator once the plane is about 170 degrees. IE, ease off the rudder soon, and you are adding a little elevator before it reached level inverted flight. Again, practice first two points until satisfied.
5. Heres where it gets tricky: From inverted flight (holding down elevator), roll to the right and continue to hold the down elevator. Once the plane is about 200 degrees, ease off the down elevator and start easing in right rudder. That is the hardest part - learning how to "roll" while keeping the "down" elevator input. practice that part well! This part is easy to practice, as you can enter from inverted flight, and perform a 1/4 roll in to knife edge flight.
6. Last point: start rolling to the right and ease off the rudder, stop rolling when the plane reaches level upright flight.
Some planes will need you to breathe in "up" elevator while exiting the roll into level upright flight, some planes don't need it.
The entire idea of this message is to "take-apart" the manuever that is causing you trouble. The 4 point roll contains lots of fundamental manuever elements (straight and level flight entry, 1/4 rolls, maintain heading, maintain altitude, roll rates, roll timing, centering, exit.)
The slow roll uses all the SAME inputs, but does not require the hessitations.
What you should REALLY get out of this is that at ANY level or class, learning how to use the "rudder" properly will set you apart from your classmates.
Jim Woodward