Don,

If you rely on the side of the plane to generate lift, you would probably come out ahead by adding the extra area. If you observe that you need less rudder deflection, then the drag reduction that results is almost certainly less than the increase in drag resulting from the added wetted area.

It doesn't seem as though you could come out ahead by overbanking, if it requires you to generate extra lift to climb back up again, but I could be wrong.

DHG,

The idea of climbing in the turns, when you are using your most efficient lift generator ( the wing ), and then trying to generate zero lift on the straights, is really interesting. This could be the best of both worlds, since it would always allow you to generate lift with the lowest induced drag, and would also allow you to avoid the drag associated with deflecting the ailerons. You could get a rough idea of whether you are truly flying ballistic between the pylons by timing the flight between pylons, and estimating the amount that the plane drops during that time.

banktoturn