Torque Rolling 101
05-28-2007 | 01:09 PM
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From: oviedo, FL
Torque Rolling 101
I know many of you have probably read this article, but I stumbled upon it today and found it very useful and will definetly use it when I'm ready to learn torque rolls. For those of you still learning, I think you'll find this article very useful.
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A mini-lesson from Mike McConville.
The Catch-22 of Torque Rolling is that practicing up high gives you the altitude you need to recover when you get crossed up, but it's a lot harder to do. Learning Torque Rolls lower to the ground is much easier, because you can see much better and make corrections faster, but one mistake and it's that old nemesis again…CRUNCH!! So try to practice with as much altitude as you can.
Step 1
Like learning to ski, you need to know how to fall down and get back up first. You
Will make mistakes, even when you have it mastered. So, don't worry about how to control the Torque Roll yet. Concentrate on learning to catch the model and fly out of any mistake without losing altitude, regardless of the attitude the model falls into. This is the key to the Torque Roll.
How to do it: At a safe altitude, pull the model vertical at about 1/4 throttle and begin to hover. Use just enough throttle to pull vertical, but not enough to sustain a hover. Let the model begin to fall out- it may fall to the side, the top, bottom or any combination. Practice catching it with the correct elevator and/or rudder input, and get the throttle in it. Focus on flying out level. After you start to get the hang of it and react faster, fly out vertical.
Trickiest Part: Don't get confused and give the wrong input. Be careful, especially when the model falls with the nose toward you. That's why we start at a nice safe altitude.
Step 2
You've now crossed the biggest hurdle to learning the Torque Roll. You can recover, no matter which way the model falls out. You have confidence that you can save the plane every time. Now you can concentrate on two new things. First, work on reacting with the correct rudder and elevator inputs to keep the model vertical. (The good news is Step 1 has already sharpened your orientation and reaction skills.) Second, learn to "fly" the throttle stick to maintain altitude in a hover but not climb or drop.
How to do it: Now it's time to bring it down to a lower altitude. Start at about 25 feet, low
enough to see the model and still high enough to give you a little reaction time before terra firma. Again pull to vertical, only this time add a little more power so that the model hangs motionless in the air. Once you've got the throttle figured out, concentrate on flying the rudder and elevator to keep the model vertical. Don't worry about ailerons, they aren't going to do much while you're hovering. This is a simply a balancing act, like riding a unicycle. The model may hover or it may begin to Torque Roll to the left. Don't worry about rolling, this happens on its own and you don't need to make it roll. The model will begin to roll once it is very close to dead vertical. The better you can hold the model vertical, the faster it will Torque Roll.
Hint: Choose a calm day to practice. Wind makes Torque Rolls much harder. You will also need lots of control surface throw to maintain control. Use as much as you can get, similar to a "3D" set-up if possible. While you'll need this much control at times, it also makes it much easier to over-control the model, so use some expo. We suggest about 25% on rudder and 40 to 50% on elevator. Now you'll have the control power when you need it, but a soft feel around neutral so you won't over-control when making little corrections.
Trickiest part: Learning to keep up with the model's orientation as it rolls to give the correct elevator and rudder inputs. It takes time to get good. One wrong input and the model will fall out, but you know how to fly out of a mistake, so set up and try again. Also don't over-control. Even too much of the right correction will make you fall out. Flip back to low rates as the model falls out so you don't over control and stall the plane. Use that expo feature in your radio.
Once you've got the hang of it, try backing the throttle down a few clicks as you are Torque Rolling and slide the model down closer to the ground. And that, in a nutshell, is just about it. So now you've got a plan and you know what kind of plane, all that's left is practice, practice, practice...
--------
A mini-lesson from Mike McConville.
The Catch-22 of Torque Rolling is that practicing up high gives you the altitude you need to recover when you get crossed up, but it's a lot harder to do. Learning Torque Rolls lower to the ground is much easier, because you can see much better and make corrections faster, but one mistake and it's that old nemesis again…CRUNCH!! So try to practice with as much altitude as you can.
Step 1
Like learning to ski, you need to know how to fall down and get back up first. You
Will make mistakes, even when you have it mastered. So, don't worry about how to control the Torque Roll yet. Concentrate on learning to catch the model and fly out of any mistake without losing altitude, regardless of the attitude the model falls into. This is the key to the Torque Roll.
How to do it: At a safe altitude, pull the model vertical at about 1/4 throttle and begin to hover. Use just enough throttle to pull vertical, but not enough to sustain a hover. Let the model begin to fall out- it may fall to the side, the top, bottom or any combination. Practice catching it with the correct elevator and/or rudder input, and get the throttle in it. Focus on flying out level. After you start to get the hang of it and react faster, fly out vertical.
Trickiest Part: Don't get confused and give the wrong input. Be careful, especially when the model falls with the nose toward you. That's why we start at a nice safe altitude.
Step 2
You've now crossed the biggest hurdle to learning the Torque Roll. You can recover, no matter which way the model falls out. You have confidence that you can save the plane every time. Now you can concentrate on two new things. First, work on reacting with the correct rudder and elevator inputs to keep the model vertical. (The good news is Step 1 has already sharpened your orientation and reaction skills.) Second, learn to "fly" the throttle stick to maintain altitude in a hover but not climb or drop.
How to do it: Now it's time to bring it down to a lower altitude. Start at about 25 feet, low
enough to see the model and still high enough to give you a little reaction time before terra firma. Again pull to vertical, only this time add a little more power so that the model hangs motionless in the air. Once you've got the throttle figured out, concentrate on flying the rudder and elevator to keep the model vertical. Don't worry about ailerons, they aren't going to do much while you're hovering. This is a simply a balancing act, like riding a unicycle. The model may hover or it may begin to Torque Roll to the left. Don't worry about rolling, this happens on its own and you don't need to make it roll. The model will begin to roll once it is very close to dead vertical. The better you can hold the model vertical, the faster it will Torque Roll.
Hint: Choose a calm day to practice. Wind makes Torque Rolls much harder. You will also need lots of control surface throw to maintain control. Use as much as you can get, similar to a "3D" set-up if possible. While you'll need this much control at times, it also makes it much easier to over-control the model, so use some expo. We suggest about 25% on rudder and 40 to 50% on elevator. Now you'll have the control power when you need it, but a soft feel around neutral so you won't over-control when making little corrections.
Trickiest part: Learning to keep up with the model's orientation as it rolls to give the correct elevator and rudder inputs. It takes time to get good. One wrong input and the model will fall out, but you know how to fly out of a mistake, so set up and try again. Also don't over-control. Even too much of the right correction will make you fall out. Flip back to low rates as the model falls out so you don't over control and stall the plane. Use that expo feature in your radio.
Once you've got the hang of it, try backing the throttle down a few clicks as you are Torque Rolling and slide the model down closer to the ground. And that, in a nutshell, is just about it. So now you've got a plan and you know what kind of plane, all that's left is practice, practice, practice...
