Clean,
You've got two posts that describe the takeoff in detail and that count all the laps. It appears to me that the two descriptions conflict with each other.

There is no "level flight" maneuver in the AMA rulebook. The takeoff includes the two level laps that are judged as part of the 13.1 maneuver. Lap 1 is the climb lap. Lap 2 and 3 are level and part of the first judged maneuver. If you look closely at the rulebook, the errors to look for in that one maneuver include tracking outside the level flight altitude during the maneuver.

Laps 4 and 5 would then be "level flight between maneuvers" laps. If you read section 11.1 about those laps, they don't have to be 2 complete laps. Obviously, one will be, but if you start the wingover before reaching the leveloff point of your takeoff, and you've done almost two "in between" laps, the wingover counts and there is no penalty. There also is no penalty for additional "in between" laps, but you certainly don't want to have too many.

AMA members can read the rulebook pages that cover all this at:

http://www.modelaircraft.org/comp/05...ook/claero.pdf