Hi all! I'm having difficulty entering spins and wanted to see if anyone has any experiences and input that could help me out. Basically, when entering the spin (upright) I can't keep the plane from dropping a wing. I'll slow down by chopping the throttle and holding the plane level so it doesn't drop altitude. If I keep holding back as the plane stops, it'll drop a wing and snap into the spin. I can't get the nose to fall and then enter the spin. I've tried playing with the elevator during the entry, wing balancing, checking alignment, and none of that has worked for me. Anyone have any ideas?

What I do is get the nose up about 15 degrees with some back stick and just as it seems to stop ease out of the elevator and the nose will drop. When the nose drops to level dump in full rudder the direction you want to go and come back in with elevator and aileron after the wing drops. The idea is to not let the airplane actually stall while making it look like it did. It will take some practice but after a few tries you will get the timing down.

Just some ideas, thinking out loud:
Maybe check your right thrust and any compensating rudder trim? Is it the same wing?

Wing dropping (obviously) means it's losing lift quicker than opposite wing.
-Plane yawing to that side due to rudder trim?
-Right and left wing attack angle different?
-Warp in the wing->Washout?
-Elevators have equal throws?

I've got a similar issue and it drives me nuts.

Slow down without gaining altitude and it mushes into the spin, try to pop the nose up by jerking in the last bit of elevator at a slightly higher airspeed and one wing drops while the other lifts "looking" like a snap entry when it's not. Blipping the throttle just prior to the mushy stall doesn't work. More up elevator throw doesn't work and moving the CG backwards and forwards doesn't help either and it creates problems elsewhere. It doesn't appear to be the same wing stalling first each time either

I've seen other planes perform the beautiful slow down, lift the nose a fraction prior to the stall, then the perfect wings level nose drop before rotating into the spin and it makes me sick.

A lot of times it is simply not being level when you think you are. At altitude the perception is different and many times guys simply are either inside or outside wing low. If it is consistently dropping the same wing, as you come in to the spin, slightly correct in the opposite direction you think it is going to go and see if that helps. That will tell you if you are truly level or not. Also, on some planes, the plane will break very abruptly. Usually has to do with wing shape and such. One such trick to this is to carry a little power as you come in to the spin with the nose up. As you get to center, you can just chop the power and it will let the nose drop.

I would definitely try the test to see if you are actually level first though. That is usually the issue.

Arch

Assuming your wings are warp-free and are set at identical incidence, check for lateral balance of the whole plane, not just wing panels. Typically a heavy side will be favored. If the wing panels are identical aerodynamically, neither is favored in a spin entry so for the whole model to go in one direction or the other, it's thrust (min at idle) and fuse shape. Many models appear to favor one side in entry so I'd say don't force it the other way. Just add appropriate rudder when it drops the wing and go for it. What you don't want is to still be flying when the panel drops; the dreaded wing over will happen and will score zero

Agree with Arch all the way, having a low wing is something not everybody can see in the air correctly.

I noticed the same thing with my two electric planes. I tried killing the motor for the entry and the wing didn't drop. So I concluded in some strange way torque was causing my problem.

My 2M Brio had no issues with dropping one wing when it was glow powered. Since changing to electric power , it has to be coaxed and some.
Next time out, I plan to try some of the techniques discussed here.

Thanks very much for some excellent suggestions! After further testing, I found that the plane always drops the right wing when stalling. Also, when applying full elevator (and only with spin rates) it will also snap to the right. There's obviously something going on. The elevator halves are equal, and have equal throw. Wing and tail incidences also look good and there's no sign of warping. The mystery continues!

You might need to add some weight to the tip of your left wing

If your plane is laterally balanced (and don't forget the prop is not centered on the plane, so don't balance from the prop):
Check your right thrust. You can also try a touch of left rudder mixed to zero throttle and see if that helps. It could be that the right side of your plane is slowing down more than the left side of the plane due to thrust line issues, or you have a touch of rudder trim to compensate. Your high rate elevator is a big air brake, in addition to the fact that pitching up the wing initiates a stall quicker.

Glow vs electric: Gyroscopic? spinning propeller generates a torque about the thrust line, forcing the left wing down (pilot perspective). I'm sure that does something...

And the guys are right about wings level. When I was driving around the AMA property during the NATS I was watching some of the masters/FAI guys (not sure who was on what line) from a point beyond the landing strip and far off to the side, basically so planes were flying toward me and away from me - I was amazed at how many people routinely carried their inside wing low.

What airplane are we talking about? It may be as simple as having sanded a tip airfoil slightly different from the other during construction. My first suggestion still stands, fly the airplane through the spin entry without letting the airplane completely stall.