Advice appreciated on performing , practicing and perfecting this manuver from the 2004 schedule

I havent made it to advanced yet, but my 3 partners fly it and we talk about snaps a LOT and I judge them on the advanced pattern almost everyday.
The snap has to be on the centerline and in the center of the downline of the 45 degree inverted dive, not 50, not 35, 45 degrees. Must see at least some break in the nose (down elevator) to start the snap but not so much as to change the heading of the downline. The break happens so quickly that if you dont know what you are looking for you probably wont see the nose break, but that break is what a big part of what stalls the plane to initaite the snap. The radii of the entry and the exit of the 45degree dive should be the same. If there is not a definite negative break in the nose to initiate the snap, its not a snap roll its an axial roll, and thats a zero. The speed of the snap isnt supposed to be downgradable but seems like the faster snaps get better scores from what I have seen at contest. Plus if the snap is too slow the break at the beginning will probably throw you off the original downline heading .. ie enter at 45 degrees and exit at 35 degrees.
Most common problem I see outside of the maneuver itself is letting the plane come in or go out just after the snap as the plane re enters inverted flight for the 2nd half of the downline. Got to be ready to get on the rudder the moment the snap stops to keep the plane on heading parallel to the runway.

Im sure I will get corrected but I think thats a pretty accurate summary of what I look for when I judge.

Mike

Thanks Mike for your reply... some of the comments you've made are in the AMA comp hand book which deals largely with downgrades and the like which I deal with later. I no longer compete and just want to get this schedule looking better than it does now for my own personal self-satisfaction - and this one is tough for me, but not some others in Advanced and above classes as well as the higher level IMAC people. What I hope to get from this forum is a reply on TECHNIQUE- the actual stick imputs for a neg snap from inverted and how to keep my heading and track on that 45 degree dive and a smooth transition into inverted flight.

I didnt read the handbook to provide that info, that is just what I look for and how I personally do it, glad to know Im close the the AMA rulebook though.

Good luck on stick inputs, there are about 1,000 different ideas of how the actual snap portion of the maneuver should be performed. The little nuances of snaps are hotly contested.

Heres my take on how to get it done.

Negative snap is always inititated with down elevator and sticks go in opposite direction. Left negative snap sticks up and in, Right negative snap sticks up and out. But if you are in a downline you wont actually want to push the throttle up much in my opinion, more over and just enough throttle to get the look you want.

ALSO, that rudder input to to hold heading as you exit the snap would be right if you are flying right and left if you are flying to the left.

dont fly the downline fast, enter at a moderate speed to slower speed and try not to gain too much speed . Get out of the elevator as soon as you get the break and initiate the snap. The way I best hold the line coming out of the snap, is to snap left if you are flying right and snap right if you are coming left, in other words snap away from you. If you snap in towards yourself its a lot easier to see the plane coming in at the end of the snap than when it is going away unless you are really quick on the rudder.

Once again that momentary and sudden definite break in the nose given by down elevator just before you initiate all the inputs of the snap is crucial to getting a correct looking snap. But you have to get into the snap before the break changes your heading. That break in itself is THE most hotly discussed of all the aspects of a snap.

By the way, I can perform the maneuver, I just dont compete in advanced.... yet .

Thanks , Mike. What you have stated sounds logical. I 'll give it a try. Appreciate the time you took to reply twice.