by Dave Scott
Lessons in proactive vs. reactive flying
The Immelmann is an aerobatic maneuver that allows you to do a 180° turnaround
Featured in the August 2014 issue of Model Aviation.
The problem with an ordinary turn is that it takes the airplane away from the ideal line that it was on before the turn (figure 1). The pilot is then forced to make several adjustments after the turn to reestablish the preferred line coming back. As a consequence, the pilot has less time to think about what he wants to do next.
The Immelmann is an aerobatic maneuver that allows you to do a 180…