Maneuver Question

[Ghosth]

A true hammerhead should have zero or close to zero airspeed.

The trick in AH is doing it without any rotation, go straight up, till it starts falling back, kick rudder, flip, and dive away regaining speed all under control.

P38 is best at it because of its lack of torque and huge control surfaces.

[Traveler]

A true hammerhead should have zero or close to zero airspeed.

The trick in AH is doing it without any rotation, go straight up, till it starts falling back, kick rudder, flip, and dive away regaining speed all under control.

P38 is best at it because of its lack of torque and huge control surfaces.

Stall Turn or Hammer Head

Stall Turn 1/4 loop (pull or push) to vertical, as momentum/airspeed decreases 20 to 30 knots, rudder is applied and the aircraft rotates around its yaw axis, the nose falls through the horizon and points towards the ground, a momentary pause is made to draw the vertical down line, and 1/4 loop to level flight. This figure is sometimes called a stall turn which is a misnomer because the aircraft never actually stalls. The manoeuvre is performed when the aeroplane decelerates through 20 - 30kts (more or less, depending on the aeroplane flown) from entry airspeed. The cartwheel portion of the hammerhead is performed with full rudder and full opposite aileron. Gyroscopic forces from the propeller during the rapid rate of yaw will produce a pitching and rolling moment and a degree of forward stick will be required to keep the aeroplane from coming off-line over the top. The yaw is stopped with opposite rudder while the ailerons and elevator remain in position, then once the yaw is stopped and the aeroplane is pointed down vertically, all controls are returned to neutral together. Although they can be flown left or right in any aeroplane with the proper technique, a hammerhead is best flown to the left with a clockwise rotating prop, and to the right with an anticlockwise rotating prop (as in a Yakovlev type), due to propeller torque/gyroscopic effects.