Hammerhead stall...

[AKSWulfe]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a hammerhead, but I know several people have problems getting the plane to nose over when vertical and stall speeds by using solely rudder...

so I thought I'd throw technique out for anyone who wants to use it (does work VERY well in combat)...

Go into a vertical climb (straight up, using your view over your wings to keep you on track), and hold your plane in the vertical by using smooth control inputs (too harsh and you'll stall out), when you reach the apex of your move (roughly 100-120MPH), chop throttle to 0%. Still vertical, push the rudder into full deflection going the direction your plane torques on take off, then gun the throttle all the way to 100% and use your ailerons as need be to hold your plane the same way it was when you went into this manuever. (ie: you want to depart the same direction you entered)

If you gun the throttle too fast, it won't work. If you do it in the wrong direction, it won't work. After 3 or 4 tries offline, however, you should have it.

It works very well for rope a dopes.
-SW

[Midnight]

According to a VERY experienced RL aerobatic pilot, the AH flight model does not allow an actual hammerhead stall to happen.

Source: Screaming Eagle (se)

Qualifications to make this statement:
(taken from his pilot profile on the 412th Roster Page)

Retired with all my ratings land & sea, 5000hrs.
Singles / twins /sea & land, owned my Pitts S1 Special, now also in retirement, did Acro compition & air shows around the Illinois area, also participated in Oshkosh. Presently hold the Canadian Sportsman category championship as a US citizen.
Flying FM in AH is more difficult than real life

You can get close to a hammerhead, but not really do it.

[AKSWulfe]

cc Midnight, a hammerhead actually involves a tail slide back down a couple hundred feet and the plane flipping nose down, right?

This is just a way to "force it" into the game.
-SW

[Weave]

The new (white) Zero hammerheads very nicly to the right, almost effortlessly. Be a good vehicle to practice with.

[Midnight]

Your right Wulfe

Some planes will do this better than others also.

It can "almost" be done in a P-51.

I would bet this is near impossible to force in an N1K2, better known as "the plane that won't stall"

[BUG_EAF322]

get a P38

suckers

[Wotan]

190s wont tail slide nor will 109s they lose all control input and lazily fall over. Once they begin to fall you get control back.

Il2 take an a5 vert it will tail slide awesome.

I fly with out combat trim and a tail slides just dont happen.

You can get your wing over fast enough so its really np.

[Animal]

You dont need to do all that crap if you fly a P-38L
It will do hammerheads like on autopilot.

I do em well, remember the old ArtLaws flipping out about it.

[MANDOBLE]

Originally posted by Midnight
According to a VERY experienced RL aerobatic pilot, the AH flight model does not allow an actual hammerhead stall to happen.

This is 100% true.

[Daff]

"a hammerhead actually involves a tail slide back down a couple hundred feet and the plane flipping nose down, right? "

Nope.  In most aerobatics planes, you start the turn at around 50 knots. The idea is to pivot around the wingtip.

A classic tailslide is sliding down and then flipping the nose down.

The reason AH appears not to allow 'proper' hammerhead turns, is the seemingly lack of slipstream over the rudder.

Closing the throttle should make it harder, not easier to do.
(although reducing throttle a tad, should help countering torque)

Daff

[Vulcan]

I can do hammerheads in the tiffie just fine, and tailslides in the tiffie fine too. Although I do wonder if its use of engine torque more than rudder input?

The 190s can tailslide but become extremely unstable and twitchy in the move, so its usually very hard to complete. La5s are also the same.

[Wotan]

I should of said that in my reply tailslides and hammerheads arent the same as daff has said

Hammerhead

The video above is from Lem's Aerodrome

for a good hammerhead (its more of a wingover then a hammerhead) @ 175 I slowly push my rudder left and use ailerons to stay in plane.

Tail slides however just dont happen for me in ah. I hold completely verticle power on my plane lazily falls over @ 0 speed and flutters down. Its easy to recover. Same with throttle zeroed and eng off. I dont fly the typh so I dunno.

Heres what my ah hammerhead resembles

Wingover


Tailslides in il2 work well  hammerheads/wingovers are a bit
tougher.


EDIT I fly 190s

[Turbot]

Originally posted by Animal
You dont need to do all that crap if you fly a P-38L
It will do hammerheads like on autopilot.

I do em well, remember the old ArtLaws flipping out about it.

There is also a neat effect when you momentarily reduce power to one engine.  Don't know if it has a name but it does seem point the nose straight down faster.  Still practicing it, but when it works it works great.

[Nomde]

what all the commotion about

my jug does hammerheads just fine, do them all the time

I hammerhead by holding the rudder hard over at about 50-100ias and using the ailerons to follow through, while looking out the side and front views to ensure a smooth 180 while in the 90 degree verticle plane of attack.

In a jug you can also fall back on the tail ina verticle stall, then hard rudder over to flip the nose toward the ground. there's an art to this last one as you can hold the top too long with the wrong airleron movements and find yourself in a flat spin.

practice practice practice

[cajun]

I'm not sure exactly what they are supposed to look like, but are any of these a hammerhead?