From the Mid Atlantic Radio Kontrol Society, Snow Hill, Maryland
Getting the Harrier Down: a building-block
approach
by Jeremy Chinn
Part 2 of 5
If you have followed along with
the previous article, you now have a simulator to
learn on as well as the right kind of airplane to
learn with. This is a point at which many people
just begin banging the sticks around and thrashing
the airframe around the field. Not only does this
not necessarily turn into the safest situation, but
it does not often yield success.
To learn to 3-D well, you need to
learn with a building-block approach that builds a
good foundation of basic 3-D maneuvers and
progresses from there. This progression will use
much of the basic aerobatic knowledge you have
previously learned to control the airplane in all
attitudes and situations.
While most people think the core
maneuver to flying 3-D is the hover, that is
unfortunately incorrect. The most basic and
fundamental maneuver for learning 3-D is the
Harrier. The Harrier is a part of a majority of 3-D
maneuvers and skills learned during training to help
build rudder-control skills necessary for more
complex maneuvers.
To learn to Harrier correctly, we
are going to use another simple maneuver called an
elevator. Learning to Harrier this way initially
allows this first maneuver to be flown at a higher
altitude and with an easy escape route.
Start by climbing to an altitude
of “five mistakes high.” Level the airplane at
center field with the nose into the wind and cut the
throttle to idle. When the airplane has slowed
significantly, hold full-up elevator and allow the
airplane to fall. If your airplane is set up
correctly with an appropriate center of gravity and
control throws, it should descend slightly nose down
or level. An idle set too high will cause the
airplane to descend nose high.
As the airplane descends, use the
ailerons to hold the wings level. During the
descent, the wings may rock back and forth. Careful
correction with the ailerons will help correct this
problem with most good designs.
When the airplane has reached an
altitude of one mistake high, decrease the pressure
on the elevator and increase the throttle to fly out
level. You have just completed an Elevator.
Congratulations! Continue practicing this maneuver
until you are comfortable with the airplane
descending in this manner.
Next up, prepare to fly an
Elevator just as you did before, however for this
round of exercises, you should begin to use the
rudder to steer the airplane as it descends.
Remember to use the ailerons to keep the wings level
during the descent. Try descending while steering
the airplane through a gentle circling descent and
exit as before. Continue flying this exercise until
you are comfortable using the rudder to steer. This
exercise may feel odd to many sport pilots who are
not used to using the rudder on a regular basis.
In the next phase, we will begin
the Elevator just as before and use the rudder and
ailerons. As the airplane reaches the midway point
of its descent, begin to increase the throttle until
the nose rises slightly. The airplane will also move
forward more than in previous exercises and its rate
of descent will slow. Do this repeatedly until you
feel comfortable increasing the throttle and
maintaining control of the airplane.
Once you are comfortable
descending in this increased throttle state, allow
the airplane to descend to one to two mistakes high
and increase the throttle more while easing off the
elevator backpressure. Your goal now is to find a
point of equilibrium where the airplane maintains a
nose-up attitude of approximately 30° to 45° while
slowing the descent to no altitude change.
When you can complete this last
exercise, you have successfully flown a Harrier. You
can successfully control the heading of the airplane
with the rudder and its attitude and rate of descent
with a combination of elevator and throttle control.
It’s now time to take your efforts to the next
level.
Once you feel comfortable finding
that balance between elevator back pressure and
throttle input, you need to take the next big step.
In the next phase of this
exercise, you are going to fly at a very low level.
This is a point at which many students get very
uncomfortable. They reason that, since they are
closer to the ground, they are more likely to hit
the ground. That is not an unreasonable thought;
however it fails to take all the factors into
account.
Learning to fly 3-D, especially
learning to Harrier, at a very low level is
absolutely the best place to perfect your Harrier.
Optimally, you’ll fly with your tail one to two feet
off the ground.
By learning to Harrier at a low
level, you:
• Fly at an altitude and proximity to yourself that
allows you to see every movement of the airplane no
matter how small, and react to it promptly to keep
the airplane flying the way you want it.
• Keep the airplane low so that in the event it does
get into an “out-of-shape” attitude, it does not
have enough time or altitude to build up momentum
that will cause significant crash damage.
• Impress your friends!
Start this phase by flying low, level, straight-line
runs down the runway into the wind. Remember to be
courteous to your fellow fliers and yield the runway
to those who need it. Pilots taking off or landing
always have the right of way. If you get
uncomfortable with the airplane at this altitude
because of a gust of wind or other factor, use the
ailerons to level the wings, cut the throttle back
somewhat and let the airplane drop to its landing
gear.
As you get more and more
comfortable flying your Harrier down the runway,
begin to add turns into your exercise. Start with
circles one direction, then the next. When you feel
comfortable flying circles in a Harrier, modify your
exercise to include figure-eights over the runway.
These simple exercises are a great
way to build, refine, and improve your fundamental
3-D skills.
You now have a great foundation to
begin building more 3-D maneuvers into your
repertoire, so what is next? Before moving to an
entirely different skill, you need to go back to the
beginning of this Harrier lesson, but progress
through it inverted. A successful inverted Harrier
is another important building block of learning to
3-D.
As you move through the inverted
version of the Harrier lesson, remember that your
rudder and elevator require inputs opposite of those
you use in an upright Harrier. Most people find it
extremely helpful to use their simulator at a slower
time rate to build this skill before moving to the
real world.
Becoming proficient at flying your
airplane in a Harrier is one of the most important
building blocks or fundamentals of becoming a great
3-D pilot. Don’t be afraid to take your time moving
through these exercises. Some pilots will progress
through the Harrier lesson in a weekend. It may take
others a month. You should also not be afraid to
break this lesson out again when you have progressed
past it. Q
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