Stall Turn on:
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The hammerhead turn, stall turn, or
The hammerhead turn, stall turn, or Fieseler
The Gerhard Fieseler Werke (GFW) in Kassel was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
History
Gerhard Fieseler, the ...
is an aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...
turn-around maneuver.
Description
Enter at full power and maximumairspeed
In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air it is flying through (which itself is usually moving relative to the ground due to wind). In contrast, the ground speed is the speed of an aircraft with respect to the sur ...
. Pull the aircraft up through a quarter loop into a vertical climb. The speed will decay but before upward motion stops firmly apply full rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
to yaw the aircraft through a cartwheel of 180° until the nose is straight down. Dive vertically to the same altitude
Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
as the maneuver started, then pull out, exiting in the opposite direction.
Flying technique
The timing of applying full rudder is critical. If instigated too soon it results in a wingover. If instigated too late the plane will fall into asideslip
A slip is an aerodynamic state where an aircraft is moving ''somewhat'' sideways as well as forward relative to the oncoming airflow or relative wind. In other words, for a conventional aircraft, the nose will be pointing in the opposite directio ...
or else enter a tailslide
The tailslide is an aerobatic maneuver that starts from level flight with a loop up into a straight vertical climb (at full power) until the aircraft loses momentum. When the aircraft's speed reaches zero and it stops climbing, the Pilot (aerona ...
which most aircraft are restricted from doing.
Performing the pivot requires sufficient airflow over the rudder. In planes with a suitably-positioned propeller, the propwash may provide this. Otherwise, rudder must be applied sooner while the plane still has forward airspeed.
This maneuver demands there be no rolling at all but when airflow is minimal ailerons become ineffective. So as soon as the yaw is established reduce throttle to prevent the aircraft from rolling
Rolling is a Motion (physics)#Types of motion, type of motion that combines rotation (commonly, of an Axial symmetry, axially symmetric object) and Translation (geometry), translation of that object with respect to a surface (either one or the ot ...
due to engine torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
. Do not open the throttle again until the dive when sufficient airspeed has been gained for aileron control. Reduced throttle will also prevent gyroscopic precession
Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. In an appropriate reference frame it can be defined as a change in the first Euler angle, whereas the third Euler angle defines the rotation itself. In othe ...
from pitching the nose up.
Higher lift from the faster moving outside right wing will roll the airplane to the left. To maintain attitude in addition to left rudder, holding forward right stick necessary throughout the pivot. Depending on the direction of the turn, the opposite may apply.
SAR reversal
This maneuver has also been called thesearch and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
reversal. SAR helicopters fly this when hunting survivors or submarines, because it brings the aircraft directly back along the same course to verify the target. The maneuver doesn't require visual meteorological conditions (VMC) if the pilot is proficient at maintaining altitude by keeping the lateral acceleration ball centered, as any uncoordinated lateral acceleration will induce spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to determine position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since visual system, vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular system ...
.
See also
*Fieseler
The Gerhard Fieseler Werke (GFW) in Kassel was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
History
Gerhard Fieseler, the ...
* Gerhard Fieseler
References
{{Aerobatics Aerobatic maneuvers