Negative Snap From An Inverted Climb

3D excitement in four easy steps

- John Glezellis

There is no doubt that many aerobatic pilots are interested in performing extreme maneuvers. It is important, however, to build your aerobatic sequences on a solid foundation. Too many times, I see pilots trying different and extreme maneuvers and often the airplane is in control, but the pilot isn’t. To become really successful we must stay in control and this requires lots of practice.

For this column, we will talk about the negative snap from an inverted climb. For this maneuver, the pilot enters from inverted flight and pushes to establish a 45-degree climb, then performs 1 1/2 negative snaps. After the snap, another line segment (equal to the first line segment), is then executed. At the top of the climb, the pilot pulls 135 degrees to exit in inverted straight and level flight.

This is a good maneuver to help teach you how to perform cleanly while being aware of any corrections needed for maximum flight points. As with most maneuvers, with lots of practice, you learn to correct automatically which is the goal for any serious aerobatic and/or 3D pilot.

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