HALF CUBAN-8 WITH NEGATIVE SNAP ROLLS

In the past, we’ve discussed different aerobatic moves that consist of endless variations of a basic maneuver. For this article, let’s look at a variation of the basic Cuban-8, this time making it a half Cuban-8 with one-and-a-half negative snap rolls. The half Cuban-8 is usually performed with a half roll on the downline, but to spice things up we’ll replace the roll with more impressive one-and-a-half negative snap rolls (starting inverted and ending up upright). With a strong, well-defined foundation, this maneuver is a great deviation from the norm. Let’s get started!

- JOHN GLEZELLIS

RADIO AND AIRCRAFT SETUP

It is very important to spend extra time ensuring proper setup before taking to the skies. With a maneuver like this, which combines elegant maneuvers with more aggressive elements (the one-and-a-half negative snap), you have to use dual rates. I also recommend using flight modes (assigning all dual or triple rates to one specific switch). This step will greatly minimize your workload, allowing you more time to focus on performing the maneuver and less time looking for switches!

For this maneuver, I use low rates for the looping portion of the maneuver. These are about 25 percent aileron exponential (expo); 25 percent elevator expo; 30 percent rudder expo with about 20 degrees of aileron deflection; 15 degrees of elevator deflection, and 30 degrees of rudder deflection. Then for the snap roll, I use high rates: about 50 percent expo for the ailerons and elevator control surfaces, and about 55 percent for rudder expo with 35 degrees for aileron deflection; 20 degrees for an elevator, and about 40 degrees for rudder deflection.