Doin' the dead-air two-step

[Tim Wescott]

What's your favored technique for stepping back while maneuvering in still air?  I'm still working at getting this down: for me, at the moment, shuffling backwards through the whole maneuver seems to work best for the rounds, while stepping back during the straight parts works best for the squares -- but I think that as I get more practice, shuffling backwards throughout may work best for all of them.

Two weeks ago my favored technique was "find any way to step backwards that doesn't involve crashing", so I'm kind of fishing for the best technique to aim for, not necessarily advocating any one thing over another.

[Dan McEntee]

  I think this is exactly how the "Moon Walk" was invented. Michael Jackson was a closet stunt flier, and developed it to get his model smoothly out of wake turbulance!
  Dan McEntee

[Matt Colan]

I walk back in constantly in a certain rythm during all consecutive maneuvers. I do this so I won't have to think about when to step back, I just keep going. I rarely hit my own turbulence now. For 8 maneuvers, I walk back before intersections to keep myself from backing up almost 30ft due to the lemgth of the maneuver. Sometimes, if I have the space to, I'll walk forward a couple steps before I start the maneuver so I have more space to back up.

[Allen Brickhaus]

I walk back in constantly in a certain rhythm during all consecutive maneuvers. I do this so I won't have to think about when to step back, I just keep going. I rarely hit my own turbulence now. For 8 maneuvers, I walk back before intersections to keep myself from backing up almost 30ft due to the length of the maneuver. Sometimes, if I have the space to, I'll walk forward a couple steps before I start the maneuver so I have more space to back up.

I totally agree with Matt.

[Mike Keville]

I remember a time when I didn't step back during the Square Eights.

"Whumph!"  Embarrassing!

[Randy Cuberly]

I suppose any way you can step back quickly and smoothly will work.     As a long term fencer (with swords, not wooden poles) I automatically use a fencing step to back up, and would strongly reccommend it if you can find a friend to show you how it's done.  It's not particularly difficult but it is very consistent and balanced.  There will never be any tripping over your own feet or even snagging a foot in a hole etc.
Any one who has done some fencing in the past can show you how it's done.
It's a Quick steady movement that causes the least possible interferrence with any action of your hands, which is a very good thing when you're flying square eights.  Or holding a Saber.

Randy Cuberly

[Tim Wescott]

Matt, Allen:

Walking backwards while maneuvering to avoid the turbulence in the first place sounds like the way to go.

I'm finding that it's not something I can just start doing and have it work -- this is definitely going to be a step that I'm going to have to practice.  I'll just have to do so during my square maneuvers until I can do it without falling backwards, forgetting to level out from a downward leg, or something else equally stupid.

[john e. holliday]

That is where practice comes into play.  That is something I don't do enough of.

[dirty dan]

While I have seen a couple spectacular crashes from hitting one's own wake, that only indicates how rare such a thing really is. I don't recall any of my models doing anything much more than a mild flop in self-induced turbulence.

Agreeing that sometimes a step or two back, in even rarer cases a step or two forward, does help and cannot be ignored, I am of the opinion that a really solid level of basic trim is the best weapon against any flop-and-crash experiences.

As it happens this can sometimes be an issue for me as I tend to the tip-light sort of trim simply because transitions from insides to outsides seems to flow better. The models aren't so much as obviously tip-light in that only rarely can this be seen from outside the circle and then only by the eagle eyes amongst us (step forward Brett Buck) but care needs to be taken in certain conditions.

So my advice is to revisit trim setup of the model.

Dan

[Dennis Toth]

Tim,
Down here in FL we seem to get a lot of that dead air just when we start practicing for a contest. I have tried several methods. The one that seems to work well for me is to take the step at the bottom of the loops (top of the sq outsides) then set for the maneuver, then take the next set at the bottom of the next. For the eights I do it at the bottoms of the loops. Verticals and overheads and clover have not been a problem but if needed at the bottom. I tried the continuous step and it seems to tighten the loops as you move. I need to look into the fencing step.

Best,   DennisT

[Randy Cuberly]

For those interested in the fencing step, you can go on Google or Bing and simply type in "videos of fencing footwork" and select one of the beginner videos and the advance and retreat are explained there.  Of course the step we're talking about is called the retreat in fencing terms.  After practicing it a while it becomes automatic and can be modified a little for a more slightly turned position of your feet to be a little more square to the airplane if you wish.
What makes this steady of course is that weight is always solidly on one foot or the other and your feet do not cross in the process of moving.  i sincerely think it is the best way to move back ( or forward for that matter) where tripping could be catastrophic.  Done corectly it is a very smooth movement.  It just takes a little practice to become automatic.  What the heck you might even decide to try some fencing...fabulous exercise and a lot of fun.
For you old hands that have your own favorite way of "walking back" that works for you...great; do what you will.

Randy cuberly

[Steve Helmick]

I found it easier to learn backing upwind to avoid turbulence than to learn stepping downwind to slow the model and reduce line tension on a windy day. Probably because we are blessed with about the lowest wind conditions here in Puget Sound, of anywhere in the USA (I think the LA Basin is statistically similar). Low wind velocity is common, real wind less common, but different sites do have their quirks.

If I figure on backin' up, I start my tricks at the downwind edge of the pilot's circle and shuffle back toward the judges. If it's a windy day, I try to remember to start at the upwind edge of the pilot's circle and shuffle downwind as required, perhaps to the downwind side of the pilot's circle, but not often that much. I may have done both at Salem in October, but hopefully not on the same flight. I'd suggest marking out a 10' pilot's circle and practise using it that way when the conditions indicate.  Parry, thrust!    Steve   

[Randy Cuberly]

when the conditions indicate.  Parry, thrust!    Steve   

UUhhhhh...actually Steve, it's "parry ripost"!  but I wouldn't reccommend that while flying! 

Randy Cuberly

[Matt Colan]

Matt, Allen:

Walking backwards while maneuvering to avoid the turbulence in the first place sounds like the way to go.

I'm finding that it's not something I can just start doing and have it work -- this is definitely going to be a step that I'm going to have to practice.  I'll just have to do so during my square maneuvers until I can do it without falling backwards, forgetting to level out from a downward leg, or something else equally stupid.

I used to do a couple steps back per loop, stop, then start again. My loops or any maneuver I was backing up for that matter were inconsistent and I would either walk the maneuvers, or grow or shrink them. The constant walking back works because of the constant rythm and eventually with enough practice you don't think, you just do it. Dave Fitzgerald is where I picked this up off of.

For three round loops, I would guess I back up about 10-12ft which is about 2 wingspans on a full size 60 piped ship. I rarely get hit now, unless air is that dead or I'm doing maneuvers where the wind is in my face (what little there is of it)