Real Horizontal 8's

[john e. holliday]

After reading the post on the difference between the OTS and PAMPA horizontal 8's.  How does a full blown aerobatic pilot do horizontal 8's.  Come on Chris I need to know.  DOC Holliday

[Paul Smith]

I did 'em in real airplanes.  They were lazy eights with two insides and a half roll at the intersection.

Outside loops are rare in real 'planes. 
Pilots don't like negative G's, and neither do fuel systems, instruments, and wings.

[Mike Scholtes]

I don't have Chris' degree of experience, but I do have time in a Pitts S-2 and a variety of other aerobatic aircraft. The "8" is done by intiating an inside loop, either from a dive or just on power alone (as in the Pitts), then establishing a 45 degree inverted dive after going over the top, holding it for a few moments, then a half-roll to upright, continuing the dive, then pulling up into the second inside loop, completed with another inverted 45 degree dive and finishing with a half-roll to upright. The maneuver is indeed "lazy" in the sense of no tangent circles as in model (CL) practice. Outside loops are doable in something like the Pitts but they hurt the pilot. They are no harder on the airframe than inside maneuvers in a plane purpose-built for full-house akro.

[RC Storick]

I am setting this topic sticky for a week because people have asked me about it.

[Bill Little]

I am setting this topic sticky for a week because people have asked me about it.

Actually, it was the posts "under" the thread that Doc mentioned on the differences in the OTS and modern patter horizontal "8" that seems to have disappeared!

Bill <><

[Leo Mehl]

I consider the lazy 8 as a way to get by a bad engine run and the cruxs of a sport flyer. Its just a relaxing maneuver. It is probably so relaxing you could maybe take a nap while doing same.

[john e. holliday]

To me lazy 8's are a way to get over a dizzy spell.  Also another way of getting the inverted stuff worked out.  Of course I learned to do outside loops by doing wingovers.  Have fun,  DOC Holliday

[Bob Reeves]

I sure don't think flying an old time eight well is very relaxing 

[Bill Little]

I sure don't think flying an old time eight well is very relaxing 

Ain't that the truth!  But a correct OTS 8 sure ain't a "LAZY 8"! 

[James Lee]

Back in the day they called those full scale eights with the half roll in the middle 'Cuban Eights'....    When I was a member of the Antique Airplane Ass'n back in the late fifties I watched Hal Krier in his Great Lakes and Bill Adams in his big Stearman doing aerobatics in a 2000' cube at the Oskaloosa, IA airport......  With the bottom at ground level....   Sorta spoiled a fella!! Watching the Thunderbirds go bellowing by in the Phantoms and then turning around in the next state was  bit boring....    That was when the EAA was a Very Small part of the Antiquers...   They would have hundreds of antiques and maybe a dozen homebuilts.....   Did see some really neat stuff!!! 
Later
Jim
 

[Bill Little]

Hi All,

I went ahead and pulled the "pin" out of this one.  Been two weeks as a sticky, and has pretty well died............