StickandRudder
Member
So even before I finished my PPL, I was always kinda curious about aerobatics. I thought that Lomcevaks especially looked very cool, and ever since I have wanted to do one. Well today I was out doing some intermediate aerobatics in a Zlin 242 (Lyco AEIO-360). I asked my instructor if he could do Lomcevaks in the Zlin. He said he'd tried before, but hadn't been able to get it to go. BUT, we had some extra time so he told me to go ahead and try it if I wanted.
So first attempt I dive for airspeed then pitch to 45 degrees nose high and start an unloaded roll to the left, planning on putting in rudder and forward stick once we drop to 60 knots, but the nose drops too soon and starts speeding up before we got below 70. So second attempt I pitch up almost completely 90 degrees vertical and start an unloaded roll to the left. I watch the airspeed and the needle hits 60 so I stomp on the right rudder and throw in forward left stick. For a few seconds, nothing. And then all of a sudden the plane goes into a beautiful, clean tumble.
It was great! It only tumbled once before it ran out of energy and started to decay into a spin. But my instructor was pleased because he had never been able to do a lomcevak and now he knew that his plane could do it, and I was pleased because I finally got to do one.
So I'm wondering if, say, an RV-4 with a similar amount of horsepower could do a lomcevak. I haven't ever heard of it being done, so I'm curious. Anybody ever try it? How'd it work out for you?
So first attempt I dive for airspeed then pitch to 45 degrees nose high and start an unloaded roll to the left, planning on putting in rudder and forward stick once we drop to 60 knots, but the nose drops too soon and starts speeding up before we got below 70. So second attempt I pitch up almost completely 90 degrees vertical and start an unloaded roll to the left. I watch the airspeed and the needle hits 60 so I stomp on the right rudder and throw in forward left stick. For a few seconds, nothing. And then all of a sudden the plane goes into a beautiful, clean tumble.
It was great! It only tumbled once before it ran out of energy and started to decay into a spin. But my instructor was pleased because he had never been able to do a lomcevak and now he knew that his plane could do it, and I was pleased because I finally got to do one. So I'm wondering if, say, an RV-4 with a similar amount of horsepower could do a lomcevak. I haven't ever heard of it being done, so I'm curious. Anybody ever try it? How'd it work out for you?
