More predictable pop tops

[njswede]

I love to do pop tops. Especially with my 58" Edge that spins like a top when you get it right. The problem is I don't always get it right. About 50% of the time, I get nice pop tops. 25% of the time I get something that looks like a crankshaft (spinning around the wing tube) and the remaining 25% of the time I just get a wild and crazy snap/tumble.

While it all looks really cool, I would want my pop tops to be a bit more predictable, as I'm trying to use them as turnaround maneuvers. I'm sure the unpredictable behavior has something to do with my timing, but I haven't been able to pinpoint it. This is how I do it:

1) Full speed (sometimes right out of a downline)
2) Vertical climb (not too long to keep the speed)
3) Full right aileron and let the plane complete 2-3 rolls to gain some angular momentum.
4) Full right aileron, full left rudder, full down elevator reduce throttle to just above idle
5) A quick feed of left aileron so keep the plane from flipping over inverted.
6) Gradually release the down elevator to make the plane stay level.
7) Wait until the nose points the way I want it and punch out.

Any tips how to make them more predictable?

 

[Aaeolien]

I do pop tops without the right aileron roll you have listed in #3. Never tried it that way. I think it just might be a timing thing because I end up with a variety of looking things just like you get. Sometimes they are great other times I just go huh? Lol.

 

[hosam]

I do pop tops without the right aileron roll you have listed in #3. Never tried it that way. I think it just might be a timing thing because I end up with a variety of looking things just like you get. Sometimes they are great other times I just go huh? Lol.

+1 on the aileron note... I have also found it to be easy to do with some planes and difficult with others... speed is a major factor in this maneuver but I am no expert...

 

[gyro]

Speed helps a lot, and I always lead with aileron. I sometimes have to adjust the timing for my different airplanes, but I can pop top with all of them relatively predictably.

 

[Ohio AV8TOR]

For me to be more predictable it is about getting off the aileron when you are wings level and let the momentum take you around.

 

[wedoitall]

i can do inverted pop tops alil easier . never tried the aileron roll into one. i have a hard time hitting them 100 percent on upright poptops.

 

[wedoitall]

from what ive been told its mostly about timing coming out of the 90 degree portion at the beginning of the upline. as soon as your perfectly vertical hit it. not to soon or to late.

 

[Steve_B]

I find a lot of it is about entry speed. My 48" laser is the best of my models at pop-tops I think mainly due to the ballistic vertical speed with the DM-3615. Pop tops are pure violence with the Laser they look and sound just like a blender entered with high power. Having said that my 48" Edge with the same motor doesn't do near as many rotations so there is obviously a little more to it than pure power.

The Laser and Edge and 51" AJ Slick I'm pretty consistent with but some of my other models it's a bit of a crap shoot, technique is definitely different between models and some seem to require much more precise timing than others.

 

[Av8r RC]

I love doing those pop tops too. I've gotten to the point of nailing them about 98% of the time. But I've never tried them with a roll first. I suggest getting the pop top down then try to add the roll before it.

To do them right it's all about timing. Timing, timing, timing. And a lot of things can change the way the plane comes out. Like, I find my pop tops look better and come out more predictably if I start the maneuver going into the wind.

Here's how I do them. Opposite directions vs the way you are trying them. Maybe the rotation of the prop makes them better in one direction vs the other.

1. Establish a straight line down the runway. Doesn't need to be WOT. But the faster you are going the faster your timing has to be.
2. Pull vertical. Of course the longer you go vertical the more speed you loose.
3. To start the maneuver, I input full left aileron (9 o'clock). And almost simultaneously input full right rudder and start reducing throttle. You want to add the rudder just a split second after aileron.
4. On the right stick I just use a stirring motion. Going from 9 o'clock, cw to 6 o'clock. How fast or slow around will all be about the plane and how fast it's going. That timing thing. Also by the time your right stick is at 12 o'clock you will want to be at 1/4 to zero throttle. This is one thing that's really gonna vary from plane to plane. For instance my 89 & 51 slick will do it anywhere from zero to full throttle. But my 40 EPP Edge & 47 SHP will not do it with anything less than 1/2 throttle.

And once you get those pop tops down there are a lot a cool ways to exit. Rolling harrier (I'm still looking for that particular holy grail), flat spins, elevators, and my favorite right now. I like to go into it as fast and as violent as I can, hold almost full throttle throughout the maneuver and exit it while only making half a rotation. Hard to describe, it kinda looks like a stunt driver driving a car and sliding sideways into a parking spot then taking off the other direction.

 

[joshgluck]

Interesting.. I'm feeling some rf action tonight. I've been practicing pops and blenders. I've been doing rudder then elevator I think. I watched bone docs video and I'm pretty sure that's how he starts too. I'll have to check it out. Might be why I can't get them consistent.