Barrel roll

SlingShot

Maneuvering With Purpose
Hmmm.......well here's how a full-scale stunt pilot teaches tourist pilots in Las Vegas:

Pull back gently on the stick until you get about 15-20 degrees up pitch. Then while holding the same amount of back pressure, crank the aileron over until you get the desired roll rate. Enjoy the ride. :cool:

Edit: closer to 45 degree up pitch is probably better, but it does depend on the kind of speed that you are carrying.
 
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d8veh

Elite member
Hi
I just wondered what control surfaces are need to do a barrel roll
Many thanks
With a 3 ch plane, get your plane nice and high, then switch to high rates if you have a dual-rates transmitter. Get up a bit of speed, then push the rudder right over and keep it there throughout the roll. When the plane banks over on to its wing tip, push full down elevator and the plane will continue to roll right over.
 
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Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
You can roll with aileron only, provided you have enough authority. You can add some down elevator when inverted, to hold a more level attitude. If you want a faster roll add rudder, the same direction as aileron. I agree with @d8veh, most planes roll just a bit better to the right due to the prop wash.
 
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Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
The real trick is not barrel rolling but rather setting up your plane so it rolls axially! Most builds I have observed are just happy that it rolls at all.

Have fun!
 

SlingShot

Maneuvering With Purpose
The real trick is not barrel rolling but rather setting up your plane so it rolls axially! Most builds I have observed are just happy that it rolls at all.

Have fun!

That's a fair point. You need the ship to be capable of a good axial roll. He did say barrel roll however, but some people don't always use the correct nomenclature. This first video shows basic aerobatics minus the barrel roll. It does a great job explaining the perfect execution of an axial or aileron roll.

This second video demonstrates a barrel roll that incorporates rudder as well.
 

AkimboGlueGuns

Biplane Guy
Mentor
Okay, time for my aerobatics training to actually be useful. An aileron roll is what is mostly described in this thread, pitch up generously (in an aerobatic airplane about 15 to 20 degrees) and the airplane will go ballistic (flying in a parabolic arch rather than through the lift of the wing) and the airplane will roll with aileron input. A slow roll is a mixture of elevator, rudder, and aileron to create a level roll. A barrel roll is sort of a mix between the two. A gradual pitch up combined with aileron and rudder results in a constant positive 1g mix between a loop and a roll.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
That's a fair point. You need the ship to be capable of a good axial roll. He did say barrel roll however, but some people don't always use the correct nomenclature. This first video shows basic aerobatics minus the barrel roll. It does a great job explaining the perfect execution of an axial or aileron roll.

This second video demonstrates a barrel roll that incorporates rudder as well.
All well and good but I am aware of the various methods or combinations of control inputs that can be used to attain a barrel roll or even control its shape. This includes the use of independently operated spoilers, (2 separate channels), mixed into the aileron channel to give good and repeatable barrel rolls at the flick of a switch.

I am also aware of using differential to balance aileron drag and hence obtain axial rolls.

Have fun!
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Actually I have done proper barrel rolls using rudder only on a dihederal wing rudder only 1/2A goldberg jr falcon.
 

AkimboGlueGuns

Biplane Guy
Mentor
Actually I have done proper barrel rolls using rudder only on a dihederal wing rudder only 1/2A goldberg jr falcon.
If the aircraft is setup correctly (as yours must be) the rudder in conjunction with elevator can give you a proper barrel roll. Reason being that once the rudder input is applied the outboard wing is accelerated and causes a rolling moment, the elevator is necessary as the total lift of the aircraft (if unaccelerated) will not increase and the aircraft will lose altitude. With the proper load factor and control inputs ailerons are not totally necessary, especially with the amount of dihedral found on most of the RC trainer planes that are out there. Just remember, and plane in the hands of a capable pilot can be flown in an aerobatic fashion.
 

Vimana89

Legendary member
I don't know much about the topic, but if you want a plane that barrel rolls well with a minimal amount of control surfaces, do a delta or something else with elevons. As far as my sim experience, the most important part isn't so much doing the roll, but righting/leveling your plane directly after. It's not quite as simple a process as tapping the L R or Z button a couple of times and deflecting enemy lasers like a boss with your wingtips ;)
 

FPVAirCombat

Well-known member
I love doing large barrel rolls! It's my favorite aerobatic maneuver. I generally initiate with elevator pitch up to 30° then while holding same elevator pressure feed in constant aileron pressure. I normally back off throttle after plane reach the apex and relax a little up elevator as well to not let that back half pick up too much speed. I don't normally use much rudder for barrel rolls at all. I did 3 barrel rolls in this video: