Figure of Eights

[mgjackson]

Whats a figure of 8? My undertanding a 'Lazy Eight' is a hovering manuvour where the heli is kept tail in.

I was doing figure of eights while circuit flying today where for the top of the eight I turned the heli way from myself, then flew straight and diaganal across the sky and the at the bottom of the eight turned it away from myself.

After doing that a couple of times, I reversed it so that the turn at the top of the eight was towards myself and the corresponding bottom also was a turn nose in. Done that a few times as well.

Quite pleased with myself for that....just not sure what it was called

[trillian]

Whats a figure of 8? My undertanding a 'Lazy Eight' is a hovering manuvour where the heli is kept tail in.

I was doing figure of eights while circuit flying today where for the top of the eight I turned the heli way from myself, then flew straight and diaganal across the sky and the at the bottom of the eight turned it away from myself.

After doing that a couple of times, I reversed it so that the turn at the top of the eight was towards myself and the corresponding bottom also was a turn nose in. Done that a few times as well.

Quite pleased with myself for that....just not sure what it was called

Basically what you're describing could be a 'lazy 8' or a figure 8 depending on how round the two halves are.

The lazy 8 is just a figure 8 where the two connecting circles are not perfectly round. They can be done in either direction. For the BMFA A test a lazy 8 is required where the heli turns away from the pilot at the ends and travels forward at all times (sideways when passing the pilot in the centre) at a 'fast walking pace'.

My understanding of a proper figure 8 is that it is essentially two circles connected.

[mgjackson]

So a true eight then the heli would have to start at the centre of the eight, fly to the left and do a circle and end up back where it was, then fly to the right and do the second circle.

[trillian]

So a true eight then the heli would have to start at the centre of the eight, fly to the left and do a circle and end up back where it was, then fly to the right and do the second circle.

You don't have to start at the centre, you can enter one side of the 8 from the outside but the main thing being that you end up forming two circles as round as possible with the crossover point in the middle having the heli pointing away from or towards the pilot.

[CookieMan]

Well in the quickest way... pretty much like this mate:

[p4ddy]

Yea my take on it is Lazy are like a squished 8 but a real 8 is proper round like the pic. This also brings to mind the question "what is a true circuit?" Is it a large circle or like a cycle track (a circuit) a long oblong type circle? I believe it to be the later

[mgjackson]

Thanks....it looks like I'm going in the right direction

The main objective was to be even comftable turning right and left and in turning the heli nose in...its all to easy to fly about and avoid doing that.

I also did a stall turn, loop and a second stall turn, which I was also quite pleased with. However, I consider the loop was a 'virtual crash' as I was flying at the top of a slope and the heli came out of loop lower than where I was standing, ie, technically below ground level

[mgjackson]

This also brings to mind the question "what is a true circuit?" Is it a large circle or like a cycle track (a circuit) a long oblong type circle? I believe it to be the later

Flying oblongs was what I was trying as well - quite hard not to turn it in to a figure of eight.

When I was a plank flyer, a circuit would be across, turn 90 degrees, fly way, another 90, fly across the other direction, another 90, fly towards, final 90 and across to where started....so basically a square. Not been able to do that with a heli.

[Steve]

Attached are the eights from the BMFA B and A tests.

The one on the left is the 'figure eight' for the B test. Each side of the manoeuvre is a circle, and the heli turns in towards the flightline at the furthest parts away from the pilot.

The one on the right is the 'lazy eight' for the A test. Each side of the manoeuvre is an oval, and the heli turns away from the flightline at the furthest edges.

Big difference between the two.

[trillian]

Big difference between the two.

Yeah, for the purpose of the A and B tests it is a very different maneuver.

For the A the idea is you're never nose-in because you're side-on at the crossover and turning away at the edges. For the B test it is also not a hovering exercise it is FF flight.

[mgjackson]

As an aside, whats a Top Hat and a Hovering M? Presumably I'd fail the B test because I don't know what they are....

[Steve]

As an aside, whats a Top Hat and a Hovering M? Presumably I'd fail the B test because I don't know what they are....

It's all in here -> http://www.bmfa.org/achievement/files/Hel-B-Issue8.pdf

The hovering M isn't in the test anymore. It's been replaced by the bow tie.

[chris jones2.4]

Well in the quickest way... pretty much like this mate:

good explanation! lol

[mgjackson]

It's all in here -> http://www.bmfa.org/achievement/files/Hel-B-Issue8.pdf

Thanks, Thats very interesting and better detailed than the 2007 handbook I recently received from the BMFA.

Although I've only been flying a year, I'd have said that there wasn't anything in the B test that I haven't tried already in some form. I have to hasten to add though, that doesn't mean I can do any of them particularly well - and certainly not to the standard required to pass