The most important rules that we should remember:
1. The figures drawn in the sequence that begin and end in the principal or A-axis should be flown against or with the official wind direction, according to the wind direction arrow in the Form B/C of the sequence.
2. The figures that begin on the principal axis (A) and end on the secondary axis (B), or vice-versa, should be flown on the principal axis against or with the wind according to the wind direction arrow; but the secondary or transverse axis (B) can be flown in both directions, towards the judges or away from the judges. In other words the flight direction on the B-axis is up to the discretion of the pilot, who can turn from the A-axis to the B-axis, towards the right or towards the left, to position the plane in the best location according to circumstances. The pilot's decision usually depends on the wind, which influences and impacts the position of his sequence in the box.
3. Any figures that begin and end in the B-axis (secondary), but have elements that should be temporarily flown in the principal axis should adhere to the following restrictions.
-Figures of Families 1 and 8 should be flown strictly as they appear in the Form B/C, according to the official wind direction. Central to the above examples, figures 1 and 3 should be flown against the wind, figures 2 and 4 with the wind. Otherwise, you will be judged as going in the "wrong direction" and penalized with a HZ. All of the 180 degree turns from and towards the transverse B-axis, 360 degree turns, and wheel barrels are exempt from these requirements. In these cases, the turn to the left/right is at the discretion of the pilot.
The stall turns and the tailslides are not affected by the aforementioned restrictions, because the orientation of the top part of the plane is directly impacted by other natural decisions or limitations.
If the pilot decides to take a "break" or pause in the secondary B-axis, the following applies:
- If the "break" occurs following a correctly executed figure, the direction from which he should start again should be the same as his direction before the break. If the pilot begins again in the opposite direction, each figure in the B-axis will receive a Hard Zero ("flying in the wrong direction") until the error is rectified or until he flies along the principal axis.
-After a penalty for the interruption, the pilot is not obligated to continue the sequence in the direction determined by the flight before the interruption.
It's very important to always maintain constant control of the situation, of what is "correct" or "allowed" in terms of flight direction and with regards to eachfigure.
"allowed" in terms of flight direction and with regards to eachfigure.
Radius of the loop segments
Loops and parts of loops
This section represents one of the most significant changes to judging in recent years. Beginning in 2013, the need to make strict comparisons between the radius/size of the figures' corners was eliminated. The judges now should evaluate purely the "smoothness" of these corners, and the evenness and size of the loop segments to arrive at any possible penalty - with some exceptions that we will see below.
The loop is a figure of Family 7, but parts of the loop form an integral part of each figure, so we must cover the loop before continuing on to other families.
By definition, the loop has to have an unchanging radius.It begins and ends in a well-defined line which, in a complete loop, will be horizontal. When there are parts of loops in other figures, however, these lines may be in another plane besides the horizontal, which will be defined by virtue of the position of the plane. As the velocity varies during the execution of a loop or a part of a loop, the angular velocity around the lateral axis of the plane should change in order to sustain a consistent radius.
When, for example, the velocity reduces to half of its initial speed, in order to maintain the same radius, the angular velocity should be reduced to half as well - this is due to physics.
So the angular velocity can be of great help for the judge in the moment of assessing the radius, especially when the angular velocity at the top of the loop is faster, being a clear indicator that the radius being traced is smaller.This help becomes more important when two parts of a loop are separated by means of a line.
Shapes of the Aresti System
In the Aresti Catalog, parts of loops are categorized as circular elements or as "angular corners." It has to be clarified that these "corners" represented in the Aresti system should always be flown as parts of a loop and should be flown with a smoothe, refined, and constant radius.
“Round or Circular Corners”
Any figure that contains more than a part of a loop is categorized in the catalog as a circular element, and all of these parts of loops should have the same radius - with the exception of all of the figures of the Family 8.8 (Double Humpty Bump), for which it is not necessary that the second part of the loop have the same radius as the first part.
Any figure that has more than a part of a loop is categorized in the catalog as an angular corner. All the parts of the "angular loop" can have different radii, and none of them should have the same radius as any part of the loop that is categorized as a circular element in the same figure - with the exception of:
- Family 3 ( combination lines) and –
- Family 3: 7.4.3.X a 7.4.6.X (Loop / part loops )
These figures have to maintain a regular geometric shape; meanwhile their parts of loops should all have the same radius.
*Pictures and content courtesy of British Aerobatic Association