Microsoft Flight Simulator Handbook

by Jonathan M. Stern


The Immelmann, named after German war ace Max Immelmann, is somewhat the opposite of the Split S. The maneuver begins with a half loop and is followed by an aileron roll to return to cruise flight in the opposite direction of initiation and at a higher altitude (see Figure 8.8).

Figure 8.8 A left (shown here) or right view is necessary to determine the top of the loop during an Immelmann.

The maneuver was used to escape another aircraft in a dogfight.

The following steps are used to enter an Immelmann:

  1. Turn off Auto Coordination from the Sim menu.
  2. Climb to 6,000 feet AGL or use the World/Set Exact Location menu to place the airplane at 6,000 feet.
  3. Establish cruise flight (flaps and gear retracted).
  4. Dive to accelerate the airplane to 180 knots.
  5. Smoothly apply up elevator until the elevator is 75 percent of the way up.
  6. Apply full throttle when you see nothing but sky in the windscreen.
  7. Use left or right view to maintain orientation until you are at the top of the loop; then return to forward view.
  8. At the completion of 1/2 of the loop (when the airplane is inverted), neutralize the elevator.
  9. Apply ailerons to roll toward rightside up attitude.
  10. As the airplane approaches level, neutralize the ailerons.
  11. Pitch for level flight.

The following steps are used to recover from an Immelmann:

  1. Maintain straight and level flight.
  2. Accelerate to cruise airspeed.

Lesson: Aerobatic Category (Lesson 6)

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