*** Welcome to piglix ***

Wingover


A wingover (also called a wing-over-wing, crop-duster turn or box-canyon turn) is an aerobatic maneuver in which an airplane makes a steep climb, followed by a vertical flat-turn (the plane turns to its side, without rolling, similar to the way a car turns). The maneuver ends with a short dive as the plane gently levels out, flying in the opposite direction from which the maneuver began.

A wingover is a maneuver used in aerobatics, in which the aircraft makes a tight, 180 degree change in heading while covering the shortest amount of distance possible. The maneuver begins by making roughly a quarter loop, bringing the plane up into a vertical or near-vertical climb, allowing the airspeed to drop. Before the airplane stalls (begins to fall) the pilot applies hard rudder input, bringing the plane into a sweeping, vertical flat-turn, during which the wing swings over the top of the turn toward the direction of the nose. Both the lowered airspeed and gravity provide assistance with the turn, similar to a stall turn (hammerhead turn), except the plane never actually stalls. Instead, as the speed decreases, the plane makes a gentle, 180 degree flat-turn over the top of the climb, then dives to the original altitude along a parallel flightpath, completing a quarter loop to return to level flight at the original speed.

The wingover is an energy-management maneuver. It is often used in dogfighting as an alternative to the split-s, when a fast turn-around is needed but a loss in altitude and a change in airspeed is not. Because the aircraft does not roll, it also has the advantage of keeping the cockpit facing the same direction during the turn, allowing the pilot to maintain sight of the opponent. Wingover-type maneuvers are often used to abruptly end other climbing maneuvers, like chandelles and high Yo-Yos, "kicking over" the nose when the enemy shows signs of falling or trying to dive away. One such maneuver was described by Major Robert S. Johnson, in an account of a battle during World War II:


...
Wikipedia

...