| The Joy of Flying |
| 2. THE LOOP |

To start the loop - we need airspeed...lots of it! In the loop the Citabria will get to the top not too much above the stall speed so we need a good 120 knots+ before pulling up the nose. Establish about 10-20 degrees down and accelerate taking care not to exceed VNE of 148 knots. Then pull up SMOOTHLY - about 3 G’s should do it, with a little up trim. Keep your eye on the G meter. |
Full power.... and up she goes. Near the top of the loop airspeed will decay dramatically. You should aim to still have at least 55-60 knots as you reach inverted attitude. Much less than this and you will “fall of the top” of the loop. This is not serious and easily recoverable, but it ain’t pretty. The ideal loop is to paint a circle in the sky, not a skewed elipse. The Decathlon will loop more easily, and at a higher speed. |
As you reach this position you’ll still need plenty of power to avoid falling off the top. In most of this maneouvre you’ll need varying amounts of right rudder to counteract engine torque, and as you near the top, increasing P-factor as well. If you were there for real, you’d suddenly feel very light and slightly disoriented as the G force reduced. In more powerful aircraft there will be enough thrust to sustain plenty of positive G throughout the loop. |
As the ground comes into view, cut the throttle unless you want to go through VNE in about 3 seconds! Ease the stick back. The highest positive G will now kick in. Do NOT pull the stick all the way back. Without force feedback you will have to estimate the amount of pull. Pulling all the way back, apart from breaking the wings, may produce a high speed stall and spin. “Ease” out of the dive. |
And there you have it. Back to straight and level, back on with the power and proceed to the next roll or your destination. Loops are really quite easy, and a lot easier than rolls. The main thing to watch is not to pull out of the dive too quickly and to ensure sufficient airspeed and a healthy rotation in the first bit of the maneouvre. |

| back to the beginning
| Next: the “Hammerhead Turn” |