Invented in the 1930s, the half Cuban-8 was first flown by American barnstormer Len Povey. While attempting a triple avalanche, his entry speed was too high, so he decided to abort the attempt with a simple half roll on the backside of the figure. Thus, the now-common maneuver was born! Today, the half Cuban-8 is popular with the full-scale Red Bull Air Races and is used as a turnaround maneuver.
For additional safety fly your first few attempts at a generous altitude. The traditional half Cuban-8 begins from upright level flight parallel with the runway. Pull 5/8 of a loop to establish an inverted 45-degree downline with a brief line segment as shown in the illustration. Perform a half roll, and add a second line segment (equal to the first). Finally, pull the model into a 1/8 loop segment, exiting the maneuver at the same altitude as the entry and traveling in the opposite direction. Your control settings should be set with separate rates so you can have a smooth…
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