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Sooner or later every pilot who can fly tidy circuits and landings wants a real loop. Three moves open up almost everything that comes after: the loop, the aileron roll and the stall turn. None of them needs a 3D monster. They do punish the same habits, namely jerky inputs, low altitude and too little speed at entry.
This page is a researched guide, not a diary of our own flying. The stick sequences below are assembled from Model Aviation columns, Flite Test and RC Airplane World tutorials, and the manuals of the E-flite Apprentice STS. Where those sources disagree (and they do, on throttle at the top of a loop and on wind direction for rolls), the page says so instead of picking a winner. A flying club instructor beats any article, so treat this as homework before the field, ideally with a simulator session in between.
If you are still working on the basics, start with our beginner's guide to flying an RC plane and come back when circuits and landings feel boring.
Is your airplane ready?
Most "can my plane do it?" questions come down to channels, power and setup.
Channels. You need ailerons for a true roll. A rudder-and-elevator plane can only produce what RC Airplane World calls "a larger, somewhat untidier 'barrel roll'," and it advises that such a model needs much more up elevator and a small climb first. A stable high-wing trainer with rudder only will struggle with most of these maneuvers.
Power. A loop needs enough vertical punch to carry the plane over the top. E-flite's motor manuals publish "input watts per pound" guidelines, based on the flying weight with battery:
| Input watts per pound | What E-flite says it suits |
|---|---|
| 50 to 70 | Minimum power; lightly loaded slow flyers and park flyers |
| 70 to 90 | Trainers and slow-flying scale models |
| 90 to 110 | Sport aerobatic and fast-flying scale models |
| 110 to 130 | Advanced aerobatic and high-speed models |
| 130 to 150 | Lightly loaded 3D models and ducted fans |
| 150 to 200+ | Unlimited-performance 3D models |
E-flite adds that the bands were developed around its own motors and may vary with efficiency and prop size, so use them as a sanity check, not a promise. Input watts are simply volts times amps.
Rates and expo. Aerobatics usually go better with the right rate set, and the Apprentice STS manual is a useful reference. Its Hi/Lo rate switch gives 100 percent servo travel on high and 70 percent on low for aileron, elevator and rudder, and E-flite recommends low rates "when first learning to fly or for smooth and more precise maneuvering, and high rates for more aggressive maneuvers and aerobatics." Its BNF setup table uses 100 percent with 10 percent expo on the upper positions and 70 percent with 5 percent expo on the lower. For any other model, use the throws in its own manual first.
Balance and slop. Check the center of gravity with a CG balancer or the fingertip method and fix any slop in the linkage before you pull the first loop. Loose surfaces get worse with speed, and our servo flutter guide explains why.
If your plane has SAFE
The E-flite Apprentice STS 1.5m is a good example of how stabilization interacts with aerobatics. Per its manual:
- Beginner mode limits pitch and roll angles and self-levels when you release the sticks.
- Intermediate mode has higher limits and no self-leveling, but "the Apprentice STS will automatically be in Beginner Mode when below 100 feet."
- Experienced mode has "no flight envelope limits"; the manual says you can fly inverted and perform aerobatic maneuvers including loops and rolls.
- In Experienced mode AS3X "is not active until you advance the throttle past 25%," so the surfaces may twitch when the model is handled on the ground. The manual calls that normal.
- A Panic Recovery button pulls the plane out of a dive and rolls it wings-level, but it "will not avoid obstacles" and needs altitude if the plane is inverted.
Stabilization gives margin, not skill. You still have to fly the sequence, and the manual's own advice for first flights is to start in Beginner mode.
The Horizon listings for both the RTF and the BNF Basic versions of the STS currently show back order status. The RTF is the one with the transmitter in the box.
E-flite Apprentice STS 1.5m RTF
The smaller HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm (RTF listed as back order at Horizon) has SAFE and is built for short takeoffs. Horizon's listing does not say it is approved for loops, rolls or stall turns, and we could not retrieve its manual, so check which flight modes the manual allows before trying any of this on it. Our Apprentice STOL guide covers the model in more depth.
HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm RTF
Before the first attempt
- Fully charged flight battery and transmitter.
- A big, open field, away from people. The AMA safety code in the E-flite manual says to avoid flying directly over unprotected people and to keep visual contact with the model.
- Altitude. RC Airplane World recommends being "two mistakes high," and "three mistakes high" while learning.
- A simulator session first. Our simulator guide helps you pick one.
- A buddy box or an experienced clubmate standing by if you can arrange it.
1. The inside loop
An inside loop is a 360-degree vertical circle that starts and ends at the same point, altitude and heading. Gravity works against you on the way up and for you on the way down, so the job is to manage elevator and throttle together.
Stick sequence
- Fly straight and level at full or near-full power, wings level. RC Airplane World says to start no lower than about 50 feet and into the wind.
- Pull back on the elevator "gently but firmly," as RC Airplane World puts it, and keep the pull steady. Flite Test says not to be sudden.
- Hold the back-pressure as the nose passes vertical and the plane goes onto its back.
- Reduce the throttle over the top. Both Flite Test and RC Airplane World describe reducing or closing power there, then adding power again as the plane returns to level.
- Use small aileron or rudder corrections if the plane drifts out of the vertical plane. RC Airplane World notes that some planes "have a tendency to try and roll out of a loop."
- Return the elevator to neutral as you come out of the bottom, at the altitude where you started.
Throttle over the top is where you will find disagreement, so experiment in a simulator and with an instructor. The principle that holds is to keep enough airspeed that the loop does not tighten or stall.
Symptom and fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Loop tightens near the top | Too much back-pressure as speed drops | Pull more gently at the start and carry more speed, since a loop should be round |
| Plane falls out of the top | Too little power on the climb | Start with full power and a smooth pull |
| Loop drifts sideways | Wings not level at entry, or torque effects | Check wings before the pull; correct with aileron or rudder |
| Plane stalls on the pull | Pull too abrupt | Apply elevator smoothly |
2. The aileron roll
Model Aviation's description of an aileron roll is useful because it sets the standard: turn the airplane through 360 degrees with aileron, "not ... lose or gain height," roll at a constant rate, and stop dead level. A barrel roll is the wider, untidier cousin, and a rudder-only airplane tends to produce one.
Stick sequence
- Gain some height and fly level at roughly three-quarter throttle, as Model Aviation suggests, or at least half throttle, per RC Airplane World. Keep the throttle where it is for the roll.
- Add a very small amount of up elevator (Flite Test and RC Airplane World agree on this), then apply full aileron in one direction and hold it.
- When the model is inverted, center the rudder and add a touch of down elevator. Model Aviation says to expect the nose to drop throughout the roll.
- Release the elevator as the plane comes back upright, return the sticks to neutral and level the nose.
Model Aviation's practice advice is worth borrowing. Break the roll into half-rolls with a pause in the middle, practice until you can lock the plane level inverted and return to upright, and practice both directions: "it will be your salvation one day."
Symptom and fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Plane loses altitude through the roll | No slight up elevator at entry, or too slow | Add the small up-elevator input and more throttle |
| Roll corkscrews or becomes a barrel | Down elevator held too long, or weak aileron | Use only a touch of down elevator while inverted |
| Plane dives hard at the end | Nose-heavy balance, or throttle left high | Model Aviation notes a nose-heavy model dives more and a tail-heavy one less; throttle back to slow the dive |
| Plane struggles to complete the roll | Not enough aileron throw or speed | Check rates against the manual and enter faster |
On wind: RC Airplane World says to start into the wind. Model Aviation observes that most rolls in competition are performed downwind, so practice that way, and keep power on, since airspeed matters more than ground speed. Neither is wrong. The practical rule is to pick a direction that keeps the plane upwind of you and your helper and not over anyone.
3. The stall turn (hammerhead)
A stall turn is a vertical up-line, a 180-degree pivot at the top, a vertical down-line and a pull-out to level. You exit flying the opposite way. It is the most timing-sensitive of the three because it relies on rudder authority at very low airspeed.
Stick sequence
- Start with level wings. Model Aviation's Hawkinson says the quarter loop into the vertical must begin wings-level, at constant radius, with a smooth pull that "will cause fewer problems and give more time for subtle corrections."
- Hold the vertical line and correct for wind. Do not keep holding up elevator, or the climb turns into a loop (RC Airplane World).
- As the plane slows, apply full rudder "just before zero airspeed," as Model Aviation puts it.
- Keep prop wash over the rudder. RC Airplane World says "you shouldn't cut the motor right back" and to blip the throttle if the turn isn't neat. Model Aviation adds that for a model that struggles in the pivot, about 25 percent throttle with the rudder can help, and that if the model climbs during the pivot you added too much.
- If the model rolls in the pivot, which Model Aviation says is common with trainers and high-dihedral wings, use aileron to keep the wings level.
- Return the rudder to neutral once the nose faces down, ride the vertical down-line, then pull a quarter loop back to level.
Model Aviation also notes that rudder travel of 30 to 35 degrees at full stick was considered adequate, and that an undersized rudder or low deflection is a typical failure.
Symptom and fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lazy arc at the top (wingover) | Rudder applied too early | Wait until just before zero airspeed |
| Tail slide or flop | Rudder applied too late | Apply full rudder before the plane runs out of speed |
| Poor pivot | Not enough airflow over the rudder, or too little rudder | Keep some power on and check rudder travel |
| Nose twists or rolls at the pivot | Roll coupling at low speed | Use aileron to keep the wings level |
| Climb turns into a loop | Up elevator held too long | Release the elevator on the vertical line |
RC Airplane World also describes a crosswind variant, flying at 90 degrees to the wind and turning into the wind at the top so that wind on the fin helps the pivot. It is an advanced tweak, so master the still-air version first.
Common mistakes
- Flying too low. Two to three mistakes of altitude is the guideline.
- Skipping the simulator. Stick timing is the thing to rehearse where a crash costs nothing.
- Trying all three on day one. Make the loop consistent before the roll, and the roll before the stall turn.
- Over-controlling. Small, smooth inputs beat yanking.
- Expecting SAFE to fly the sequence. It adds margin. It does not replace practice.
- Entering with no plan for wind or people. Pick a direction that keeps the plane away from the flight line, and never over spectators.
When you outgrow the first trainer, our intermediate pilots guide and the 3D aerobatics models guide show where to go next.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a high-wing trainer do loops and rolls?
Yes, if it has ailerons, enough power and a flight mode that allows it. The Apprentice STS manual says its Experienced mode permits aerobatic maneuvers including loops and rolls. Check the manual for any other model before you try.
Q: What is the difference between an aileron roll and a barrel roll?
An aileron roll turns the plane about its long axis with little change in height or heading, finishing level. A barrel roll is wider and untidier. RC Airplane World describes the rudder-only version as a larger, untidier barrel roll.
Q: How do I stop my hammerhead becoming a wingover?
Wait longer before the rudder. Model Aviation says the rudder should go in just before zero airspeed. Too early produces an arc at the top instead of a pivot.
Q: Is a simulator really necessary?
Not strictly, but it is the cheapest place to rehearse stick timing, especially throttle over the top of a loop and rudder timing on the hammerhead.
