Hangar 9 Sukhoi SU-31 Instruction Manual page 39

• The Elevator
What it is: The plane drops vertically while in a nose
high attitude. Depending on the head wind conditions, the
model will drop anywhere from about a 45° angle in calm
conditions to vertical or even a little backwards in more
windy conditions. Throttle is used to determine rate of
descent and the nose high attitude of the model.
Setup: Same as the Blender, except flip the switch to
turn on the spoilerons. This will help to keep the Sukhoi
from teetering back and forth.
How to do it: At near stall airspeed up high, slowly feed
in up elevator until you have the full 3-D rate up in it.
With low throttle, the Sukhoi will fall like a rock. To guide
it around, use the rudder, not ailerons. Just keep the wings
level. Add power to change the attitude of your Sukhoi.
Trickiest part: Aside from steering it with the rudder,
you'll quickly see that this maneuver is a matter of jug-
gling the throttle and rudder to get the plane to go where
you want it to go.
Recovery: Basic recovering-add full power, flip to normal
rate elevator, and fly out.
Advanced recovery: Take the elevator all the way to the
ground, adding some power before it touches down to
slow the decent and transition into a Harrier and land.
OR
Add power to get the nose to rise to vertical and transition
into a Torque Roll. Elevator down from a hundred feet
down to 20 feet (or less) and power up into a torque roll.
Ooh!!
Worst way to mess up: Let your direction control
(rudder) get away from you after starting too low—you
could snap it right into the ground. Ouch!
• The Harrier
What it is: It is very slow forward flight in a very nose
high (about 45°) attitude.
Setup: Same as the Elevator, and the raised ailerons help
in this maneuver even more.
How to do it: Start by entering an Elevator maneuver.
Let the Sukhoi drop a small amount, then slowly add
power until the vertical decent stops and the model
begins to fly forward with the nose very high, all the while
your holding full up elevator (on 3-D rate). Juggle the
power to control the attitude and forward speed of the
model. In a head wind, you may also have to juggle the
elevator some to keep the model from pitching up to a
vertical attitude. Use the rudder to steer the model around
in the Harrier attitude. Try to use the ailerons very little,
as they will cause the model to wobble side to side.
Trickiest part: Keeping up with the model if it begins
to wobble.
Recovery: Simply add full power and reduce elevator to
transition into normal forward flight.
Advanced recovery: After you get the hang of flying
around in the Harrier, juggle the throttle to slowly lose
altitude and do a Harrier landing. The model will land on
the rear of the rudder first, and then add a little power so
it doesn't smack the landing gear too hard.
The Harrier
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