Immelmann turn
Encyclopedia : I : IM : IMM : Immelmann turn
The Immelmann turn (also spelled as Immelman turn; also known as a roll-off-the-top, or simply an Immelmann) is an aerial maneuver, named after WWI German flying ace Max Immelmann who was the first pilot to successfully complete this maneuver. It is more of an aerobatic maneuver, rather than aerial combat maneuver.
To successfully execute the Immelmann turn, while flying, the pilot pulls the aircraft into a vertical climb, and eventually completes half a loop in the aircraft from this climb, inverting the aircraft. The pilot then executes a half-roll to regain normal orientation. As a result, the aircraft is now at a higher altitude and has changed course 180 degrees.
It has become one of the most popular aerial maneuvers in the world, being commonly used in airshows all across the globe. However, it is rarely used in actual dog fighting, due to the fact that performing this feat results in a loss of speed, and that when used in combat, it is used as a tactic to disengage and withdraw from battle, and speed is a necessity for retreating from an enemy. However, if a pilot does execute this maneuver in combat, he slightly drops his nose down, descending in altitude slightly in an attempt to regain lost speed more quickly.
Rarely do aircraft other than fighter aircraft perform the Immelmann turn.
See also
References
This article has been simplified for civilian reference.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.