Description
This Auto consists of an auto-rotational landing beginning with a 360º Aileron Roll followed by a further half roll to inverted and ending with a Forward Elevator Flip. The manoeuvre should show consistent height loss, uniform forward speed, and land as close as possible to a marker positioned 3 metres in front of the pilot on the field centreline.

Preparation
Firstly, check your throttle hold setting and the pitch curve set in your transmitter. The throttle-hold switch should bring the engine to a reliable tick-over setting that is not high enough to engage drive through the clutch system. The collective pitch range available should be that used for your normal 3D flying (approximately ±10º).

Last month we covered the (K =1.5) Auto that involved a full 360º roll, and the details of approaching that manoeuvre do, of course, apply in this case. In summary, practice of basic conventional Autos is to be recommended before introducing the 360º roll. If you are able to produce satisfactory results consistently of this (K = 1.5) Auto manoeuvre, then it is time to consider the forward elevator half flip. Before attempting to perform this at the end of the auto, I would suggest devoting a few autos to practice this half flip alone. Initially try your first half flip at a safe height (10 – 20 metres). The elevator control should be that of a smooth ‘lazy’ flip rather than a rapid example. It will, of course, be necessary to have your model inverted before attempting the half flip, and to achieve this, a half roll is necessary. This half roll is best practiced initially with a pause to give a few seconds of inverted descent before a further half roll to return the model to normal upright descent. When you are happy with inverted descent control, have a go at your first half flip. The aim is to produce a smooth half flip that maintains a steady descent throughout.

Possible Problems
As mentioned last month, with coverage of the (K = 1.5) Auto, basic auto practice is essential to give you the best opportunity to achieve good results with emphasis on careful cyclic and pitch control to retain good head-speed. It would be unwise to attempt the full manoeuvre before practice of the individual components of it first. This may involve a substantial number of auto descents in various conditions with a corresponding increase in starting height for each separate manoeuvre that is included.

The final half flip before landing is often a source of problems, especially if the previous manoeuvres have left to some positioning error, or perhaps more height loss than expected. Care should be taken not to rush this half flip or allow it ‘balloon’ up rather than to maintain the correct steady rate of descent. In both cases, there is a risk of serious headspeed loss that at low level may result in a heavy landing.