From straight flight, the model aircraft pulls up into a circular loop and resumes straight and level flight on the same heading as the entry. The throttle may be reduced at the top of the loop as appropriate to type, and opened if necessary when normal flight is resumed. Low powered aircraft types would be expected to execute a shallow dive at full throttle in order to pick up speed before commencing the loop.
Note: Whilst the loop is intended to be a circular maneuver, the ability of a low powered aircraft to achieve a perfect circle will be significantly less than that of a jet or high powered aerobatics machine. A slightly elongated loop by the former would therefore expect to score as well as a perfect circle achieved by the latter, but a grossly misshapen circle would be significantly down marked. This also applies to options involving looping maneuvers.
Faults:
- Track of loop not vertical.
- Loop not sufficiently circular, commensurate with the subject type.
- Inappropriate use of throttle.
- Size and speed of Loop not in manner of prototype.
- Not centered on judges’ position.
- Does not resume straight and level flight on same track and height as entry.
- Maneuver not flown parallel with judges’ line.
- Too far away / too close / too high / too low.