Cleveland Model Helicopter Club Glossary Page

3D Glossary

This page is a glossary of 3D RC Helicopter Manoeuvres and terms in alphabetical order. If you think anything needs to be added please e-mail us and we will include it.

Autorotation	At height the helicopter engine is set to idle and the model brought down and landed without power. Variations with inverted flips, rolls and pirohettes.
Backwards Flip	Helicopter performs a backwards elevator flip in a stationary position from upright to inverted and back to upright.
Backwards Inverted Loop	Helicopter performs a backwards loop entered from the inverted position and exited inverted in the same direction.
Backwards Loop	Helicopter performs a backwards loop entering and exiting in the same direction.
Backwards Roll	Helicopter performs a backwards moving aileron roll from upright to inverted and back to upright.
Big Benn	A series of metronomes starting tail down and rotating clockwise scribing the clock face with at least 12 points.
Chaos	The helicopter flies a number of multiple pirouetting flips in a stationary position between upright and inverted.
Coronet	A series of tail low Rainbows each finishing with a 90° pirouette before moving on to the next Rainbow. In this way a square circuit is flown.
Death Spiral	Helicopter performs a knife edge fall from height whilst elevator rolling around it's axis. The helicopter pulls out either inverted or upright.
Detonator	A climbing skids-in pie-dish / funnel with an aileron roll at the top and a falling pie-dish / funnel with skids-out.
Flipping Wall of Death	Knife edge circuits whilst flipping the model between forwards and backwards flight.
Forwards Flip	Helicopter performs a forward elevator flip in a stationary position from upright to inverted and back to upright.
Forwards Loop	Helicopter performs a forward loop entering and exiting in the same direction.
Forwards Roll	Helicopter performs a forwards moving aileron roll from upright to inverted and back to upright.
Haymaker	Backwards horizontal eight, with multiple consecutive 4 point hesitation rolls with knife edge 360 pirouettes at every knife edge, the pirouette direction reversing each time.
Inverted Forwards / Backwards Circuit	Helicopter performs an inverted circuit either forward or backwards at a constant height and speed.
Inverted Loop / Outside Loop	Helicopter performs a forwards loop entered from the inverted position and exited inverted in the same direction.
Jack-knife	Whilst travelling forward at speed the helicopter is rolled knife edge before entering a pie-dish / funnel.
Knife Edge Pirouette	Whilst travelling forward at speed the helicopter is rolled knife edge before performing a single pirouette and returning to forward flight inverted or upright.
Metronome / Tick-Tock	The helicopter performs a series of pitch reversals in either the vertical or horizontal stationary position.
Pie Dish / Funnel	A remote circuit flown with the tail boom of the helicopter vertical (or near-vertical), skids in or out.
Pirouette	Helicopter yaws continuously around the main shaft.
Pirouetting Circuit	Helicopter pirouettes at a constant speed whilst performing a circuit in either direction at constant height and speed.
Pirouetting Flip	The helicopter completes one pirouette whilst flipping from upright to inverted and back to upright.
Pirouetting Globe	This is a succession of Pirouetting Loops, but with the axis of the loop rotating by degrees for each loop until an imaginary globe in the sky has been prescribed. Exit from the manoeuvre should be the same as the point of entry, but with the model moving in the opposite direction.
Pirouetting Loop	Helicopters pirouettes continuously whilst performing a loop.
Pirouetting Metronome / Tick Tock	A stationary metronome with at least one complete pirouette during each traversal.
Pirouetting Outside Loop	Helicopter pirouettes continuously whilst performing an outside loop.
Pirouetting Wall of Death	Knife edge circuits with continuous pirouettes.
Rainbow Twister / Bouncy Castle	A succession of Rainbows alternating nose up, nose down each with an aileron half roll in the centre and then a 90° pirouette at the stop point, joined to produce a square circuit.
Ripper	Pirouetting tail slide.
Rolling Loop	Helicopter performs continuous aileron rolls whilst performing a loop.
Slapper	This manoeuvre consists of a series of tail boom vertical metronomes with a half aileron roll between the metronome stop points.
Snake	This manoeuvre consist of at least 4 joined crescents, tail boom horizontal, switching skids in to skids out and vice-versa between crescents.
Sudden Stop	Helicopter is stopped from travelling forward at speed by pulling the helicopter back into the vertical position. The helicopter should be held vertically without gaining height before flying off either backwards or forwards.
Tail Slide	Helicopter is allowed to fall from height in the tail down position and is exited at low level to either an upright or inverted position.
Tornado / Hurricane	Knife edge circuit flown forwards or backwards.
Tumbling Circuit	Helicopter tumbles either forwards or backwards whilst performing a circuit of constant height and speed.
Tumbling Loop	Helicopter tumbles either forwards or backwards whilst performing a loop.
Tumbling Vertical Eight	Helicopter tumbles either forwards or backwards whilst performing a vertical figure eight.
Waltzer	Multiple aileron rolling continuous pie dishes at constant height around a circuit.