So, lately I have been getting more and more into 3D flying and maneuvers and one that I have always wanted to master is the Torque Roll. The pros make it look easy and effortless as they are simply masters over the sticks. I have been practicing quite a lot lately to master the torque roll in Realflight 6.5 and then am transitioning that knowledge into my 3D foamies. I wanted to share a couple of the tips and trick relating to rudder control that have really helped me with my torque roll. They are more mental tips and tricks than anything and that is what most of flying is anyway is finding a way with your mind and stick controls to always be oriented. Different things work for different people.
Often when you find something that works for you to remember your orientation, whatever the maneuver, you can practice these enough that you no longer have to think about it. Your fingers and muscles simply begin to know what to do. I highly recommend using a simulator for obvious reasons. Crashing is simply not an issue as you can hit the "reset" button and you are back to a perfect plane, ready to go again. Again, I have been using Realflight 6.5, but any simulator that replicates actual orientation and stick movements should work fine. There is definitely a good argument though about some of the better simulators helping you to get the "feel" for the plane much better than more archaic ones, but again, all should allow you to get the stick movements down, and that is what counts.
Rudder Control
I would venture to say that the control of the rudder is the most key skill in learning the torque roll. This is the control surface that actually keeps you straight up and down and not tilting to the side, crashing into the ground. This can be the most difficult part of the torque roll, especially when the plane's belly is towards you. However, as I mentioned in the outset, there are just a couple of mental things that I do that have helped tremendously.
The tricks
Top of plane in view (normal)
With the rudder control, when the plane is in the normal orientation, with the canopy and top of the wings facing you, what I do is look at the nose of the plane. The direction you want the nose to go, move the rudder in that direction. If the nose is tilting to the left in your torque roll, move the rudder stick to the right, which will cause the nose to correct and move to that direction. You then of course make minor corrections all along the way to compensate for any deviations from a truly straight 90 degree angle from the ground.
In the screenshot above, I would give the plane a little bit of right rudder to compensate for the slight movement to the left
Bottom or belly facing you
This is the orientation that is probably the most difficult because it is just like when we are learning to control RC planes, things feel backwards. However, the trick I have learned to master the "belly facing you" orientation with the rudder is to watch the tail of the plane. When the belly is facing you, if the tail is pointing to your right, you will move the rudder to the left. So in looking at the plane's orientation, the direction you want the tail to go to correct the plane back to the perfectly straight 90 degree angle to the ground, this is the direction you move the rudder stick.
In the screenshot above, you will see that the tail of the plane is ever so slightly moving to your right, so you move the rudder stick slightly to the left.
Final Thoughts
The above tips again are by no means the "best" way to master your torque roll, but they have helped me to always know what to do when the plane is moving a certain direction either facing me from the top or the belly facing me and which direction the rudder stick needs to be moved. This method does require you to think about your movements, but with enough practice, the movements will become part of your muscle memory and you won't have to think about what you are doing, it will simply come naturally. Also to be thought about is elevator control. We didn't address that in this post, but elevator control seems to be the more natural and intuitive for most RC pilots. However, it is critical to making sure you master the torque roll, so be sure to give it needed attention in your practice sessions.
