Big John wrote

My comments, No one could do a barrel roll as depicted in your
picture. You show a single plane (not airplane) picture and
maneuver is done along an extended length of airspace.

Not "my" picture. Was scanned from Mr. Kershner's book.

Maybe this is what you call a barrel roll today but sure isn't
the classic maneuver.

Same maneuver that I was taught in the T-28 back in 1958.
Check-out this web site:

http://web.winco.net/~efildes/slowroll/barlroll.html

On your query on my credentials in this post. I have answered
that in another posting. However to follow along that line since
you won't let it go, who are you to question my credentials? You
sound like some 'want a be' that's never spent time on his back
maybe not even a pilot?. I may well have more inverted time than
your total time????.

20,000+ hours inverted??? Wow! That's a lot John.
My last aerobatic instructing was done as recently as 1998 in the
YAK-52. Great little airplane....good for +7g's. It combined the
performance of the Navy T-28B (1425 hp) in a T-34 size airframe.
BTW, in addition to a few thousand hours instructing in Boeing
jetliners, I have been an FAA certificated flight instructor since
1970. Spent the years 1993-99 teaching in C-172s.

BOb and I may well have the highest tail wheel time of any on
this group and he's got a lot???

Well, I built my own tailwheel airplane and flew it for 10 years.
It was exhibited at the Sun-n-Fun airshow in 1991 and 1992.
According to the factory that provided the kit,(TEAM) I was the first
and probably only person to spin the MiniMax.

Now....in summary, the following three web sites (documentation)
assert that the barrel roll is a combination of a loop and a roll.
But....Big John (no documentation) insists that there is no loop in
a barrel roll.

http://web.winco.net/~efildes/slowroll/barlroll.html
http://acro.harvard.edu
http://www.kershnerflightmanuals.com/

Bob Moore
ATP B-727 B-707 B-720 L-188
CFI A/I AGI IGI
USN S-2F P-2V P-3B