I get it and am smarter for it. Thanks.

My acro terminology is so rooted in RC flying from 30+ years ago, that I've
never realized how differently the terms are used in 'real' a/c.

In RC, the term aileron roll is commonly used for what is called a slow roll
here. It is a straight line roll and can happen very fast. Aileron and
elevator will produce a quite passable axial roll in a hot RC plane. Very
akin to what a full scale jet fighter might do. Pros like my brother will
use top rudder too.

A barrel roll in RC is typically done with rudder in a model without
ailerons. It looks like a full scale aileron roll. Less-than-hot
rudder/elevator only RC plance can do a passable barrel roll because of a
lot of dihedral. You don't even need the elevator if it is setup right.

And in a full scale glider, it's kind of hard to get all the way around a
pure aileron roll as described. You need to be pretty agressive with pitch
and rudder to do a passable 'aileron' roll. At least in my limited
experience.

"Robert Moore" wrote in message
...
"Maule Driver" wrote
I have some glider acro training and lot's of RC model acro. I
think of axial rolls and barrel rolls. Both benefit from
aileron, elevator and rudder input. I've thought that aileron
roles are synonymous with axial and slow rolls synonymous with
barrel rolls.

From the following web site about aerobatics:

http://acro.harvard.edu/IAC/faq_aerobatics.html

Aileron Rolls
Aileron rolls are flown with the rudder and elevator in the neutral
position during the roll. The aileron is fully deflected in the
direction of the roll. This is the easiest of the rolls to fly.
The aileron roll is started by pulling the nose up to 20 - 30 degrees
above the horizon. The elevator is then neutralized and the aileron
fully deflected in the direction of the roll. The controls are
maintained in that position till the roll is completed. After the
roll is completed the nose is usually 20 - 30 degrees below the
horizon.

The aileron roll is not a competition maneuver.


Slow Rolls
Slow rolls have to be flown normally on a straight line (exception is
the avalanche). The roll rate has to be constant and the longitudinal
axis of the plane has to go straight. This requires constantly
changing rudder and elevator control inputs throughout the roll.
Hesitation or point rolls include stops at certain roll angles. The
number on the base of the roll symbol describes the number of points
the roll would have if it were a 360 degree roll. Allowed are 2
point, 4 point and 8 point rolls. The fraction on the arrow of the
roll symbol describes what fraction of a full roll is to be executed.
If no points are specified, rolling is done without hesitations. If
no fraction is specified, a roll symbol that starts at the line
specifies a half roll (see description of the Immelman). A roll
symbol that crosses the line specifies a full roll (first figure).
The second figure shows the symbol for 2 points of a 4 point roll
(adding up to half a roll) from upright to inverted flight.

Snap Rolls
Snap or flick rolls also have to be flown normally on a straight
line. A snap roll is similar to a horizontal spin. It is an
autorotation with one wing stalled. In the regular snap, the plane
has to be stalled by applying positive g forces. In an outside snap,
the plane is stalled by applying negative g. In both cases rudder is
then used to start autorotation just like in a spin.

Barrel Roll
The Barrel Roll is a not competition maneuver. I The barrel roll is a
combination between a loop and a roll. You complete one loop while
completing one roll at the same time. The flight path during a barrel
roll has the shape of a horizontal cork screw. Imagine a big barrel,
with the airplanes wheels rolling along the inside of the barrel in a
cork screw path. During a barrel roll, the pilot experiences always
positive G's. The maximum is about 2.5 to 3 G, the minimum about 0.5
G.

Bob Moore