Keith,

What you're describing will cause no concern to your engine. The minor 0 to
slightly negative G pulse required for a descent aileron roll won't be seen
on your fuel or oil pressure gauges.  

My primary safety focus in 360 aerobatics is nose position.  That is, most
all maneuvers are biased to nose high.  On the occasion that I bury the nose
out of a loop or split s, the power comes back and G onset is rapid to avoid
approaching Vne. The airframe is very slippery.

To be clear, G onset is rapid yet total G remains low. I never exceed about
3.2 G's.  Your point about airframe strength is true.  It's good to between
6 & 9 Gs.  However, those little brackets that hold stuff to the engine are
my weakest links.  I've rebuilt my oil cooler brackets several times over
the 900 hours on my 360.

The funest 360 aero is modified nose up 2 G barrel rolls. I fly the plane as
more of a ballet than an aerobat.

Don't leave your nose buried.

Larry Henney

PS:  There is some very restrictive POH advice that I would consider
carefully before proceeding.


-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Smith [mailto:keith.smith@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 11:32 AM
To: LML
Subject: basic aerobatics in a 360

I'm thinking of doing some relatively basic aerobatics in my 360, basically
loops, barrel rolls, and anything else with continuous positive G.

The area where I'm a little hazy is any maneuver with brief moments of zero
or even -1G.  Are these to be COMPLETELY avoided, or is it ok for very brief
stints.  I'm concerned about the prop and engine.  My knowledge of the
internals of the engine are weak, but from the little I know, without an
inverted oil system, prolonged inverted flight isn't an option.  My question
is, is 0 to -1G acceptable for 1-2
seconds?   I'm thinking here of aileron rolls, or cuban eights.

I don't have my heart set on doing those, per se, but just want to know
where it would be smart to draw the line. I know the airframe can handle all
of that, and then some, it's a question of the engine and prop.

Thanks for any advice.

Keith
N360JH LNC2