Lomcevak

A Lomcevak is an aerobatic maneuver that can be performed by an aircraft. The word originates from the Czechoslovakian aerobatic pilot Ladislav Bezák's mechanic, who at a 1958 air show in Brno, Czechoslovakia jokingly called Bezák's tumble maneuvres "Lomcevaks" when asked by journalists what they were.

"Lomcevak" translated into English, roughly means "headache" or "hangover". The expression "Lomcevak" originated from the Moravia region, famous for its Jelinek slivovitz, a traditional Czechoslovakian alcohol, and is commonly used to describe the rotating motions of one who has had one too many.

Description

The Lomcevak is a freestyle family of maneuvres performed at airshows or in four minute frees. It is not in the Aresti catalogue and therefore may not be flown in competition.

The maneuvre consists of tumbling the airplane through the pitch axis (end to end) while it travels in a lateral direction (wingtip to wingtip).

Flying technique

Flying a Lomcevak will vary in technique from aeroplane to aeroplane and pilot to pilot. This is probably the most common technique described for a clockwise rotating engine.:Pitch up to the 45, simultaneously roll to the left with aileron and kick in full left rudder, then shove the stick full forward. The aeroplane should do about two full rotations before running out of energy. Neutralise all controls and the aircraft will recover with the nose down. Fly out of it and correct accordingly. It may be necessary to reduce the power when recovering in certain instances.This is generally the same technique used for a knife edge spin (up or down).