By John Lumpkin


Aerobatic box - Term for three-dimensional volume of airspace used for competition flying.
Air superiority fighter - Fighter optimized to control a region of airspace by destroying any other aircraft within. The F-15 Eagle, F-22 Raptor, MiG-29 Flanker and Su-35 Flanker are examples of this type of aircraft.
An - Designation for Antonov Scientific Production Complex of Kiev, Ukraine, a designer of transport aircraft.


Barrel roll -- A "corkscrew" roll in which the plane does not stay on its main axis. Not a competition maneuver.
Bombardirovschik - Russian for "bomber."
Buried - A term for an aircraft too deeply in a stall during a snap roll, causing it to lose too much energy by the time the maneuver is complete.


Cravat - A climbing ruade to the right.


Eventail - A spin in which the aircraft's vertical axis is perpindicular to the ground.


Fencer - NATO code name for Su-24 series. All NATO code names for Soviet aircraft beginning in "F" designate fighters.
Fighter-bomber - Fighter-sized aircraft capable of air-to-ground missions. The F-111 Aardvark and Su-24 Flanker are examples of this type of aircraft.
Figure - A general term for an aerobatic manuever. A figure begins and ends with straight, horizontal flight.
Fitter - NATO code name for Su-17 series.
Flagon - NATO code name for Su-15 series.
Flanker - NATO code name for Su-27 series.
Flick - British term for a snap roll.
Frogfoot - NATO code name for Su-25 series.


G - A measure of the force of gravity on Earth, equal to 9.8 meters per second squared. Climbing or diving in an aircraft can change the "G" forces felt by the plane's occupants. Climbing up -- pulling back on the control stick -- creates "positive Gs." Too many positive Gs will cause blackout; too many negative Gs will cause redout. Diving -- pushing forward on the stick -- creates "negative Gs." The body is much better equipped to handle positive Gs. It is frequently easier on the body to invert a plane and pull back into a "climb," thereby losing altitude, than simply pushing forward on the stick from an upright position.
Ground attack - Fighter-sized aircraft optimized for attacking engaged military forces on the ground, such as tanks and infantry. This mission differs from that a fighter-bomber" in that ground attack aircraft usually fly at low altitudes and engage targets on a crowded battlefield. The A-10 Thunderbolt and Su-25 Frogfoot are examples of this type of aircraft.


Hammerhead - An aerobatic maneuver in that begins with a quarter loop into a vertical climb until the aircraft runs out of speed, followed by a 180-degree pivot on the plane's vertical axis into a nose-down dive, ending with another half-loop. Sometimes called a "hammerhead stall" -- this is incorrect; the airplane never actually stalls.
Hestitation roll -- Also called a point roll. A roll that includes stops at certain angles, such as every 45 degrees.
Hunting - Term for an aircraft that is having trouble establishing itself on a vertical line.


Il - Ilyushin Aviation Complex of Moscow, Russian Federation, designer of transport aircraft.
Immellman Turn - Combat maneuver devised by German World War I ace Max Immellman that calls for climbing into a half-loop and rolling upright simultaenously. This allowed fighters to make repeated attack passes from different angles on enemy aircraft.
Inside - Term for pulling positive Gs.
Interceptor - Defensive fighter optimized for attacking incoming aircraft. The F-14 Tomcat and MiG-25 Foxbat are examples of this type of aircraft.
Inverted - An upside-down airplane.
Istrebitel' - Russian for "fighter."
Istrebitel' bombardirovschik - Russian for "fighter-bomber."
Ivanov, Yevgeni Alekseyevich (b. 13 Feb. 1911) - General designer at Sukhoi from 1977-1983.


Ka - Designation for Kamov of the Moscow Region, Russian Federation, a designer of helicopters.
Knife-edge spin - A series of forward somersaults, similar to a ruade, but in a descending flight path.


Load - Any maneuver that increases the Gs on the aircraft.
Loop - Basic aircraft maneuver that calls for pitching the aircraft up or down and completing a vertical circle in the sky, maintaining a constant radius and returning to the starting point. Partial loops complete only a portion, usually a quarter, or a half, of a circle.


Mi - Designation for Mil, of Moscow, Russian Federation, a designer of helicopters.
MiG - Designation for MiG Russian Aircraft Corp, Moscow, Russian Federation, a designer of fighters.
Mulleroid - A climbing maneuver in which the aircraft, starting from a vertical climb, performs a negative snap roll and eventually levels out to horizontal flight. Named for Eric Muller, who invented it in 1985.
Multirole - A type of fighter, like the F-16 Fighting Falcon, that can be used in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions based on its weapon loadout.


Outside - Aerobatic term for pulling negative Gs.


Pinched - A term for a poorly-completed loop that appears elliptical rather than circular.
Pitch - Measure of location of aircraft's nose in the vertical relative to level flight. Pitch up means the aircraft's nose is pointed upward, so an upright aircraft would be climbing.
Pugachev's Cobra - Maneuver named for Sukhoi test pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Pugachev, who first performed it in an Su-27 Flanker on April 28, 1989. The maneuver uses dynamic braking to pitch the Su-27 to a very high angle of attack.
Pull - Term for beginning a positive G maneuver. A pilot pulls back on the stick.
Push - Term for beginning a negative G maneuver. A pilot pushes the control stick forward.


Roll - Measure of the location an aircraft's wings relative to level flight. A rolling aircraft would become inverted, then upright without changing its direction of flight.
Ruade - Aerobatic maneuver in which the aircraft appears to be doing forward somersaults. First used in 1983.


S - Designation given to Sukhoi prototypes built after 1953.
S-37 Berkut ("Golden Eagle") - prototype fighter with swept-forward wings.
S-80 - Under-development utility transport aircraft.
Simonov, Mikhail Petrovich (b 19 Oct. 1929) - General designer at Sukhoi from 1983 to present.
Snap roll - A very rapid roll in which an aircraft stalls, breaks its line of flight to roll, and then resumes the original line of flight.
Spin - In aerobatics, an intentional spin is a maneuver in which the plane rotates along its vertical axis. Spins may be upright or inverted.
Su - Designation for Sukhoi Design Bureau Aviation Scientific-Industrial Complex, a designer of fighters and high-performance aerobatic aircraft.
Su-series aircraft built before bureau's closure in 1949:
Su-1 - High-altitude, propeller-driven fighter prototype. First flight 1940.
Su-2 - Short-range, propeller-driven bomber. Series production beginning in 1939.
Su-3 - High-altitude, propeller-driven fighter prototype. First flight 1941.
Su-5 - Propeller-driven, single-seat fighter prototype. First flight 1945.
Su-6 - Propeller-driven ground attack aircraft. First flight 1942.
Su-7 - High-altitude fighter, modified Su-6 prototype that used both propeller and rocket boosters. First flight (est.) 1945.
Su-8 - Heavily armed, twin-engine propeller-driven armored attack aircraft prototype. First flight (est.) 1943.
Su-9 ("K") - Jet fighter prototype resembling Me 262. Two built. First flight 1946.
Su-10 ("E") - Tactical jet bomber prototype, circa 1947. Never flown.
Su-11 ("LK") - Jet fighter prototype. First flight 1947.
Su-12 - Twin-engine, twin-boom propeller-driven reconnaissance aircraft with a crew of four. Last piston-powered aircraft designed by Sukhoi. First flight 1947.
Su-15 - Single-seat, twin-engine jet interceptor. One engine was on top of the other. First flight 1949. Crashed.
Su-17 ("R") - Jet fighter prototype, circa 1948. Never flew.
Su-series combat aircraft built after bureau reopened in 1953:
Su-7 - Single-seat series production tactical fighter. Series production began 1958. Small number manufactured.
Su-7B - Fighter-bomber variant. Series production began 1960. Mainstay Soviet fighter-bomber after 1961.
Su-7BM - Upgraded Su-7B. Service began 1963.
Su-7BKL - Upgraded Su-7BM. Service began 1965.
Su-7BMK - Export version of Su-7BKL.
Su-7U - Trainer version.
Su-9 Fishpot - Single-seat series production interceptor. Service began 1959. Capable of intercepting U-2. In service through 1980s.
Su-11 - Modified Su-9 interceptor. Series production began 1961.
Su-15 Flagon - Interceptor. Series production began 1966.
Su-15TM - Upgraded Su-15. Series production began 1970.
Su-15UT - Trainer version.
Su-15UM - Trainer version of Su-15TM.
Su-17 Fitter - Swing-wing fighter-bomber series production. Production began 1969. Still in service.
Su-17M/M2/M3/M4 - Upgraded Su-17. Produced after 1971.
Su-20 - Export version of Su-17M. Produced 1971-1976.
Su-22 - Export version of Su-17M2. Produced 1976-1980.
Su-24 Fencer - Series production swept-wing tactical fighter-bomber. Produced after 1971.
Su-24M - Upgraded Su-24.
Su-24MK - Export version of Su-24M.
Su-24MP - Electronic warfare version of Su-24.
Su-25 Frogfoot - Series production ground attack and antitank aircraft. Produced after 1976.
Su-25TK - Su-25 variant optimized for antitank warfare.
Su-27 Flanker - Series production high-performance air superiority fighter. P-42 variant holds several international performance records. Produced after 1985.
Su-27IB - Fighter-bomber demonstrator version of Su-27. Fight flight 1990.
Su-27K - Carrier-based version of Su-27. First flight 1987; production began 1990. Also referred to as Su-33.
Su-27UB - Trainer variant of Su-27.
Su-27UBK - Export version of trainer.
Su-30 - Trainer variant of Su-27. Limited production in 1990s.
Su-32FN - Fighter-bomber and production version of Su-27IB. Also referred to Su-34.
Su-33 - Official designation of Su-27K, naval variant of Su-27.
Su-34 - Another designation for Su-32 FN fighter-bomber.
Su-35 - Upgraded Su-27 optimized for air superiority role. Canards added. Production after 1996.
Su-series aerobatic aircraft:
Su-26 - State-of-the-art single-seat single-propeller monoplane. Series can perform any manuevers, either upright or inverted. First flight by Evgeny Frolov, a Sukhoi test pilot, on June 30, 1984. Aircraft first appeared publicly in August 1984 at the World Aerobatic Championship in Hungary. Maximum G loads rated at +12/-10, therefore truly limited only by physiology of the pilot.
Su-26M - Modified Su-26. First Soviet aircraft to use more than 50 percent composite material. Series production after 1988.
Su-26MX - An export-only version of Su-26 series. First Soviet production series aircraft of any kind delivered to United States.
Su-29 - Two-seat trainer variant of Su-26 with longer wingspan.
Su-31 - Aerobatic aircraft based on Su-26, lighter than the Su-29, with a faster roll rate than either aircraft.
Sukhoi, Pavel Osipovich, (10 July 1895- 15 Sept. 1975) - Founder of Sukhoi.


Tailslide - An aerobatic maneuver in which a plane climbs straight up, then tips 180 degrees, either forward or backward, so it is diving straight down.
Torque - Aircraft movement induced by the engine's torque, intentional or otherwise.
Tu - Designation for Tupolev Design Bureau, Moscow, Russian Federation, a designer of bombers.


Unload - Any maneuver that decreases the Gs on the aircraft.


Vertical S - A manuever beginning with an inside half-loop followed by an outside half-loop.


Yak - Designation for A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau, Moscow, Russian Federation, a designer of fighters and aerobatic aircraft.
Yak-18 - Aerobatic aircraft.
Yak-50 - Aerobatic aircraft. Suffered a series of fatal accidents that led to introduction of Su-series aerobatic aircraft.
Yaw - Measure of the position of aircraft's nose in the horizontal relative to straight, level flight. A yawing aircraft is turning.


Zhukovsky Flight Test Center - Russia's primary flight test facility. Located southeast of Moscow.

Bibliography
* Include Amazon links Antonov, Vladimir; Yefim Gordon, Nikolai Gordyukov, Vladimir Yakolev, Vayacheslav Zenkin. "OKB Sukhoi: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft." Midland Publishing Limited: Lesicester, U.K., 1996. de Lapparent, Xavier. Trans. Diana Britten, John Britten. "The Aerobatic Four Minute Freestyle." Magic Voltige Publications, Varennes-Jarcy, France, 1996. Szurovy, Geza; Mike Goulian. "Advanced Aerobatics." McGraw-Hill: New York, 1997. www.aviation.ru/Sukhoy www.ets-news.com/sukhoi.html mx8.xoom.com/_XMCM/HiAndrei1/sukhoi/pages/sukhoigallery.htm

John Lumpkin covers U.S. military affairs for the Albuquerque Journal.