Interesting! I've actually done hammerheads, both with a guy in his 8, and in mine, and found them to be quite simple. What, in your opinion, is so hard about them?
It seemed pretty easy to me -- pull up into the vertical, wait until you're just about out of speed, and kick right rudder. Over and down we went, easy-peasy.
What could possibly go wrong?
Sorry to come across as condescending...I really don't intend it, but doing sloppy aerobatics is very easy. Doing precise aerobatics is challenging. Hammerheads are no different. And what kind of plane you were flying a right rudder hammer in? Russian airplane?
A good precise hammerhead is a fairly complex maneuver - and even more so in high power-to-weight ratio airplanes like RVs and Pitts'....especially if swinging a metal prop. If all you're looking to do is get the nose to flop over in a way what somewhat resembles a hammerhead, then I guess the "technique" you describe could be as simple as that. But let me ask you this question - do you have an appreciation for the art of flying? Do you take pride in your flying? Do you have an interest in stick-and-rudder technique? Are you happy just getting the plane up and down, or do you find satisfaction in the challenge of the smallest things? For me, simply watching the horizon flip around during acro does very little for me. There's no adrenalin, and I don't find it "exciting". What I do enjoy is attempting to fly artfully and the challenge and the learning process of making the airplane do exactly what I want, with high levels of precision. Aerobatics provides limitless potential for this, and nobody ever truly masters every aspect of it.
Anyway back on track - Hammerheads. A high-powered airplane like an RV will be torque-affected at the top of the pivot. If not, then you're pivoting with too much airspeed, and it's a "fly-over" rather than a pivot. The objective is the tightest possible pivot. Imagine a nail through the center of the airplane. That's the idea anyway, even if most airplanes can't quite achieve it. The torque at the top will likely require some progressive right aileron input near the top. Definitely required in the Pitts and other high-powered planes to prevent torque rolling before the pivot. Propellor slipstream will yaw the airplane slightly left wing low near the top, so some progressive, slight right rudder will be needed to keep the airplane wings level in yaw. Maintain the perfectly vertical line. Now you must judge the exact right moment to pivot the airplane. Too early and you'll "fly over" with a lethargic pivot and a wide pivot radius. Pivot too late, and you'll slide backwards a little, it'll be hard to maintain the pivot plane, and it'll be ugly. Lots of folks have found themselves in accidental inverted spins while learning hammers in a Pitts.
There are different techniques for judging the exact right time to pivot the airplane. I don't want to get too carried away (ha), so I won't go into it here unless you're interested. But I'll say that airspeed is worthless, and looking at the ground doesn't tell you anything either.
So as soon as you kick **left** rudder in the RV (and any airplane with a Lycoming-turning engine), there will be an immediate gyroscopic pitch reaction toward the canopy. This requires some forward stick to control, keeping the plane of the pivot precise. So during the pivot, you're holding some right aileron, full left rudder, full power, and some forward stick.
At a point a certain degree before you reach vertical down (aircraft specific), you apply full opposite rudder and the airplane stops perfectly vertical in pitch and yaw downward. As soon as the pivot stops, you simultaneously neutralize both the rudder and elevator. Elevator errors here will pitch you off plane. Rudder errors will cause you to underpivot or "pendulum" before stabilizing on the downline. The right aileron must be momentarily held after the pivot stops due to the low airspeed and propellor torque. Hold it too long and you'll roll off plane. Too little before, during, and after and you'll "torque".
So there's a lot of technique involved in doing a high-quality hammerhead, and there's a lot to go wrong. "Torquing" is the most common problem (allowing the airplane to roll slightly during the pivot). Also kicking too early is a problem issue. I guarantee you a perfect hammerhead is not a brain-dead maneuver. Watch the Team RV guys when they do their formation hammerheads. I know that here, the objective is to do them in formation rather than do them perfectly, but if you watch carefully, you will see some torquing and some under-pivots (not vertical down).
I could go on way too long about technique for even basic maneuvers - spins, loops, and rolls. Even the roll - it can be the simplest maneuver in the world that a non-pilot could successfully perform on the first try, or it can be a precision figure (level roll) that requires a lot of technique and practice to do well. It all depends on what you want to get out of aerobatics, and if you have a real interest in the art of aerobatics. If you just like "flopping" around on occasion, that's great too. Most recreational acro pilots are in the "flopper" category. By that, I mean those who have little interest in the art of aerobatics, and only want to see the horizon roll around. Don't get me wrong, I really don't mean that in a bad way. The only way you're an unsuccessful aerobatic pilot is if you're not enjoying yourself, and if you're unsafe. But there's a very small percentage of us out there who really have the sickness and live and breathe acro down to the smallest detail.
