In addition to serving as the IAC president from February 2001 through June 2002, Rob Dorsey was a prolific writer. His Stick & Rudder column began in 1998 and was popular with many members who looked forward to his wide-ranging topics. The articles ranged from flying the Sportsman and Intermediate sequences to "Crossover Spins", and "Outside Loops" to "Gentle Low g Aerobatics".
Enjoy a small part of the collection of Stick & Rudder articles from Sport Aerobatics magazine.
May 2000 "The Safety Issue"
Stick & Rudder - Crossover Spins
Spin accidents have taken our dearest friends from us, and they surely will again. They have brought us tears of regret, both for our loss and for the knowledge of what just a little training could have prevented. If you can't recognize the signs of a spin gone wrong and take immediate corrective action at competition altitudes, friend, you are putting yourself smack-dab in harm's way. Read more - click on the link below.
January 2001
Stick & Rudder - In the Beginning
You have wanted to fly aerobatics all of your adult life. The plastic airplanes, hung by thread and thumbtack from your childhood bedroom ceiling, were often posed inverted or in steep climbs or dives, and you couldn't possibly fly your .049 Cox Little Stinker without trying a loop or two. More importantly, you sort of enjoyed the steep turns and accelerated stalls you practiced while working toward your private certificate. Now, bored with droning from A to B, you again think about looping and rolling, about gaining a true command of the horizon. But how? Where to start?
Read more - click on the link below.
February 2001
Stick & Rudder - Through the Sequence - The 2001 Sportsman Known
Again, we will take up a figure-by-figure look at a Known sequence. This time, however, we will look at the Sportsman Known for 2001. It is meant to be winnable by the benchmark Clipped Cub - and is, if you think it through and don't try to fly too hard.
Read more - click on the link below.
March 2001
Stick & Rudder - The 2001 Sportsman Known Part II
We continue with our tour through the 2001 Sportsman Known sequence. Last month, we discovered that this program provides some intellectual as well as physical challenges. Good, I like that. I'm using our 4-aileron, 450 Stearman to test this sequence since I reckoned that it pretty much fit the description of a "low performance" aerobatic airplane. I was right.
Read more - click on the link below.
April 2001
Stick & Rudder - Easy Does It
So, my buddy with the Waco says: "Competition schmompetition, what the heck's wrong with just a nice loop and a roll? I mean, what if you ain't got no inverted system and wouldn't want to dump oil all over the belly if you did? Sheesh! When will you g-junkies just relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of smoothly rolling the horizon around the nose? For a lot of us, pal, competition just ain't necessary, but aerobatics is." Read more - click on the link below
June 2001
Stick & Rudder - Going Outside
The sign on the old Tiger Club hangar in Waco read: "You ain't been till you've been Outside!" Take it easy getting into this phase of aerobatics, but give it a try. It is a sort of rite of passage for us wing flingers, and if your airplane is up to it, so may you be.
Read more - click on the link below.
July 2001
Stick & Rudder - Through the Sequence
Wow! Talk about controversy! This Known has raised eyebrows and blood pressures among even seasoned Intermediate competitors ever since it came out, and it has even generated calls for mid-season change. Not so fast! Let's at least talk about it.
Read more - click on the link below.
Learn more about Rob Dorsey, who flew west on March 5, 2025, in this article: https://www.iac.org/lines-and-