page_title: Immelmann turn
section_title: Historical combat maneuver
hierarchical_section_title: Immelmann turn / Historical combat maneuver
caption_attribution_description: Illustration of the 1st World War "Immelmann turn" maneuver
context_page_description: The term Immelmann turn, named after German World War One Eindecker fighter ace Leutnant Max Immelmann, refers to two different aircraft maneuvers:
  In World War I aerial combat, an Immelmann turn was a maneuver used after an attack on another aircraft to reposition the attacking aircraft for another attack.
  In modern aerobatics, an Immelmann turn is an aerobatic maneuver that results in level flight in the opposite direction at a higher altitude.
context_section_description: In World War I aerial combat, an Immelmann turn (named for the German air ace Max Immelmann) was a maneuver used after an attack on another aircraft to reposition the attacking aircraft for another attack.
  After making a high-speed diving attack on an enemy, the attacker would then climb back up past the enemy aircraft, and just short of the stall, apply full rudder to yaw his aircraft around.  This put his aircraft facing down at the enemy aircraft, making another high-speed diving pass possible. This is a difficult maneuver to perform properly, as it involves precise control of the aircraft at low speed. With practice and proper use of all of the fighter's controls, the maneuver could be used to reposition the attacking aircraft to dive back down in any direction desired.
  In modern aerobatics, this maneuver, if executed pre-stall with a non-zero turning radius at the top of the climb, is known as a wingover. If the rudder turn is executed right at the initiation of the stall, the resulting yaw occurs around a point within the aircraft's wingspan and the maneuver is known as a stall turn or hammerhead.
caption: Illustration of the historical maneuver from a 1918 flight manual
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