Lazy 8s and Chandelles
Lazy eights were very nearly my Achilles' heal as I worked on my Commercial. It took me forever to master them, but I finally did.
I think part of the problem with getting on to lazy eights is that in most Commercial training flight profiles that people do them following two very aggressive maneuvers, steep turns and chandelles. So, students are in the aggressive-pull-controls-hard mindset. Lazy eights are not an aggressive maneuver at all. You do have to execute lazy eights very slowly. You cannot rush them. You'll find that there's a certain symmetry and rhythm to them.
Common errors include losing orientation. Choose a good reference point, such as a distant mountain or over a long, straight road.
I found that I got better at lazy eights after I started to instruct - proving, again, that you learn so much about flying as an instructor. Of course, people could argue the value of performing good lazy eights when driving an RJ or 1900 around.
Chandelles are aggressive. You enter at maneuvering or recommended speed, roll aggressively into a 30-degree turn and pull up aggressively into the Vx (or close to it attitude). At the 90-degree point at the turn you begin to roll out while adjusting pitch to maintain that attitude. At the end of the maneuver you are flying at MCA. I always liked chandelles better than lazy eights. Common errors, again, include losing orientation. Choose a good, long, straight road. In Oklahoma, chandelles were easy because the state is laid out in sections, with the sections forming a grid. So, you had roads forming 90-degree angles. It was easy to figure out when to start your rollout.
Of course, both are visual maneuvers. Keep your head outside the cockpit.
Good luck with your training.
