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Old 20th Jun 2011, 12:35
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PittsS2A
 
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Va is the speed at which the pilot can deflect the controls to the maximum inputs and not exceed the G limits of the aircraft. The aircrafts wings will stall before the G limit is exceeded.

At all speeds above Va the pilot must limit the amount of control input so as not to exceed the design G limit, the aircraft is quite capable of pulling up to the design limit G force up to Vne.

It should also be noted that whilst pulling the maximum G at speeds above Va it is quite possible to overstress the wings if a roll is executed, as the G force at the tip of the rising wing will be greater due to the increased angle of attack caused by the aileron inputs. This is known as rolling G, something that all good aerobatic instructors should know about and re-inforce to their students. An example of where pilots have come unstuck due to rolling G is during recovery from spiral dives, in this instance it is paramount to ensure that the wings are rolled level first and then recover from the dive, rather than attempting to roll and pull at the same time.

Generally the rolling G limit for most aerobatic aircraft would be 2/3 of the max G limit ie. 4G rolling limit for an aircraft certified to 6G.
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