Am I loosing my marbles or is Va misunderstood by many pilots. A review of FAR 25 or FAR 23 doesn't show any requirement that Va must be somehow associated with stall at the limit load factor.
Quoting just FAR 23, but FAR 25 is similar.
1. FAR 23.335(C) shows that Va can be selected from a range of speeds, the simplified design load criteria in Appendix A seems to allow an even lower Va than the full requirement.
2. Va is a design speed, it doesn't change with weight unless the manufacturer actually provides a range of Va v's weight.
3. The structural requirements for maximum control deflections at Va are directed to the "horizontal tail surface", "vertical tail surfaces", and "ailerons". FAR 23.423, FAR 23.441 and FAR 23.445 are specific.
4. There is no FAR 25 or FAR 23 requirement which relates limit load factor with stall speed and Va.
I understood that this apparent misunderstanding of Va led to the development of the "new" FAR 23 speed of Vo - the "Operating Maneuvreing Speed" which is related to limit load factor and stall speed.
This seems to be also covered in the changes to Va placards in FAR 25 aircraft:
Design Maneuvering Speed Limitation Statement