Originally Posted by AirRabbit
Tails of transport category airplanes do not “come off” at speeds under Va … or over Va … if the airplane is flown the way it was intended (and certificated) to be flown.
One of the things I discovered in the aftermath of AA587 was that a fair number of pilots seemed to understand Va as that speed below which ANY maneuver is ostensibly safe. That's not how I was taught. I was taught more to the effect that below Va any NORMAL maneuver is safe, and certainly dancing on the rudder stop-to-stop is not a normal maneuver, at least in my opinion.