No Acro Without Spin Clearance?
Like Genghis, I can't offer a rationale for the FAA clearance without knowing more about the airplane. (And like fantom, I have flown many high-performance military planes that were cleared for all manner of high-rate, high-AOA dogfighting maneuvers but not cleared for intentional spins.) Whether it makes sense to restrict a plane from aerobatics just because spins cannot be practiced is another question. I can certainly understand the logic, but it may be overprotective. How susceptible is the plane to inadvertent spin entry? If the plane is highly resistant to spins anyway (requires prolonged pro-spin controls to get it into a spin in the first place) then the logic seems to break down to me. On the other hand, if the US clearance for acro allows a wider CG envelope than the UK would, a Yank spinning the plane might have a tougher time recovering than his European counterpart. I don't know the UK certification standards. Maybe it should actually be cleared for BOTH in the UK...