Question
: What plane is the most maneuverable in your opinion? Oh, and don't worry I speak airplane!
Answer : Hello,
By "maneuverable" I suspect you mean, which aerobatic airplane is the most maneuverable so I will try to answer you from an aerobatic standpoint.
Maneuverability in airplanes depends on a number of factors, including design and in particular wing and aileron design. Horizontal and vertical stabilizer design, and of course, the rudder and the elevator design and size have a lot to do with how maneuverable an airplane is. Size of control surfaces, such as ailerons, are usually larger in aerobatic airplanes as well.
Aerobatic airplanes are designed to be exceptionally maneuverable because they aren't designed to fly "straight and level" - at least not with the stability you would find in a passenger airplane. Stability is built into a passenger airplanes with safety and certification requirements in mind. Basically, if you take your hands off the controls of a passenger airplane such as a Cirrus, a Piper or a Cessna, those airplanes will fly themselves. So, if they "diverge" from straight and level flight, the controls are designed to enable them to come back to a semblance of straight and level flight.
An aerobatic airplane is designed to be somewhat unstable, and it is that instability combined with design factors and ultimately structural integrity (strength), that give them maneuverability.
Which one is most maneuverable? It is hard to say, because each of the well known aerobatic airplanes has it's own special design characteristics. The Extra for example, is very maneuverable, but the roll rate of a Sukhoi SU-26 is faster than an Extra. The Extra can tumble quite well, but the Pitts and the CAP 232 are even more unstable and easier to tumble than the Extra. The Extra, Pitts and Sukhoi are probably the three most maneuverable of the well known aerobatic airplanes, but there are other very snappy aerobatic airplanes out there like the and the Edge, the laser and some of the biplanes like the Skybolt.
I hope you can now speak airplane a little bit better and that I have helped answer your question.
1001 Aviation Photos | Ask the Expert | This Day in Aviation | Airplane of the Month
Privacy Policy 