Yanking And Banking

I watched a demonstration by the pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor on one of the nicer weather-days at this years Sun n Fun International Fly-In and Expo (the day before the tornado hit). The Raptors most unique characteristic-from an observers standpoint and in addition to its efficient conversation of fuel into noise-is its ability to maneuver at extremely high angles of attack-maintaining a constant AoA of over 60 deg. in sustained flight. Watch an F-22-or any other high-performance aircraft-maneuver, however, and you may notice an interesting pattern. Any time the fighter changes attitude under a G-load, the pilot does so incrementally. He or she changes pitch, then changes bank, or the pilot changes bank and then changes pitch. You never see a radical pitch and bank change simultaneously.

Key Takeaways:

• "Rolling Gs" occur when an aircraft's bank angle and G-load are changed simultaneously, creating differential loading and powerful twisting forces on the airframe that can cause significant structural damage.
• Aircraft have lower G-load limits for unsymmetrical flight (with rolling Gs) compared to symmetrical flight, with FAA certification rules defining asymmetrical limits as two-thirds of symmetrical limits.
• An NTSB accident report on a Beech Bonanza highlights how rolling Gs, even at seemingly moderate G-loads, can lead to substantial in-flight structural damage.
• FAA flight training maneuvers like the lazy eight and chandelle implicitly teach pilots to avoid rolling Gs by making pitch and bank changes sequentially or very gradually, rather than simultaneously and aggressively.

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