Over, Under, Sideways, Down: The Art and Science of Aerobatic Flight

Flying a clean aerobatic competition with no outs and no zeros can be just as satisfying as winning.

Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 11:34 AM ET

Verified

Aerobatic competitions in the U.S. include five classes, with increasingly difficult maneuvers and sequences. [Courtesy: Tyson Rininger]

Key Takeaways:

The author recounts a successful flight at the 2011 FAI World Aerobatic Championship, reflecting on their journey into aerobatic flying which began in 1978.
Aerobatic competitions are structured into five classes of increasing difficulty (Primary to Unlimited), where pilots perform maneuvers within an invisible aerial "box."
Maneuvers are standardized using Aresti symbols with a K-factor for difficulty, and contests typically include "Known," "Free," and "Unknown" flight sequences.
The International Aerobatic Club (IAC) serves as a key resource for those interested in the sport, which offers deep satisfaction through precision flying and for the sheer pleasure of it ("Soul Flyer").

See a mistake? Contact us.

How on earth did I get here? This is a question I have pondered many times while flying. Sometimes it’s because nothing is going my way. But on this day in 2011, at the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) World Aerobatic Championship in Foligno, Italy, everything was just right.

I was doing circles at 4,000 feet agl in my Extra 300S, waiting nervously for the chief judge to radio me. Soon I would do flips and turns inside an invisible box in the skies in an attempt to impress the judges. As a kid I would spin airplanes around with a remote control. Now I was inside the airplane. The silence ended and I heard the chief judge’s thick British accent: “Contestant 34, the box is yours.”