Most career pilots who work in general aviation don’t entertain the idea of getting aerobatics certification. Why would they? It’s not like they’re expected to pull off any death-defying stunts. That said, stunts are not the only reason why pilots would want to seek at least some experience in aerobatics flight.

One argument is that aerobatics experience makes for better and more capable pilots. 

 Many of the abilities that pilots learn in aerobatic flying can be applied to general aviation — better situational awareness, ability to respond in emergencies, etc.

What is so special about aerobatics training?

Starting with the obvious, aerobatic airplanes are nothing like ones used in general aviation that often depends on automated systems for stable flight. By comparison, aerobatic plans are less concerned about stability and emphasize performance. This is due to a lower center of gravity, which allows the aircraft to enter and recover from stalls with relative ease. That said, it requires a high level of skill and precision to maintain full control of such an aircraft.

Another distinctive feature of aerobatic aircraft is a set of proportioned wings that enables an inverted flight path. Planes used in general aviation, on the other hand, adopt a dihedral wing setup, which is excellent for maintaining straight and level flight.

The tremendous degree of control is where among the most considerable benefits of aerobatics training been offered. Such practice provides pilots with the chance to improve their flying capabilities by mastering an airplane that requires more skill to fly compared to regular aircraft used in general aviation.

Aerobatics training in Sydney seeks to educate pilots on how to respond to a variety of emergencies in flight. This includes spin recovery and regaining control of a stalled aircraft. While pulling death-defying stunts sounds exciting, these maneuvers are rarely the point of aerobatics certification. What is ultimately more important is the experience and insights that pilots can gleam out of operating a high-performance aircraft in some of the worst conditions imaginable.

Is aerobatics training for you?

While it’s true that you probably would never have the chance to perform any of the maneuvers you’ve learned in a general application aircraft, that doesn’t mean that there’s no point in learning them. As a matter of fact, you can find plenty of survival stories online involving pilots making split-second life or death decisions tempered by aerobatics training. 

For many pilots, the ability to calmly respond to potentially dangerous situations in mid-flight (stalls, engine failure, etc.) makes any effort spent on aerobatics certification worthwhile. This is because most pilots with no aerobatic experience tend to rely heavily on automation and flight management systems. Thus they are less likely to react calmly in the event of a mid-air emergency.

As you may have already realized, any effort spent towards aerobatics certification is far from unnecessary. Pilots who’ve undergone this training are generally more skilled and can masterfully handle an airplane in any circumstance. 

Marcelino Tromp