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- First and foremost, get proper aerobatic and emergency situation training.
The IAC maintains a list of schools offering emergency maneuver and aerobatic training. - Never fly aerobatics in aircraft not approved for aerobatic flight.
- Fly at a safe and conservative altitude.
- Know your equipment and it's limitations. Keep the aircraft well-maintained.
- Know yourself and your own personal limitations (altitude limits, g-limits, flight durations, health, etc.)
- Always perform a proper, thorough aerobatic preflight.
- Stay current and take recurrence check rides.
- Stay clear of conflicting air traffic.
- Always leave yourself a way out.
- Always wear a parachute. Know how to bail out and how to use it.
Common Questions
IS IT A DANGEROUS SPORT?
By it's very nature, aerobatics involves risks that are not involved in non-aerobatic flight; but, as with other aviation activities, it is only as safe or dangerous as the pilot makes it. Discipline, planning, common sense, and knowledge are the basic prerequisites to safety. Aerobatics can be quite safe if safety rules are followed religiously:
Aerobatics is for the sensible pilot who seeks proficiency, precision, and control in their flying skills. Practice produces control. The attitude that guides control is what separates reckless fools from aerobatic artists. Aerobatic pilots understand their machine as well as its limitations and they recognize their own personal capabilities. Control is what everyone, from World Aerobatic Champion competitors to air show heroes, is looking for.
WILL I FEEL SICK?
Aerobatics entails forces and visual situations that are new to just about everyone. Each person will respond differently to these. Typically, on your first few flights you may feel queasy after some number of maneuvers. With each flight, your tolerance will build. Don't let the initial discomfort discourage you. The more often you practice, the higher your tolerance will become. As you get used to unusual attitudes in your aircraft, the exhilaration and fun begins to dominate. Loops, rolls, and spins can be habit- forming. Hammerheads, Cuban 8's and snap rolls can be addicting. Gradually, one becomes determined to make the loops a more perfect circle, the rolls more true, and to predetermine the exit points of a spin.