On 20 Jul 2006 15:22:10 GMT, Andrey Serbinenko
wrote:

What I was hoping to hear was an opinion of someone who's familiar with
what is involved in test-flying for normal/utility category and how much
it covers the type of stress imposed on the airframe and systems in a barrel
roll.

As others have pointed out, it is NOT legal, at least in the U.S. But
it certainly possible, and just as certainly inadvisable. Any plane
can be barrel rolled... I seem to recall that someboy barrel rolled a
747 at the Paris Air Show around 30 years ago.

Many years ago when I was much younger and much more foolish, I looped
and rolled 172's a few times. Foolish, as I said, as only a teenage
boy can be (they sometimes call it "young man's immortality syndrome")
even though I had some acro training, and lucky that I didn't screw up
and overstress and/or overspeed the plane. It's just not designed for
that kind of thing. It was a bad idea then and and a bad idea now and
I would NOT attempt it today (not that I've even flown a 172 in the
past 25 years or so).

-Dana
--
--
If replying by email, please make the obvious changes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The most useful tool for dealing with management types is, of course, an automatic weapon.