Plain English Meaning
A certification level given to airplanes built strong enough for aerobatic flying — loops, rolls, spins, and steep maneuvers that ordinary airplanes are not approved to perform.
Full Definition
An FAA airworthiness certification category for airplanes designed and tested to withstand maneuvers beyond those permitted in the normal or utility categories, including intentional spins and maneuvers involving bank angles greater than 60 degrees and pitch attitudes more extreme than those allowed in lower categories. Aerobatic category airplanes are certified to load factor limits of +6.0g and -3.0g.
Context Anchor
Seen in airplane certification, , and discussions when deciding whether an airplane is approved for intentional unusual- or aerobatic .