"Hobo" wrote in message
...


How indicative of maneaverability are the max G numbers of fighter
aircraft?

You can pull max g all the way out to the structural limits of the
airframe.....but at what turn rate?.....radius? And where does that put you
in relation to the adversary? (Delta Ps)
In order to determine maneuverability, the g ability to pull g has to be
married into an overall performance graph; then this graph must be compared
to other aircraft. You can't just use one specific to determine a fighter's
performance, or ability to maneuver. It takes the integration of many
different factors, all interfaced into the flight envelope to determine
maneuverability. The ability to pull g is inherent in every
fighter......what you do with that g, and WHERE in the envelope you pull
that g are much more pertinent to maneuverability than the fact that you CAN
pull g.
Then, after you determine all this, there's roll rate, stability, axis
coupling limits, and a whole slew of other good stuff to feed into the
equation.
It's a complicated process. G, and the ability to pull g, are simply factors
in this HUGE overall process of determining maneuverability.
Hope this helps a bit.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
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