Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment, and sport. Additionally, some helicopters, such as the MBB Bo 105, are capable of limited aerobatic manoeuvres. An example of a fully aerobatic helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls, is the Westland Lynx.
Patty Wagstaff show at JeffCo Airport in Denver, Colorado, June 2008
The "Frecce Tricolori", the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force
A Spanish Air Force Colibri demonstrates its agility with a barrel roll
The Utterly Butterly wingwalking team perform an aerobatic maneuver with their Boeing Stearmans
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants. The Lynx went into operational usage in 1977 and was later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations, primarily serving in the battlefield utility, anti-armour, search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare roles.
Westland Lynx
Lynx XX153, which broke the helicopter speed record in 1972, preserved on public display at the Museum of Army Flying
A Royal Navy Lynx HMA.8 of the Lynx Operational Evaluation Unit
Cockpit of a German Navy Lynx