Sports
Aerial Acrobatics
Quick fact
The first aerobatic maneuver, a loop, was performed by Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov in 1913, and it was considered mad until he proved it possible.
Why this is interesting
You’ve watched airshow planes twist through the sky like a ballet of metal and freedom—but how do pilots pull off loops and spins without losing control, and why don’t they fall out of the sky?