Exclusive Video: On “Non-God-Fearing Aircraft”

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Key Takeaways:

  • General aviation aircraft are inherently stable, a characteristic referred to by experimental test pilot Desmond "Deuce" Brophy as being "God-fearing aircraft."
  • In contrast, military fighter jets, which Brophy flies and tests, are not inherently stable and are termed "non-God-fearing aircraft."
  • The article features an explanation by Brophy from Edwards Air Force Base detailing the fundamental aerodynamic differences between these two types of aircraft.
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Stability is a good thing … except when it isn’t. Nearly all general aviation aircraft are inherently stable, which makes them, in the words of military experimental test pilot Desmond “Deuce” Brophy, “God-fearing aircraft.” But the fighter jets Brophy flies and tests are a little different. During our visit to the flight test center at Edwards Air Force Base, Brophy explained the fundamental aerodynamic differences between the aircraft we fly and what he calls “non-God-fearing aircraft.”

(Don’t let our censor bars distract you; they’re simply there to protect some private names and numbers.)

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