AIRCRAFT can either show relaxed stability or positive stability.

Relaxed stability aircraft are unflyable without computer assistance – fly-by-wire. It’s impossible for a human to compensate for their sheer twitchiness. But this is what makes them so maneuverable and agile.

Relax It’s ESPPositive stability airplanes, in contrast, are beauts. They’ll fly on their own, and the pilot can exhibit complete authority even if steering by their feet while watching Corrie. But, as a consequence, they are less agile, more lazy.

I felt this yesterday, when I went up in an Extra 300L. I also saw the former graphically demonstrated later, when the aerobatic jets did things so impossible, even fellow pilots couldn’t work out how it was done.

This is what F1 cars are like. They have high levels of relaxed stability: they are inherently unstable. Only drivers with the skill level of Hamilton and Schumacher can hope to control them, particularly when things get spicy.

Relax It’s ESP 1They’re undrivable to the rest of us. In contrast to our road-going Vauxhalls, with which we can drive with our knees while sneezing and looking for a Nutri-Grain bar on the M1 at 85mph. But, get a Vectra on a track, and it’s not really as agile as an F1 car. Even if it had the power to match, it would be way slower.

I wonder, therefore, could ESP become the driver’s friend?

Instead of seeing it as a cop-out for softies (Real Men Hit The ESP-Off Button™), maybe it could help narrow the gap to road-going racers? Design a chassis that is so sharp and agile, it’s got the maneuverability of a Eurofighter – but standardise the electronic aids to make it actually drivable, too. Result? One searingly tenacious bit of kit.

Relax It’s ESP 2Relying on the ESP would not be a pansy’s cheat, in the same way that you don’t find Eurofighter pilots turning the balancing regulator off.

And you don’t call RAF pilots girls, do you?

It’s a theory I’ll be pitching to a few chassis engineers in the coming months, to get their thoughts… which I’ll share with you – and hope you’ll share your ideas on it with me!

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