He would climb up and gain altitude, the houses receding in size as the airplane leapt upwards like an impatient winged steed. Then he would start his manuevers in the open cockpit, the plane's wings tilting perpendicularly at a 90 degree angle with the ground until he would turn and fly completely upside down in the sky for an eternity of seconds, after which, he would launch into a number of loops, with the plane climbing and descending several times to describe a series of large circles in the sky. These dangerous manuevers require expertise in coordinating airlift and airspeed, temperature and altitude, as well as in calculating the best angle in which the wing should meet the oncoming air for greater lift. All the while, he would maintain perfect control of his whole system, including his very breathing, his movements at the controls of split-second precision, executed with pure sangfroid and a total absence of vertigo. Aerobatics, however, was not the same as stunt flying.
Aerobatics calls for proper coordination and precision flying, accuracy in all phases of manuever.
Stunt flying demands courage but is of no value at all. Such death-defying stunts like walking on the wings and stalling close to the ground to pick a handkerchief are really dangerous. To me, aerobatics is real art in flying. Stunt flying is a daring sport and so is not an art. Aerobatics is never dangerous when one knows his physical limitations and that of his aircraft.