What is the aircraft's Va?

• A. 280 knots or 0.75 Mach
• B. 300 knots or 0.80 Mach
• C. 260 knots or 0.70 Mach
• D. 320 knots or 0.85 Mach

Answer: (A)

Va, the maneuvering speed, is the highest speed at which you can apply full control deflections without risking structural damage from excessive load. In practice, below Va you can move the controls firmly and the stall will limit the attitude before the structure reaches its limit load. Above Va, strong control inputs can push the aircraft beyond its design load limits before it stalls, especially in gusty or coordinated-turn situations.

Va depends on weight and configuration; as the airplane gets heavier, Va increases. For a typical regional jet in clean configuration at normal operating weight, Va is commonly around 280 knots, which corresponds roughly to Mach 0.75 in cruise. That’s why the value 280 knots or 0.75 Mach is the best match for Va in this context.

The other speeds listed would not align with the standard maneuvering speed used in training references, since they represent speeds either lower or higher than the usual Va for the aircraft at common operating weights and configurations.