As an
aircraft specification "Vne" indicates the maximum speed at which an aircraft can be flown while remaining within the
design parameters ("
Velocity never to
exceed"). Aircraft should only be flown at or near Vne in
smooth,
still air, since the
wing is under
structural loads at or near designed
safety margins. If one were flying at Vne and encountered
turbulence, such as a
thermal, the loads on the
airframe could easily lead to
structural failure of the aircraft. Additionally, no
maneuvers, such as
turns or abrupt
pitch changes, should be made anywhere near Vne, since the additional
g force can likewise
overload the wing. Maximum maneuvering speed is indicated as "
Va"
Most aircraft can be flown much faster than Vne very easily, so pilots must be aware of this
specification and
respect it. A
hang glider's Vne (appx. 55 mph for racing gliders) is usually at or just below the maximum
dive speed ("
Vd") of the glider (without doing some
extreme move, like a
whipstall) so structural failures due to exceeding Vne are
rare (they are rare for hang gliders in general) and hang glider pilots routinely
ignore Vne specifications. This has led to trouble for hang glider pilots who take up other forms of
aviation.