> I could not believe a plane that large could fly and be reliably controlled in adverse situations. I suppose somebody outside the aviation industry could thi

> I could not believe a plane that large could fly and be reliably controlled in adverse situations. I suppose somebody outside the aviation industry could think that, but in general, the larger the airplane, the smoother the ride and control are. In fact, airliners have specific certification requirements to "be smooth" for IFR handling: FAA SFARS 14 CFR § 25.171 General (Stability) https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/25.171 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/25.171 There's other FARS that list more specific requirements for airliners. The only transport category class that I've seen which looks surprising in flight is the C-5 on takeoff. It's huge (about the size of a 747) and climbs out so slowly that it looks like it will fall out of the sky: C-5 Takeoff at Abbotsford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCC6ZbZvG8I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCC6ZbZvG8I The US lost a cargo 747 in 2013 in the Middle East due to the load shifting - armored vehicles rolled backwards, moving the CG aft and damaging hydraulic lines. Notice how slow (and vertical) it gets: US Military 747 Takeoff and Crash at Bagram (caution: actual crash footage with flames) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01RmcKsm2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01RmcKsm2k