ORIGINAL: fmw
I'm curious about what aerodynamic principles make these design elements favorable to doing aerobatics.</p>
None
Define aerobatics. For flicking and cartwheeling an airplane around the sky these design elements are worthless. For clean straight lines in windy conditions with relatively small rc models they work very well. And still they are a compromise because we do need maneuverability for some maneuvers. (competition regulations have a lot of say here aswell regarding length and size of models)
Welcome to pattern flying! The aspera is a sweet one.