Originally posted by Angus
There was a C of G problem along with the hypersensitive elevator control, that got fixed in later Mk V's as well. (It caused fatal accidents).
Not sure about that, all Spitfires were known for their "hypersensitve" (=very light) elevator control. ie. 4lbs/G, where usually 6-7 waas found ideal. Not sure about if it cause fatal accidents (probably it could if pullouts were very harsh, some Spits lost wings in dive recoveries - pilot would not be able to do violent pullups if the elevators would be too heavy).
It was a two-edged weapon, it allowed for tight turns to be made at high speeds on one hand, not being restricte by control forces as much, but also meant that the aircraft was very touchy to handle, and one had to be very careful with the elevator movements. As the report states, a mere 3/4 inch was enough to bring the plane to the edge of stall.. not very ideal of stallfighting, one needs a solid hand and nerves of steel! The fact that the ailerons were very heavy, the pilot has to deal with almost zero resistance in pulling/pushing movements, but very high ones in the side direction, didnt make it easier either. The report otherwise agrees with what I have read in other reports, at 400mph as much as 60-70 lbs stickforce was not enough to deflect the ailerons even half of their range. So it seems a very good description, the most detailed I have seen.
It`s also interesting to compare what Jeff Ethell said after flying one.. It matches up nicely.
Sitting behind this demon V-12 churning out so much power is intoxicating...the earth falls away at a rapid rate, at least for something with a propeller. A look around reveals the excellent visibility out of the bubble canopy. This lessens, to a degree, the impression of being buried within a Spitfire, though that feeling of being a part of the machine does not change. The elevator is very light while the rudder is stiff and the ailerons even more so. Every Spitfire I've flown takes a bit more muscle to roll than most fighters. As speed increases both rudder and ailerons get heavier, resulting in a curious mismatch at high speed...one has to handle the almost oversensitive elevators with a light fingertip touch while arm-wrestling the stiff ailerons. Pilots had to keep this in mind during combat, particularly when going against the FW 190 which had a sterling rate of roll and exceptionally well harmonised controls. That being said, the aircraft is very well balanced and delightful to manoeuvre. Whipping a Spit around the clouds ranks right up there at the top of aviation's great experiences.
