Compressibility is an important factor in aerodynamics. At low speeds, the compressibility of air is not significant in relation to aircraft design, but as the airflow nears and exceeds the speed of sound, a host of new aerodynamic effects become important in the design of aircraft. These effects, often several of them at a time, made it very difficult for World War II era aircraft to reach speeds much beyond 800 km/h (500 mph).
This is true but i don't think this effects the turning ability of a particular aircraft.
Some of the minor effects include changes to the airflow that lead to problems in control. For instance, the P-38 Lightning with its thick high-lift wing had a particular problem in high-speed dives that led to a nose-down condition. Pilots would enter dives, and then find that they could no longer control the plane, which continued to nose over until it crashed. Adding a "dive flap" beneath the wing altered the center of pressure distribution so that the wing would not lose its lift. This fixed the problem.
While the P38 has a huge issue with compressability it had nothing to do with the shape of the wings or the wings themselves. It was due, In a small part to the actual design of the airplane, and the small size of the control surfaces. Once the airflow exceeded a certain speed the control surfaces were ineffectual due to the fact that they couldn't divert enough of the air to change the attitude of the airplane. Yes...This was fixed by the dive brake but only because it slowed the aircraft down enough to allow the small control surfaces to do the job.
A similar problem affected some models of the Supermarine Spitfire. At high speeds the ailerons could apply more torque than the Spitfire's thin wings could handle, and the entire wing would twist in the opposite direction. This meant that the plane would roll in the direction opposite to that which the pilot intended, and led to a number of accidents. Earlier models weren't fast enough for this to be a problem, and so it wasn't noticed until later model Spitfires like the Mk.IX started to appear. This was mitigated by adding considerable torsional rigidity to the wings, and was wholly cured when the Mk.XIV was introduced.
WOW! I didnt even know about this one. If that is the case then what i said in my previous post holds true. This also means that the Spit MK XIV should be the best turning airplane in the game..Spit pilots?? Anything to add??
I don't think the answer has anything to do with wingloading because an aircraft with low wingloading generates more lift than one with high wingloading at any speed.
Actually Anaxogoras, The light wing loading airplane will generate more lift at slower speeds than a heavier wing loading airplane. Usually lighter wingloading airplanes have an airfoil that is either semi symetrical or a flat bottomed. If you look at say.... a Cessna, the wing has more curve over the topof the wing than the bottom. This allows good slow speed stability and more lift.....But it cuts down on the areobatic ability of the airfoil because at higher speeds it generates less lift and the flat bottom airfoil is inherantly stable in slower speeds and doesnt really allow for radical or dynamic manuvers.
