British FM killing the fun of the game for allied pilots.

[NZtyphoon]

Originally Posted by klem

Crumpp the whole point of my producing that test mission for you was so that YOU could prove your point. My test was only a quick and dirty. Why aren't YOU taking the trouble to do some of the work yourself?

Just for interest here is what the NACA engineer (William Hewitt Phillips)
who compiled the report on the Spitfire VA


later wrote about the stability of many of the fighters tested, including the Spitfire:

The Spitfire had desirably light elevator control forces in maneuvers and near neutral longitudinal stability. Its greatest deficiency from the combat standpoint was heavy aileron forces and sluggish roll response at high speeds.

...these modes did not concern the pilot because his normal control reactions prevented the modes to a point where they were noticeable. That is the planes were spirally unstable but the rate of divergence was small enough that it was not discernible to the pilots.

(from NACA Monographs in Aerospace History Number 12)

If Crumpp wants to continue with his time wasting obsession over the Spitfire's elevators that's fine - it gives him something to do. There are more important issues to deal with, mainly the shortfalls in relative performance.

Incidentally the NACA report on the control characteristics of the Hurricane is available here