A newbies impression of the 109 and spit

[CaptainDoggles]

Guys, aircraft stability is not something that's subject to interpretation. Either an aircraft is stable about a particular axis or it is not.

Even NACA agrees that the Spitfire V did not have positive longitudinal stability.

...yet neither of these famous aircraft had the specified levels of the most basic stability of them all, static longitudinal stability...

"Stability" is a quantifiable property, not a subjective classification. An aircraft that is not statically stable can still have good flying qualities. To say that the Spitfire was not statically stable is not to say that all the pilots praising the Spit's handling qualities were wrong.

You guys are getting so caught up in your quest to prove Crumpp wrong that you're losing sight of the facts.