Stability and Control characteristics of the Early Mark Spitfires

[6S.Manu]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Why is it red v blue?....

It's amusing the fact that people need to bring on another plane (or better "those" other planes) to defend a plane issue clearly written in the pilot's notes book.

But it's not a Red vs Blue, of course...

At time we'll talk about those planes too...

Originally Posted by bongodriver

presumably the aircraft returned home to have their wings replaced if it's true.

Of course the RTBed aircrafts would have the wings replaced, but why did they need to replace them? Couldn't them still fight in that condition? Or maybe it was an issue this sim needs to reproduce?

Since I'm not sure that a plane with overstressed wings can be effective in the way many virtual pilots are used to fly it. Instead I'm sure that a plane with a damaged wings' structure will not fly as it did before and the pilot needs to take it back ASAP... above all if it's a high performance fighter!

If we make a mistake, pulling up too much so that the wings' structure is damaged (even if not critically) and we are enought lucky and the wings are still there does not mean that we can fight as nothing is happened.

It's an issue of every plane, and it should be simulated correctly: then there are planes more prone to this problem (the ones with sensitive elevator maybe?).

From the pilot's notes:

Diving: The aeroplane becomes very tail heavy at high speed and must be trimmed into the dive in order to avoid the danger of excessive acceleration in recovery. The forward trim should be wound back as speed is lost after pulling out.

I don't recall to do it in any simulator... If I trim it's only to keep the nose on the target, not because of a probable structure damage. Probably only in IL2 1946 after the DT's work.. but only in planes carrying a heavy load.

Then we can talk about the effect of a slightly damaged wings' structure on the plane, but it's another matter: it's still sure that it's not a good thing for a fighter (until the new myth "Spitfires could fly at full performance even with damaged wings!")