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Old 01-21-2011, 04:06 PM
=XIII=Wedge =XIII=Wedge is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2010
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Totally agree, if it can be done add it.

I don't care about whether changes to the FM improve or decline the capability of a particular plane.

As long as the information is researched and presented as a basis for a FM decision.

We might disagree, but at least we will have an understanding of why an maybe learn something at the same time.

In regard to the control reversal. One source of information is from Jeffrey Quill, who wrote about how aileron reversal affected the Spitfire;

"...had we, in 1941, been able to produce a design of aileron capable of allowing much greater control displacements at very high speed we should soon have been in serious trouble with what was known as 'aileron reversal' arising from lack of torsional stiffness of the wing. In other words the load applied to the wings by more powerful ailerons would have caused the wings to twist, thereby nullifying or reversing the effect of the ailerons and, incidentally, causing damage to the structure itself"(Quill; Spitfire: a Test Pilot's Story; 1983 pp.272-273)

Note that he quite definitely states that the problem would have manifested itself had the ailerons been capable of greater control displacements ie: aileron reversal was not a big problem, although the Spitfire was "teetering on the edge" of suffering from aileron reversal.

Quill goes on to say that the theoretical speed at which reversal would have occurred was 580 mph - still well above normal combat speeds and one only likely to have been exceeded in a prolonged and steep dive.
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