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The jump from a Harvard to a Spit/Typhoon/whatever is a serious leap
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Not really. The Harvard is a beast to fly and if you master it, the Fighters are "easy to fly" by very subjective comparison. The Harvard's mission is prepare pilots to fly these fighters. It does that very well and will bite a student hard if he does not follow the basic rules. That is the airplanes purpose in life, to teach pilots to become pilots and not break those rules. It is not to be gentle and docile so that a pilot thinks he can get away with something. A good trainer should bite but not kill you. It is hard to make the next lesson if you are dead.
The Spitfire is "easy to fly" compared to the Harvard/Texan.
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The T-6 Texan is over 70 years old and is still a legend in the aviation world. It is referred to as the Pilot Maker because of all of the pilots it taught during WWII and continues to teach today the fine art of flying big engine tail wheel airplanes. The Texan is considered the basic trainer for those who want to transition into a Mustang or other high performance warbirds. However, with over 8,500 hours in the Mustang, Lee Lauderback will be the first to say jokingly, “the P-51 Mustang is a great trainer for the T-6 Texan!” The Mustang is easier to handle in several areas of operation, especially ground handling and crosswind situations. The Texan has been and still is a demanding teacher, not willing to compromise on basic rules and will slap you hard with the proverbial ruler if you break them.
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http://www.stallion51.com/news-press-releases.php?i=9
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The airplane is harder to fly than a P-51. I’ve flown both now, and I never would have never thought that was true. Understand, it’s nothing a competent pilot can’t handle, but the aircraft is the consummate trainer; she demands constant attention to be flown well – just like the T-38 did.
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http://www.warbirdalley.com/articles/T6-sf.htm