Quote:
Originally Posted by horseback
The Zero's ailerons got a lot heavier very quickly over 200 kts indicated, but it wasn't compressibility (and the shock waves it produced), it was just the tradeoff for having those big ailerons that worked so well at what the IJN considered combat speeds, below 200kts. At the higher speeds air resistance on those large control surfaces was more pronounced and the leverage you could generate on the stick was not so great, particularly for the much shorter average Japanese of the day.
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From what I hear , the Zero wing thickness was much larger than normal allowing better lift and maneuverability at low speed.. but the thick wing caused airflow disruption over the wing and control surfaces at high speeds.. causing the controls to lock.
The pilot stick forces required would be, from the pilots POV, dependent on stick length and force applied, and strength of pilot.. not size.
It would be harder to move the stick all the way at higher speeds, but to execute, say a roll at X-Degrees per second, you require less control surface deflection to execute the same maneuver, than at lower speeds.
