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Originally Posted by Dowly
I think that's what they were invented for. IIRC, the P38 picked up speed very fast in dive and the plane's controls became useless. :hmm:
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The earlier P-38s completely lost elevator authority at high speeds. As you know this was fixed in the later models
Despite Olegworld's physics it wasn't though the only fighter with this problem, only one of the first. And irl the problem was already fixed in the later J-series of the aircraft.
Wikipedia has quite a good article on the "Fork tailed devil":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_Lightning
I agree that it's a joy to fly in IL-2, although better suited to fight the slow but nimble Japs than the faster Lufties. I did try to intercept Hunter's B-25 last night while carrying a full load of HVAR's and bombs(and wondering why my plane felt so sluggish), left over from a previous mission, but that didn't end well
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Originally Posted by Wikipedia
A similar problem affected some models of the Supermarine Spitfire. At high speeds the ailerons could apply more torque than the Spitfire's thin wings could handle, and the entire wing would twist in the opposite direction. This meant that the plane would roll in the direction opposite to that which the pilot intended, and led to a number of accidents. Earlier models weren't fast enough for this to be a problem, and so it wasn't noticed until later model Spitfires like the Mk.IX started to appear. This was mitigated by adding considerable torsional rigidity to the wings, and was wholly cured when the Mk.XIV was introduced.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Mitsubishi Zero had the exact opposite problem in which the controls became ineffective. At higher speeds the pilot simply couldn't move the controls because there was too much airflow over the control surfaces. The planes would become difficult to maneuver, and at high enough speeds aircraft without this problem could out-turn them.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressibility