Control reversal: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:03, 1 August 2011

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===Supermarine Spitfire===

Due to the unusually high speeds at which the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] could dive, this problem of [[aileron]] reversal became apparent when it was wished to increase the lateral maneuverability (rate of roll) by increasing the aileron area. The aircraft had a wing designed originally for an aileron reversal airspeed of 580 [[Miles per hour|mph]], and any attempt to increase the aileron area would have resulted in the wing twisting when the larger ailerons were applied at high speed, the aircraft then rolling in the opposite direction to that intended by the pilot. The problem of increasing the rate of roll was temporarily alleviated with the introduction of "clipped" wing tips (to reduce the aerodynamic load on the tip area, allowing larger ailerons to be used) until a new, stiffer wing could be incorporated.

This new wing was introduced in the [[Supermarine Spitfire (late Merlin powered variants)#Mk.C2.A021_.28type_356.29|Mark XXI]] and had a theoretical aileron reversal speed of {{convert|825|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>Jeffrey Quill OBE, AFC, FRAeS ''Spitfire - A Test Pilot’s Story'' - Arrow Books 1983-89 - ISBN 0-09-937020-4

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