Quote:
|
The P-38 Lightning suffered from a particularly dangerous interaction of the airflow between the wings and tail surfaces in the dive that made it difficult to "pull out", a problem that was later solved with the addition of a "dive flap" that upset the airflow under these circumstances
|
I recall reading that the "solution" was tested by taking the plane to 42,000 ft. and putting it into a full power vertical dive! Even with two Allison V12s screaming their hearts out, the plane did not exceed the speed of sound!