GregP
Major
Yeah. Stop and think about it and the P-39 was a very high-performance airplane compared with whatever new pilots had flown before. It climbed well over 3,000 fpm immediately after takeoff and was faster and better-performing in general ... along with having a few vices. I would not be at all surprised to find training P-39s with empty ammo loadouts, meaning aft CG positions.
That could have made for some interesting flights given the P-39's sensitivity in pitch and tendency to tumble at aft CG positions. Might account for some training accidents.
In my case, I had watched and pulled stumps before, and the tires always spun until the stump came out. It took me by surprise when the tires didn't spin.
In the case of the P-39 pilots, they had experience with planes that behaved properly and, if the P-39 departed in some manner around the stall, it was likely the first time they had encountered that behavior.
That could have made for some interesting flights given the P-39's sensitivity in pitch and tendency to tumble at aft CG positions. Might account for some training accidents.
In my case, I had watched and pulled stumps before, and the tires always spun until the stump came out. It took me by surprise when the tires didn't spin.
In the case of the P-39 pilots, they had experience with planes that behaved properly and, if the P-39 departed in some manner around the stall, it was likely the first time they had encountered that behavior.