Originally Posted by
ORAC
Just to muddy the waters..... Spitfire......
The loop-top control column had been a traditional feature on many british fighters going back to WW1. Camel, Siskin, Gamecock, Bristol Bulldog and Hawker Fury (arguably the Spit's predecessor) all had them, so I suspect it was incorportaed into the Spit simply as being what pilots were "used to".
The actual column design is (IIRC) actually novel and innovative in having a fixed lower column with a hinged part above the knees. The whole column moved fore/afet for elevator input, but unly the upper part moved side-to-side for aileron input, thus allowing full aileron mevment unconstrained by the driver's knees/thighs etc. The upper colum pivit has a closed-loop chain drive to a sprocket on the base of the column which drives the aileron controls. Bothe the Bf109 and the Fw190 lacked this feature, making aileron control much more limited when pulling back-stick.
NALOPKT(&EFGAS),
PDR