It was the yaw induced by lowering the gear in combination with extended airbrakes that caused the breakdown in air flow over the tail. We used to demonstrate this at a safe height at the AFSs. The syllabus summary still pasted into my logbook says: " Ex 3. Asymmetric flying critical speeds, relighting procedure and emergencies. Effect of airbrakes with asymmetric power. Simulated asymmetric overshoots, min height 5,000ft (2 sorties,1hr 20 mins dual)". The demo of unbalanced asymmetric thrust with airbrakes OUT could be quite spectacular and showed that you had no chance of correcting the situation from circuit height. Most students were taught instinctively to thump the airbrake lever forwards (IN) with their palm before going for the undercarriage handle.
(Added) I believe that mishandling of asymmetric thrust was a relatively minor cause of Meatbox accidents. Getting lost and running out of fuel was a more frequent cause. The F4s and T7s carried about 95 gals less than the F8s and FR9s. There was no navaid other than the fixes or bearings you could get on VHF. This might have been acceptable in UK where there was a highly organised fighter control organisation on the ground. But in the Middle East they really ought to have given us a radio compass, as I believe they did the RAAF aircraft. I know that 208 lost six aircraft 1954-57 due to failure of ground VHF/DF stations to respond. All forced-landed rather than ejected in Kamseen conditions. Luckily no one got hurt.
Last edited by Flatus Veteranus; 20th Nov 2007 at 13:44.
Reason: Add paragraph