@
cwatters
That sounds very unlikely to me. You are suggesting that the HS is producing lift in the downward (negative) direction despite being at a severe POSITIVE angle of attack.
Imagine your explanation applied to a wing.. You're suggesting that a wing flown at a severe negative angle of attack (so severe that the lower surface is stalled) can still produce positive lift. I'm aware most cambered sections have a zero lift angle of attack that is slightly negative but your suggestion goes way beyond that.
Yes, indeed, and it does look very strange.
Though, don't forget, in the main wing situation, the lift is destroyed because the airflow over the wing is not able to "carry" the weight of the airplane any longer and the boundary layer lets go.
In the HS situation, the weight is zero, because the direction of movement is already downwards.
And yes, in some situations the physics does look bizarre.