Coming back to the original query;- The writers of the 'Pilots Notes' were well aware that the skills of the average young Spitfire pilots were nowhere near those of experts like Henshaw. Remembering my own early clumsy attempts at flick-rolls, I found them disorienting and getting any consistency of exit very difficult. As ever, low-level aerobatics were responsible for a significant proportion of air-accidents. Inexperienced pilots trying flicks in a Spit' at low levels would have been bad for the accident stats....
That said, Henshaw, as I recall, used to perform them during a vertical climb during his normal display and regarded the manoeuvre as unremarkable.
As for flicking 152 Aerobats....a mere bagatelle...but not at low level...
. Much more fun in an S1 though...!
