There are a lot of suggestions that the Hunter was too low at the top of the loop. They are too numerous to ignore without comment:
Based upon the videos I've now seen, I strongly disagree that the Hunter was too low at the top of the loop (any roll component included). He was, in my judgement, clearly not too low to complete the loop safely whilst remaing within the performance capabilities of the Hunter. That fact is very obvious to me, from visual assesment alone.
But here's a question, if you still think the top of the loop was too low: How do you explain the 'apparently' low pitch rate during all but the final instants of the descent? I say 'apparently' low pitch rate, but the more videos I see, enabling a view of sufficient of the entire descent, the more I feel confident in using the words
'obviously' low pitch rate.
Surely, if the aircraft was too low at the top of the loop, the pilot would have become visually aware of that fact as he entered the descent. This is, I think, a certainty, unless he seriously misjudged the situation or was distracted or disorientated by sun, haze etc. He might (should?) also have noted that his altimeter indicated that he was too low.
Regardless of any of the previous, whether distracted/disorientated or not, he should then have increased his pitch rate far, far sooner than he actually did.
The only limitation might have been inadequate airspeed to increase pitch rate, but that limitation 'appears' to be unlikely and, in any case, could not, surely, have applied for the pronounced length of time during which the pitch rate appeared to be low.
...and, of course, there a many more possible reasons, other than pilot misjudgement/disorientation/distraction, why the pitch rate might have been low.
Later Edit
I cannot leave Fluffy Bunny's comment (see next post) unanswered, if only because it might mislead.
Fluffy Bunny wrote:
Increasing pitch rate would have lead to a stall if indeed he was too slow.
That wouldn't have helped matters at all.
I acknowledged that possibility with my statement:
The only limitation might have been inadequate airspeed to increase pitch rate, but that limitation 'appears' to be unlikely and, in any case, could not, surely, have applied for the pronounced length of time during which the pitch rate appeared to be low.
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