Expedite said: "...a B727 doesn't have a moving tailplane, but normal elevators. How did the pilot of the B727 manage to recover when so many of our spitfires died due to this problem?"
I know this sounds incredible, but after exhausting all other methods to escape the supersonic vertical dive, Gibson deployed the landing gear. The gear doors immediately departed, causing tail plane damage, and the right main gear strut bent backwards several degrees. However it slowed the plane enough to regain control. He did a no flaps landing (they were damaged in the dive), and the bent right main stayed in place.
-- joema