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'Inertia coupling' is a potentially lethal phenomenon of high-speed flight in which the inertia of the heavier fuselage overpowers the aerodynamic stabilizing forces of the wing and empennage. The problem became apparent as single engine jet fighter aircraft were developed with narrow wing spans that had relatively low roll inertia, relative to the pitch and yaw inertia dominated by the long slender high-density fuselage.^[1]
The first two production aircraft to overtly experience this phenomenon, the F-100 Super Sabre and F-102 Delta Dagger, were modified to increase wing and tail area and were fitted with augmented control systems. To enable pilot control during dynamic motion maneuvers, for instance, the tail area of the F-102A was increased 40%. Inertia coupling killed pilot Mel Apt in the Bell X-2 and nearly killed Chuck Yeager in the X-1A.

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References

References

1. Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators, , H. H., Jr., Hurt, U.S. Navy, Aviation Training Division, 1965, NAVWEPS 00-80T-80