RE: Downwind turn Myth
Highhorse,
I'm not going to feed into a lengthy debate,but your blanket statement is incorrect.Depending on how aggressively the course reversal is made,the relative wind,and resultant coefficient of lift can change.The basic principal of physics,that an object in motion,stays in motion,relative to the stored energy,which varies as a function of mass x velocity,is a player.
In simple terms,think of a 3D airplaneflying into a 20kt headwind,and doing a a 3D type push/pull over of 180 degrees.At completion it is now in a 20 kt tailwind.It used thrust/lift to overcome the physics principal described earlier,yet realized a 40 kt loss of airspeed,with a corresponding loss in coefficient of lift.The above is an extreme example,and with the smooth,high energy type flying we do with jets,this effect is usually negligable.
For what it's worth,I don't believe wind was a significant factor in the viperjet crash.It appears he had low energy over the top,and pulled too hard,with a resultant stall/snap.Unfortunately,some don't understand that to get the plane flying again,you have to unload the wing.An airplane can be stalled at any airspeed or attitude.At Delta,when we teach upset recovery,in the sims I have seen the jet remain stalled in a 40 degree nose down attitude,with power on.The answer is to level the wings,and push slightly,unloading the wing,and letting it start flying again.Then pull and recover gently to not over-g the airframe.
Erik