I think you missed my point. I’m well aware that the test pilot holds the stick rigidly when testing for stick fixed stability. What I’m saying is that the normal pilot likewise generally holds the stick fixed. When he does move it, the motion usually is a corrective motion that contributes positively to the overall system stability. High plain’s statement that the pilot somehow just lets it flop around free is simply not true. There is little difference between the surfaces being held fixed by a servo or a pilot.

(In full-scale airplanes of conventional configuration, the phugoid period is so long that a pilot never lets it develop.)