About four hours after the beginning of the fire the boat suddenly lost longitudinal stability, took on a steep down-bubble, and sank.
The tailplane is mainly a trimmer rather than for longitudinal stability.
The aerodynamic center is the conceptual starting point for longitudinal stability.
A 1/4-inch area in the stagger will make a very considerable difference to the longitudinal stability.
For details, see the section on longitudinal stability below.
The results were unfavorable, indicating poor longitudinal stability at high angles-of attack.
The engine was moved forward 100 mm (4 in) to improve longitudinal stability.
It proved to have poor longitudinal stability and the powerplant itself still had a number of problems.
These changes improved longitudinal stability, especially when the aircraft was fully loaded.
These revealed a number of problems including poor handling, insufficient longitudinal stability and significant changes in trim as engine power was changed.