On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 03:38:51 GMT, Jay Stranahan
wrote:

Just mildly curious, because this information doesn't seem to be
available on any of the web sites I visit: What sort of gee forces were
WW2 fighter aircraft built to withstand? I keep hearing stories about
wings coming off in dives or very tight sustained turns -- were they
*that* much more fragile than modern military craft?

Jay, without looking at any references, I recall that British pilots
in primitive G suits were able to pull 9 Gs in the late marks of the
Spitfire. That's a lot, as I understand it. Isn't the rule of thumb
that a fit pilot can withstand 5 Gs?

Some planes were certainly fragile. There were several cases of
Japanese army Hayabusa ("Oscar") pilots shedding their wings in close
combat in SE Asia in 1941-1942. And there were at least two cases
where a P-40 collided with a Hayabusa wing to wing, with the result
that the Hayabusa lost the wing and went down, while the P-40 flew
home.

I don't think they were fragile as a matter of course. The problem was
that all 1930s airplanes were basically designed by guess; the fittest
survived the testing process and were put into service.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

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