On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 05:21:39 GMT, "Peter MacPherson"
wrote:

Maybe this is a stupid question, but here goes.... ; - )

Why is it that when fighter pilots roll in on a ground or air
target they always seem to roll into an inverted dive? Is this
just my imagination? What's the benefit of an inverted dive?

They don't always (roll inverted to dive on a target), but in addition
to the already mentioned point of positive G's being easier on the
body than negative, there's also to consideration of keeping the
target in view. When you roll inverted you can look directly at the
target from that vantage point and not have your vision blocked by
fuselage and wings, and pull the stick back to bring the nose down
towards the target.

Times and aircraft performance have changed enormously since the days
of WWII. The Navy dive bombers approached their targets in at a
cruise setting (max cruise was 185 but they usually flew more slowly
than that to conserve fuel) and had to align as necessary depending on
the target, whether it was maneuvering or whether there were ground
obstructions to consider. Wind direction and strength were also a
consideration. Once the proper approach was decided, the flight
leader brought his squadron to the pushover point, snapped out the
dive brakes and then banked up vertically in the direction of the
target. The rest followed one after the other, peeling off
dramatically (for the camera), but they did not normally roll
inverted, they just let the nose slide down into their normal dive
angle. Since there was some matter of seconds passing between the
first to head down and the last, each dive varied some in it's descent
angle, although probably not by much.

If the target was a ship and was aware of the approach, it maneuvered
wildly for it's life. Destroyers were notoriously difficult to hit as
they were extremely maneuverable and narrow. The dive bombers
maneuvered during their dive to keep the target in sight. So poor was
the Navy's record in actually hitting a destroyer with a dive bomber
attack that it was only until the middle of the battle for Guadalcanal
that one was actually struck (by a dive bomber), finally. That it was
hit surprised the Japanese admiral who was on board. It wouldn't be
the last time the American forces surprised the Japanese at
Guadalcanal.

The German Stuka dive bomber actually had a target viewing window in
it's belly and the bomber nosed over once the target was in sight in
this window. The Stuka was also equipped with an automatic pull out
device that was adjustable for when it began pulling back on the
stick.

But the Stuka pilots also sometimes rolled inverted into their dives.

Fighter pilots during WWII often rolled in on their targets whether
they be aerial or ground, but not always. It depended on the
circumstances and where the target was sighted in relation to the
direction of flight.

By the time the experienced pilot got into combat, he was, or should
have been, familiar enough with his airplane that rolling one way or
the other while staying coordinated was second nature. Some German
pilots were so skilled that they could and did fire on approaching
bombers while rolling continuously. Not sure why this would be
necessary, but in some cases they fired and rolled so that they could
be on their back when they were close to the target so that they could
pull the stick in and dive out of the way.

The Germans discovered during the Battle of Britain, that their
Messerschmitt Bf109E's had a tactical advantage over both the
Spitfire's and Hurricane's they encountered. The Messerschmitt had a
fuel injected engine which was unaffected by negative G's while both
the British fighters used a carburator that cut out when subjected to
negative G's.

They learned that this difference gave them a crucial edge which
allowed them to escape if surprised from behind. They simply pushed
the nose over steeply (the British called this a "bunt") and shoved
everything to the wall while diving away. The Bf109 accelerated a
little faster than either of the British fighters in a dive but the
since the Spitfire and Hurricane's engines cut out in a negative G
situation, they were left behind. Well, left behind enough that most
of the time the Messerschmitt escaped.

The British countered by half rolling to follow. But this still cost
them vital time.

The Navy taught it's fighter pilots several attacks, one of which was
the direct overhead attack. In this maneuver, the airplanes
approached from opposite direction, the Navy fighter above by several
thousand feet. When the enemy aircraft disappeared from view under
the nose, the pilot was to roll inverted to keep the airplane in view.
At the proper moment, the stick was pulled back and the fighter dove
our of inverted horizontal flight onto the target.

I might add that often our only reference to fighter maneuvers is from
movies. Hollywood has long sacrificed historical accuracy for drama.
They've often considered rolling inverted to dive a very dramatic
shot, so that's what gets on film regardless the actual tactics.

Corky Scott