Lost Wingtips vs. Ability to Land

[Soda]

Ok, I've always wondered about the flight characteristics of losing wingtips on different planes in AH.  This has lead to two questions:

1) Which planes can lose a wingtip (and the aileron always goes too) and still maintain enough control to land?

2) Why are some planes easy to land in this situation and some impossible?

Answer:

1)
- La7 CAN land without wingtip, it's pretty easy.
- Spit(s) CANNOT- they retain control at higher speeds but once slow enough for landing are uncontrollable.
- 190's CAN land without wingtip
- Typhoon CANNOT - it remains controllable right up to the speed to deploy gear but can't remain upright.

- Anyone else fill in on other planes?  I think the P-51 and P-47's can land but I can't be sure, it's been a while since I've had to land one with that sort of damage.

Don't know the answer to #2.  Is there a specific reason or is this just the way it is modelled?

-Soda
The Assassins.

[AKSWulfe]

Ailerons, wing area and lift all play into the equation.

I think, but I'm not sure, for example, the 109 has more lift in it's wings than the 190... so when you lose half (dunno what it is exactly) your left wing, your right wing may be producing too much lift to be counteracted by the aileron.

Then again, I dunno.
-SW

[gofaster]

I maintained level flight in a right-wingtip-less Corsair at 200 knots, but that'd be a hot landing, even for the F4U. No flaps available and if I'd actually made it back to base, the prop torque would probably have tumbled me over anyway.

[J_A_B]

I've landed F6F's without tips before, that plane flies fairly well with a wingtip missing.

The P-51 CAN land with a damaged wing, but it's pretty tough.  

J_A_B

[HFMudd]

I took the right wingtip off a Hurri I last night and he flew well for quite a while.  It was quite some time after I wished him well and flew off that I got the kill notification.  (He said he lost it an had to bail.)

[tshred]

P38 can as long as the engine on the damaged wing is still turning.

ts

[Soda]

The La7 is a hot landing too, you need to rudder and aileron and put the gear out at 199mph... you can do it though and with a gentle hand just about anyone should be able to land an La7 with a wingtip missing almost 100% of the time.

Several planes, Spit, Typhoon, etc... can all continue to fly without a wingtip while at speed but as soon as they slow down they lose control.  I know I've flown several planes after they've lost a tip but know that it'll be all but impossible to land them.  I know the Hog can continue without a tip quite well, no idea about landing it that way though.  I think someone told me once it can be done.

I'm just trying to understand which planes can and cannot land without a tip and why that may be.  Is it just a modelling thing or is there a reason for it?  I know I can land a Ta152 with both wingtips missing.  I've also done that in a Me262.  Overall lift isn't a problem.  Unbalanced lift might be, or is it more a matter of less aileron authority to keep the plane upright (from unbalanced lift)?

-Soda
The Assassins.

[AvidMC]

You can do it in a jug, just keep it a little faster then your normal landing.

Avid

[Widewing]

Originally posted by J_A_B
I've landed F6F's without tips before, that plane flies fairly well with a wingtip missing.

The P-51 CAN land with a damaged wing, but it's pretty tough.  

J_A_B

Just the other day, I bounced a formation of bombers in a P-51D. I cut it too close and nicked one, knocking off my wingtip. It took some wrestling to regain control but I had no difficulty getting to an airfield. The trick to landing is not to use too much flap, slideslip (to aero mask the good wing) to equalize lift and center the rudder just as you touch down.

Neat thing about the F4U is that you can dump the gear at 300 mph, allowing for a controlled, if very hot landing (around 200 mph), as opposed to most other aircraft which won't let the gear down until or below 160 mph. For most fighters, 160 is below the minimum to retain control in the roll axis with a wingtip missing.

My regards,

Widewing

Widewing

[10Bears]

forget landing a 262 w/ missing wingtip

[midnight Target]

The other day I was flying an F4U-1C (badly as usual) and had rt wingtip and left flap damaged. I tried giving it a notch of flap, and the damaged wing's lift was almost equalized by the flap (which didn't exist on the "good"wing). Landed it without difficulty.

[Hristo]

all 190s and 152 can do it. It is even easier if you lose both wingtips.

109 cannot do it, not even fly with wingtip missing.

[Soda]

midnight Target
  Had the exact same scenario in a P47 once. took damage that cost me a wingtip and the flap on the opposite wing.  Came in for landing, opened the flap on the side with the wingtip missing (since the other was gone) and it landed almost totally normally.  Nice and gentle.  this is a rare situation though but can happen.  I don't think I rely on someone who takes off a wingtip to also help me by taking off the opposite flap  It was so easy though I was sure I could have landed an P47 with a tip missing.

So far we have:
YES
-------
190's
P47
P38
La7
Ta152
Hog
P-51
F6F

NO
-------
Spits
Typhoon
Me262
109's

-Soda
The Assassins.

[HFMudd]

Add "Yak" to NO list.  In my experience you just can't keep the clipped wing from slowly dropping.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by gofaster
I maintained level flight in a right-wingtip-less Corsair at 200 knots, but that'd be a hot landing, even for the F4U. No flaps available and if I'd actually made it back to base, the prop torque would probably have tumbled me over anyway.

Kbman does it all the time. In fact, he's put it down on the CV with a missing tip.