Aircraft getting shot under load. Structural failure?

[brendo]

Hi all,

Ive been wondering something for a while. Im not sure if I am imagining or not.

Has anyone else thought they noticed that if you catch an enemy aircraft manouveing under high G... ie starting a loop or hard turn, a hit them, they fall to pices easier than if they were flying straight an level?

To me it looks like that if their wing is hit under high load, it fails far easier for less damage?

[Montezuma]

Originally posted by brendo

Has anyone else thought they noticed that if you catch an enemy aircraft manouveing under high G... ie starting a loop or hard turn, a hit them, they fall to pices easier than if they were flying straight an level?

I doubt it.  

What is more likely is that when your target is doing a hard turn he is exposing more of the surface of his plane to you, so you are landing more hits than if you were just shooting at his tail.  Also, such shots tend to occur at close range, and a hard turning plane is usually going slow.

[icemaw]

Have seen this many many time's The one I see the most is you hit a bog hard in the wing root but nothing comes off. A few seconds later while under the most g load the wing comes off. Allso see this a lot with tail planes. At least I do anyways.

[Reschke]

Yep I see it happen both ways as you describe it and again as Ice describes it. It has happened to me where a guy gets hits on my wing and I fall out of the sky.

[Montezuma]

Originally posted by icemaw
Have seen this many many time's The one I see the most is you hit a bog hard in the wing root but nothing comes off. A few seconds later while under the most g load the wing comes off. Allso see this a lot with tail planes. At least I do anyways.

I think that's lag.

[ccvi]

Originally posted by icemaw
Have seen this many many time's The one I see the most is you hit a bog hard in the wing root but nothing comes off. A few seconds later while under the most g load the wing comes off. Allso see this a lot with tail planes. At least I do anyways.

You hear pings. Ouch, quick, break hard.

Other side seems him taking hits, then breaking hard. Just at the same time damage is transmitted back to the shooter...


Though it sure would be cool if planes with lots of holes in them could sustain fewer Gs.

[gofaster]

I've been in a hard turn in a P-38, taken a hit, and the plane seemed to recoil from the impact.

I've also knocked GVs askew with Panzer shells.

[ccvi]

Originally posted by gofaster
I've been in a hard turn in a P-38, taken a hit, and the plane seemed to recoil from the impact.

I've also knocked GVs askew with Panzer shells.

Would be cool if bombs could do that