Stuka!!

[Deleted]

I cant wait to see the Stuka in the flesh again, I was very impressed with the physical size of it at the lastCF show. Contests to the team!

[Dave Homewood]

Here's another angle on it, on a travel website
images.travelpod.com/users/jandkross/2.1295033144.stuka.jpg

This one looks a bit dubious though, is this actually a Stuka or if not, what did this used to be before someone made it into a Stuka I wonder? The engine looks all wrong.
www.kilroywashere.org/09-Images/Woody/stuka87.jpg

[lumpy]

I wonder perhaps if the picture of the second Stuka looks wrong because maybey it could be taxiable ( i.e. actually have an engine , whereas the Omaka one doesnt ) . This might nacessitate cowling changes to accomidate it ? Just a guess .

[shorty]

That looks like that smaller scale one that a chap in Eastern Europe (Russia?) built and flies.

[Deleted]

I'd expect the one with the modern prop and fat chin is a scaled, airworthy replica. I believe there are at least three around, one very nice 7/8 one built in the eighties in the US - the current owner has posted a few clips of him flying it on YouTube - and a couple of less-accurate-looking ones in Eastern Europe.

[chinapilot]

Certainly not an expert but from what I've read the Stuka was not used against the Allies in the Italian campaign.
Many stories around about aircraft being downed by one shot but for a reality check the well known footage of the kamikaze flying through a hail of steel and still hitting the ship comes to mind...

[strikemaster]

It'd have to be possible for a single bullet to bring down a plane, its just a question of hitting the right spot. I don't doubt its rare tho.

In the case of Kamikaze, their trajectory is already under way. Even if the plane explodes or the pilot dies (unless he falls on the controls) the mass is still going in the same direction. Mostly. Every body remains in a state of rest or uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force.

[hairy]

Feb 18, 2011 14:53:42 GMT 12 strikemaster said:

In the case of Kamikaze, their trajectory is already under way. Even if the plane explodes or the pilot dies (unless he falls on the controls) the mass is still going in the same direction. Mostly. Every body remains in a state of rest or uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force.

Sorry I have to disagree, your statement would be correct in a vacuum but with an aircraft you have to take the aerodynamic forces into account.
In the situation of the pilot being killed and with no other significant damage, the positive stability inherent in most aircraft of the time would come into play and the aircraft would want to level out of a dive, even if the aircraft was trimmed in the dive the resultant increase in speed would increase the lift resulting in the aircraft wanting to pull out. Other factors to take into account here would be turbulence, gusts and ground effect etc.
If the the aircraft explodes the massive increase in drag and loss of lift would cause the descent to steepen.
With the examples of Kamikazes plowing through walls of lead and still hitting the target ship, the damage and/or pilot getting killed happened close in where the factors that I have mentioned above would not have had enough travel distance to significantly alter the trajectory before impact, but I would bet that the aircraft did not hit where it was initially going to hit before the pilot died or it received significant damage.

It'd have to be possible for a single bullet to bring down a plane, its just a question of hitting the right spot. I don't doubt its rare tho.

I think this was a lot more common than you think, especially with liquid cooled aircraft and their coolant radiators. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it a bullet in the radiator that initially bought down in Russia the Hurricane that is now at Wanaka.

[The Red Baron]

the Stuka was not used against the Allies in the Italian campaign.

The Italians had there own Stukas,both B and D models,although its probably debateable whos side they were actually on.
Later in the war the Stuka was superceded in the dive bombing role by the FW190.The cannon Stuka soldiered on to the end of the war as a tank buster,but it needed escorting as it was very slow.They also were used as night ground attack aircraft up to the end of the war.
If you ever get a chance to read Rudels book 'Stuka Pilot" its one of the best air war books,he was a super remakable guy.

[Bruce]

Regarding Replica Stukas, there were 2 replicas made out of Percival Proctors for the Film "Battle of Britain". They were intended to be used in the scene where the Ventnor Radar station is attacked, but the replicas flew so badly that large scale models were used instead.

[Dave Homewood]

I read that one of the flying replica Stukas, the full sized really good one in the USA, crashed a couple of years ago killing the pilot. But there's another full sized replica flying in Russia I think.

[FlyingKiwi]

This might be the one in Russia you're thinking about Dave, it's only a 3/4 scale.

www.airliners.net/photo/Junkers-Ju-87B-2-%28replica%29/1264223/L/&sid=c576e0a2b43a06368b87462af252bb70

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Bruce.