Amazing Details Here!

[White Owl]

Maybe not quite as cool as yours, but...

I was flying a Hurricane, and was bounced by some 109s. I got shot up. I was yankin' and bankin' for all I was worth when I heard a strange rumbling noise and the plane's handling seemed to change somehow. I looked around, and saw my left wingtip and aileron were on fire!

That's not the cool part.

This is the cool part. The fire started as just a small burning patch at the trailing edge of the left wingtip. I could "feel" the Hurri fighting the increased drag, wanting to yaw to the left. In a few seconds, the fire smoothly spread to cover about the last 25% of the wing, including most of the aileron. As the fire spread, I could "feel" the aerodynamics growing steadily worse. Most impressive to me, the loss of roll authority was gradual as more material burned off that aileron. No more "aileron controls damaged" and the stick goes dead.

The damage models in '46 were and still are so very much better than just about any other game... and what I experienced in that burning Hurricane was way ahead of anything in '46.

[RocketDog]

The metal wingtip was on fire? There's almost nothing to burn in a Hurricane wingtip. I think the DM needs a tweak.

[jojovtx]

Originally Posted by RocketDog

The metal wingtip was on fire? There's almost nothing to burn in a Hurricane wingtip. I think the DM needs a tweak.

I could be wrong but I am pretty certain that the hurri was covered in fabric. Anyway if it wasn't phosphorus would certainly set aluminum ablaze.

Originally Posted by jojovtx

I could be wrong but I am pretty certain that the hurri was covered in fabric. Anyway if it wasn't phosphorus would certainly set aluminum ablaze.

There were very few rag wing Hurricanes left at the start of BoB. The metal wings were a vast improvement, performance wise, on the rag wings and only took a little over 3 hours to convert to.

As far as a fire goes, it's (just) my opinion but I don't think a fabric wingtip or aileron at flying speed would catch fire without a good fire already going in the wing, assuming it used butyrate. (I'm a mechanic/pilot who's worked extensively with fabric aircraft so I'm ... an expert - lol) And as far as aluminum goes, it would likely be an unusual situation (in this context) where an aluminum alloy catches fire.

[Osprey]

This is game physics, the physX stuff, so the event wasn't specifically modelled but the wheel movement was so it reacts. You won't see the same event like this twice, similar, but not the same.

Originally Posted by zipper

There were very few rag wing Hurricanes left at the start of BoB. The metal wings were a vast improvement, performance wise, on the rag wings and only took a little over 3 hours to convert to.

As far as a fire goes, it's (just) my opinion but I don't think a fabric wingtip or aileron at flying speed would catch fire without a good fire already going in the wing, assuming it used butyrate. (I'm a mechanic/pilot who's worked extensively with fabric aircraft so I'm ... an expert - lol) And as far as aluminum goes, it would likely be an unusual situation (in this context) where an aluminum alloy catches fire.

Nowadays it's all about Dacron, but the good ol' linen caught fire like nothing,especially if hit by the fierce German incendiary/tracer rounds,think of the poor Wellingtons,burning down to their geodetic framework whilst airborne. In order for aluminium to catch fire you'd need at least a 20mm hit with a HE/I round, not impossible but still..

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger

Nowadays it's all about Dacron, but the good ol' linen caught fire like nothing,especially if hit by the fierce German incendiary/tracer rounds,think of the poor Wellingtons,burning down to their geodetic framework whilst airborne. In order for aluminium to catch fire you'd need at least a 20mm hit with a HE/I round, not impossible but still..

I was actually thinking cotton/butyrate. Cotton/nitrate was practically explosive but SHOULD have been off the shelf for military aircraft before WW2, but maybe not in some cases as it is a much better adhesive - why it is still available today. One of the planes I take care of (a C120) has 34 year old linen/butyrate - still looks and tests like new (it's kept in a climate controlled hangar with a jet ...).

[Romanator21]

I heard that aluminum skin burned readily if there was a fair amount of magnesium in the alloy.

In any case, I take it that those fires don't happen often - mostly just the usual fuel tank stuff?