Hawker Hurricane Stall Speed

[Zipper730]

From what it would appear, the power-on stall speed with flaps down is 57 mph. This number doesn't seem to vary from the prototype to the Mk.I's with the CS propellers despite a weight change of 5672 - 6316 pounds.

What I want to know is...

1. What weights were the stall tests done at
2. Was there a change in the flap design
3. What was the power off stall?

drgondog S Shortround6 W wuzak

 

[Zipper730]

I'm kind of trying to compile a stall speed list for different aircraft as it has an effect on aircraft turning performance. I figure it could be useful at some point for a variety of purposes from people who are creating flight sims, from individuals trying to prove/disprove certain claims.

 

[Greyman]

Early Hurricane Manual (Mar 1939)

flaps and undercarriage up: 72 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 55 mph​

​

Later Hurricane Manual (Oct 1940)

flaps and undercarriage up: 77 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 63 mph​

A&AEE trial (Merlin II, fixed-pitch prop, 6040 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 73 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62 mph​

A&AEE trial (Merlin III, two-pitch prop, 6584 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 76-78 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62 mph​

A&AEE trial (Merlin III, constant-speed prop, 6750 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 78 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62-63 mph​

Note these are ASI readings, not necessarily actual speeds.

 

[Zipper730]

Early Hurricane Manual (Mar 1939)

flaps and undercarriage up: 72 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 55 mph​

​

Later Hurricane Manual (Oct 1940)

flaps and undercarriage up: 77 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 63 mph​

Do you have weight figures here?​

A&AEE trial (Merlin II, fixed-pitch prop, 6040 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 73 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62 mph​

A&AEE trial (Merlin III, two-pitch prop, 6584 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 76-78 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62 mph​

A&AEE trial (Merlin III, constant-speed prop, 6750 lb)

flaps and undercarriage up: 78 mph​

flaps and undercarriage down: 62-63 mph​

Note these are ASI readings, not necessarily actual speeds.

Did the manuals include position/compressibility error corrections?

 

[Greyman]

Position Error Table
At 80 mph IAS add 6 mph
At 100 mph IAS add 3.2 mph
At 120 mph IAS add 0.5 mph
At 140 mph IAS subtract 1.7 mph
At 160 mph IAS subtract 4.0 mph
At 180 mph IAS subtract 6.0 mph
At 200 mph IAS subtract 7.5 mph
At 220 mph IAS subtract 8.7 mph
At 240 mph IAS subtract 9.5 mph
At 260 mph IAS subtract 9.7 mph

Stall guidelines list no weights

 

[Crimea_River]

Hawker Hurricane pilot manual

 

[pbehn]

It seems to me that every early Hurricane was a Mk I, it changed engines, wings, props and had armour and tank protection fitted under the guise of a MkI. One was even tried with one dope and one metal skinned wing.

 

[Greyman]

For sure.

A mid 1938 Hurricane I was a lot further from a mid 1940 Hurricane I than many other aircraft one, two or even three mark numbers apart.

 

[Zipper730]

The problem is I don't know what the position error effects are below 80 mph, and the stall speed is 72-78 mph power off. At least 78 is pretty close to 80.

 

[Admiral Beez]

From what it would appear, the power-on stall speed with flaps down is 57 mph. This number doesn't seem to vary from the prototype to the Mk.I's with the CS propellers despite a weight change of 5672 - 6316 pounds.

What I want to know is...

1. What weights were the stall tests done at
2. Was there a change in the flap design
3. What was the power off stall?

drgondog S Shortround6 W wuzak

57 mph is 49 knots. That makes for a good landing speed for the Sea Hurricane. If the carrier is running at >25 knots with WOD of >10 knots landing on the carrier would be a piece of cake. I imagine the RAF pilots who landed on HMS Glorious benefited from this.

 

[Zipper730]

57 mph is 49 knots.

I can compute mph to knots, the issue is I'm trying to create figures for maneuvering velocity and corner velocity for as many types of a/c as possible. If I recall that requires either power-off stall, or coefficient of lift figures (of which I have neither).

That makes for a good landing speed for the Sea Hurricane. If the carrier is running at >25 knots with WOD of >10 knots landing on the carrier would be a piece of cake. I imagine the RAF pilots who landed on HMS Glorious benefited from this.

Carrier landing speeds aren't just determined by stall speed, there's also a speed where roll-authority needs to be a certain amount. From what I was told, it might not have rolled as well at lower speeds, but at high speeds it either rolled completely better than the F4F, or at the very least, required a lot less muscle power to do it.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I can compute mph to knots,

And that's where I stopped. Cheekiness is never rewarded.

 

[Zipper730]

Sorry about that...

 

[Admiral Beez]

Zipper730 I was only trying to demonstrate how a carrier moving at 25 knots with WOD of 10 knots would make good use of the 49 knot (57 mph) stall speed. I don't know if the flaps were different on the Sea Hurricane, this excellent resources suggest the same 57 mph stall speed. "The aircraft itself was highly stable about all three axes both in the climb and at cruise. When diving, though, the Hurricane's tail-heavyness could not be trimmed out as it would affect the aircraft's ability to level out. The Hurricane's split trailing-edge flaps were useful for added manoeuvrability at any speed as their angle would adjust to the airflow." Armoured Aircraft Carriers

In the below vid you can see that the Sea Hurricane lands nicely. The view forward would be an issue I'm sure.

 

[fastmongrel]

Some nice shots in that film but frustratingly it keeps cutting away from the interesting bits when aircraft are on the flight deck