He-162 Salamander

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But prop wash wont delay tip stall much since most is concentrated at the centerline.

The He 162 didn't use a laminar flow airfoil, but maybe Delcyros meant it used another low-drag airfoil-- the P-47 had a low-drag airfoil iirc, though not laminar flow and had better stall characteristics than the P-51.


I'm not an expet on aerodynamics (though many are here, I know Soren and Delcyros are quite knowledgeable), but I have a decent grasp of the general concepts. From what I've read on this forum about lamiar airfoils is that they tend to bypass turbulent flow and go straight to separated flow (stalling) at high AoA with little warning.


That aside the He 162 has about the same wing loading (maximum loaded) as the P-51D (max fuel clean configuration) both just over 40 lbs/ft2. (much better than the Me 262, albeit it had the advantage of LE slats-- which could add another ~25% lift fully extended)

Now disregarding the type of airfoil, the He 162 would weigh quite a bit less by the time it engaged the enemy (lets assume 40-50% fuel expended). While the P-51 would likely still have all internal fuel (still carrying drop tanks). So if the P-51 drops tanks and engages it will have a higher wing loading than the He 162 and poorer roll, climb, and acceleration (at least above 300 mph) as well. Plus the 30sec 115% over-rev boost (923 kp) of the 003E would allow better acceleration/energy retention in maneuvers-- along with the fact that at ~60% fuel weight is down to ~2,400 kg and thrust/weight is up to .33 normal and .38 with over-rev!

And at optimum combat cruise at altitude 1000 km range was possible at full 2,800 kg loaded weight, this cruise was still achieved at a speed comparable to the P-51D's max speed in WEP (with wing racks) with an endurance of ~85 min at 438 mph at ~30,000 ft.

Does this comparison seem accurate to you guys?
 
These figures from Delcyros seem to match this except the wing area seems in conflict. (most I've seen state 14.5 m², and the wingloading Delcyros posted on this thread matches this) And the Max takeoff of ~2,700 kg from that link is considerably different than most sited at 2,800 kg usually stated. Though the empty weights and wing-span seem accurate...

From: http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/he-162-vs-meteor-mk-iii-2642.html

spanwidth: 7,2m
aspect ratio: 4,65
wing area:11,16 m²

Weight fullyloaden---fight endurance(100%)He-162 A2:
2634 Kg (5800 lbs) ---20 min at sea level
2889 Kg (6361 lbs) ---30 min at sea level
wingload: 240 Kg /lbs per m²

Defensive:
Armor: 70 Kg (154 lbs) in front of the cockpit
Ejection seat for the pilot
sustainable G-forces: 6.5g -serial planes
max G-forces: 8.5g -serial planes
max stick forces at 1000 Km/h (617 mp/h): 8,5 Kg / 18,7 lbs

Offensive:
gunsight:
Revi 16B or -16D:
most prototypes and all serial planes
EZ 42computing gunsight:
He-162 M30 and M31, later probably at JG-1

2 MK 108/30 mm with 50 rounds each (He-162 A1) or
2 MG 151/20mm with 120 rouns each (He-162 A2)

Poerplants----thrust output

BMW-003 A1/2----800 Kp (1761 lbs) _He162 M1-M10
BMW-003 E1----800 Kp (1761 lbs), 923 Kp (2032 lbs at 30 sec. overrew)
installed from He-162 M18 onwards into all serial planes
Jumo-004D4---932 Kp (2052 lbs) He-162 M11 and M12
He-S011A-----1300 Kp (2862 lbs) He-162 M14 and M15 (not completed)
As 014------2* 400-500 Kp He-162 M 42

(lifetime BMW-003A/E: 200+ hours, Jumo-004D: around 50 hours,
He-S011A: unknown, AS-014: unknown)

Service seiling: 11.700 m (around 38.500 ft)
Top speed at sea level: 790 Km/h at 100%
---------------------------820 Km/h at 115 % (30 sec.)
Top speed at 6000 m (nearly 20k ft): 840 Km/h at 100%
---------------------------880 Km/h at 115 % (30 sec.)
Top speed at 11.000 m (36.500 ft): 780 Km/h at 100%
---------------------------810 Km/h at 115% (30 sec.)
highest recorded speed: 905 Km/h at 6.800m (at 115%)
limiting Mach speed: 0.845
critical Mach speed: 0.867

flight endurance at 6.000m: 33 min (at 2634 Kg)
"---100%--------at 11.000m: 57 min (at 2634 Kg)
"-----"------------at 11.000m: 85 min (at 2889 Kg)
Range at sea level: 265 Km (at 2634 Kg)
-------"--------------: 390 Km (at 2889 Kg)Range at 11.000m: 660 Km (at 2634 Kg)
--------"------------:1000 Km (at 2889 Kg)
take off distance: 800 m
take off distance with jettisonable rocket assistance: 380 m
 
The wing area is 14.5 m^2, and performance was as follows:

Lenght: 9.05m
Wing span: 7.2m
Wing area: 14.5 m^2

Weight empty: 1660kg (3,666lbs)
Weight fully loaded: 2800 kg (5,942lb)

Top speeds:
890 km/h at SL
905 km/h at 5,950 m

Climb rate: 23.4 m/s (4,609 ft/min)

Service ceiling: 12,040 m (39,800 ft)

Range: 975 km (606 miles)
 
But prop wash wont delay tip stall much since most is concentrated at the centerline.

What airplanes were you thinking of where 'prop' wash influenced tip stalls?

The reason for 'wash out' or reducing the angle of attack at tip is because the lifting line results in a tip vortex that effectively increases freestream angle of attack at the tip - when compared to local angle, say at 50-60% of the span. So with higher effective AoA at tip, unless you do something to reduce the tip AoA from the rest of the wing it will stall first - assuming same airfoil type and characteristics..


The He 162 didn't use a laminar flow airfoil, but maybe Delcyros meant it used another low-drag airfoil-- the P-47 had a low-drag airfoil iirc, though not laminar flow and had better stall characteristics than the P-51.

The 51 didn't use a pure Laminar flow airfoil either - it was a proprietary NAA airfoil derived from a laminar flow 15 % thickness at 40% chord line. So what would you point to for your conclusions that it had better stall characteristics. Flight test quotes would be a good source if you have a way to point me there?


I'm not an expet on aerodynamics (though many are here, I know Soren and Delcyros are quite knowledgeable), but I have a decent grasp of the general concepts. From what I've read on this forum about lamiar airfoils is that they tend to bypass turbulent flow and go straight to separated flow (stalling) at high AoA with little warning.

Actually in the context of expert aerodynamicists - I'm not sure I've seen any experts on this forum yet, specifically including myself..how do you define 'expert'?

However, if you are trying to extrapolate the behavior of a P-51 wing in a very high turn in a flight profile nearing local stall, you will get warning in the form of 'shudder' and you better pay attention.. if, on the other hand the stall is due to level flight at a low speed, it is a gentle stall with no violent characteristics. The one case I am aware of where hte 'gentle warning' doesn't occur is the dreader aft cg problem of a full fuse tank - and that is really a stability issue - when it tries to swap ends.

Last, turbulent flow IS separated flow - both distinguished by immediate growth in boundary layer thickness and transition from positive pressure differential to negative. They are basically one and the same in the context of low viscosity flow over an airfoil.

What you might be trying to say is that different airfoils transition at different speeds and angles of attack.. I have no comment on comparing the He 162 to a 51 or any other airplane as I don't have the data.



That aside the He 162 has about the same wing loading (maximum loaded) as the P-51D (max fuel clean configuration) both just over 40 lbs/ft2. (much better than the Me 262, albeit it had the advantage of LE slats-- which could add another ~25% lift fully extended)

On the other hand the encounter you mention might have a 51 leaving Berlin area on the way to a base in Belgium and he is down to 100 gallons versus the He 162 climbing for altitude with full tanks? - in which case we have a wing loading in reverse scenario comparison..

Now disregarding the type of airfoil, the He 162 would weigh quite a bit less by the time it engaged the enemy (lets assume 40-50% fuel expended). While the P-51 would likely still have all internal fuel (still carrying drop tanks). So if the P-51 drops tanks and engages it will have a higher wing loading than the He 162 and poorer roll, climb, and acceleration (at least above 300 mph) as well. Plus the 30sec 115% over-rev boost (920 kp) of the 003E would allow better acceleration/energy retention in maneuvers-- along with the fact that at ~60% fuel weight is down to ~2,400 kg and thrust/weight is up to .33 normal and .38 with over-rev!

Some of which might help if his airspeed is below 350mph - but in any case the He 162 will out roll it. Having said that, the commentary on the He 162 was to be VERY gentle on the controls. Rolling puts big asymetric loads on aft fuselage due to rudders - and the common theme is 'be careful' with that manuever at low to medium speeds until the speed are high enough that much less rudder input is required through the manuever.

And at optimum combat cruise at altitude 1000 km range was possible at full 2,800 kg loaded weight, this cruise was still achieved at a speed comparable to the P-51D's max speed in WEP (with wing racks) with an endurance of ~85 min at 438 mph at ~30,000 ft.

I keep seeing 30 minutes duration for normal He 162 ops (whatever that means). Does anyone have figures on Specific Fuel consumption at different speeds and altitudes? That would help figure out how much fuel is used to climb to say 30,000 feet, cruise, fight for 10 minutes, return and have some reserve left. Other than that 1000km range has no context. A P-51D with full intyernal fuel, full ammo, 30 minute reserve at cruise - is about 510 mile radius... so you are telling me that the He 162 is good for 300+ miles radius under this type comparison?

Does this comparison seem accurate to you guys?

The He 162 was a superior airplane in the context of choosing to engage or leave a fight, just like the Me 262... There isn't enough history to evaluate it or derive assumptions about just 'how superior' it was.

Its excellent speed and small size was a major plus. It's low speed manueverablity/limits seem to be a minus, it's visibility aft is terrible, it's ability to loiter is not good - so the mission seems to be focused well on climbing, attacking and running - to get out of sight so that it can land safely.

As to what the wing loading is I'm having trouble finding an unimpeachable source for the dimensions and weights. Joe Baugher's site that Soren pointed out had a higher wing area and lower gross weight than others that I have found so far.

If someone has any dimensions on the wing (like root chord or mean aero chord) it would be simple as all the span dimensions seem to agree -
 
The He-162 was very sensitive to control imput, being almost overly agile according to its pilots, so it certainly was no rookies a/c. At slow speeds stalls could end in viscous spins, esp. if you didn't know what to do to get out of it, something Brown found no difficulty achieving though. The problem was that all previous methods of getting out of a spin in piston engined a/c didn't apply to the He-162.
 
I don't think SFC for the 003 engine changed too much at altititude, though it still may have been significant (maby 10%) but this is just speculation. I have read that it had much better altitude performance than the 004B.

Thanks for the info on the P-51's wings, Ibelieve the P-63 had similar characteristics, though in later models it had a new wing with larger area and improoved laminar flow (255 ft2 for the P-63E and XP-63D compared to 248 ft2 on the P-63A/C)

And "expert" being a realative term... ;)


The P-80A wouldn't be particularly good in a turning fight either depending on fuel load. Plus ealy models' engines only put out 3850 lbf. A vampire Mk.I had faily low wing loading but inless it was a late model with a 3,100 lbf goblin II acceleration would be even worse.with a thrust/weight of <.27 with 2,700 lbf Goblin I.
 
The problem was that all previous methods of getting out of a spin in piston engined a/c didn't apply to the He-162.
What was done differently? Here's the general "spin 101" training gouge.

I've spun jets and recipts, recovery was about the same.

P - Retard the throttle to idle. In most aircraft, power hampers the recovery.

A - Ailerons neutral. Many pilots will attempt to recover from the spin using the ailerons. This may actually make the problem worse.

R - Apply full opposite rudder. Apply rudder opposite the rotation of the spin. If you have trouble determining which way the airplane is spinning, look at your turn coordinator or turn needle. It will indicate the direction of rotation.

E - Apply forward elevator. Immediately after applying opposite rudder, apply a quick forward motion on the control yoke and hold anti-spin controls until the aircraft starts to recover.

D - Recover from the dive. Once you have completed the four previous steps, and the rotation stops, recover from the dive.
 
Hey FLYBOYJ, remember what would happen if you were aggressive with the rudder ? Apply full rudder in the He-162 and your playing a dangerous game.

Also the He-162 didn't suffer from the torque effects the piston engined fighters did, and thus this didn't affect recovery as much. (Hence why recipts have to cut power emmidiately)
 
Hey FLYBOYJ, remember what would happen if you were aggressive with the rudder ? Apply full rudder in the He-162 and your playing a dangerous game.
The key is "aggressive rudder" and I would think that would be more prevalent at high airspeeds. You would still use full rudder if in a spin.
Also the He-162 didn't suffer from the torque effects the piston engined fighters did, and thus this didn't affect recovery as much. (Hence why recipts have to cut power emmidiately)
True but regardless of p factor, power will still induce the spin whether it comes from a propeller or turbine - in both cases reducing power is a key part of the equation of getting out of the spin.
 
We agree.

However the sensitive controls would make it abit more tricky. Brown notes the nasty spins, but he knew how to recover.
 
I think Brown was an experienced enough pilot to know how aggressive to be with the controls of the 162, not slamming the rudders and knowing when to chop power in a spin so the aircraft doesn't start "wrapping up."
 
I knew that acheiving full laminar flow over the P-51 was not practically possible on production P-51s, but did the P-51 actually use an airfoil altered from the original NACA laminar flow airfoil that was originally chosen?

Even if it was not a "true laminar flow airfoil" it would still have laminar-ish flow ;) and the CL would still be realitively low, lower than the Hellcat (very high-lift), F4U, Fw-190 (medium-high lift, the 190 and Corsair actually using the same NACA airfoil), P-40, P-38 (medium lift as well), and the P-47 (although it also used a low-lift/low-drag airfoil iirc, albeit not a laminar flow type one)
 
The F4U Corsair's Cl suffered from the cooler placement on the leading edge and the gull wing though, so its Cl wasn't as high as the F6F 190's.
 
Yes I have sources, read NACA report nr. 829

The F4U's CL isn't much different from the -51's because of the cooler placement. The report also shows the effect the guns in the wings have.
 
Yes I have sources, read NACA report nr. 829

The F4U's CL isn't much different from the -51's because of the cooler placement. The report also shows the effect the guns in the wings have.

This report is a very important document. However, it does show some notable differences. The F-4U´s wing does provide a max. Cl. beeing generally higher than the P-51 until the wing is stalled. The P-51 wing does stall later as it appears. The Cl at angle of attack 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 deg is:

P-51:---.38---.66---.94----1.23---1.30
F-4U:---.88---1.19--1.34---1.40--completely stalled

..and thus suggesting a superior Cl over a wide range of angle´s of attack compared to the P-51.
 
Read the report again.

The F4U's wing stalls at 18 deg, while the P-51's stalls at 17.7 deg.
 

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