GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Biff, not sure about other dive bombers, but the Ju87 had an incline indicator etched into the port side of the canopy that gave the pilot a dive angle at a glance.
How fast do dive bombers dive?
- Thread starter cherry blossom
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- Thread starter
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cherry blossom
Senior Airman
- 504
- Apr 23, 2007
I found something interesting in Manfred Griehl's "Junkers Ju 87 Stuka" (English translation published by Airlife 2001) on pages 46-7 discussing the tests on the V4 as reported in January 1937:
"In nearly vertical dives from 3,500 metres to 1000 metres, the dive brakes led to a stable terminal speed of 450 kph."
This is much slower than I had imagined. However, clearly increasing the weight will increase the terminal speed. Some of the tests were stated to have used full tanks and a SC 250 bomb (for example establishing the take off distance) but there is nothing written about the weight during the dives. If we imagine that a loaded 1942 Ju 87 D5 had double the weight and identical drag, should we expect a terminal speed of 635 kph?
ps. Looking more closely at my latest purchase, I see that page 61 states that the dive brakes held the B version to between 500 and 600 kph and that page 93 states that the D-5 was tested up to 650 kph in dives at Rechlin.
"In nearly vertical dives from 3,500 metres to 1000 metres, the dive brakes led to a stable terminal speed of 450 kph."
This is much slower than I had imagined. However, clearly increasing the weight will increase the terminal speed. Some of the tests were stated to have used full tanks and a SC 250 bomb (for example establishing the take off distance) but there is nothing written about the weight during the dives. If we imagine that a loaded 1942 Ju 87 D5 had double the weight and identical drag, should we expect a terminal speed of 635 kph?
ps. Looking more closely at my latest purchase, I see that page 61 states that the dive brakes held the B version to between 500 and 600 kph and that page 93 states that the D-5 was tested up to 650 kph in dives at Rechlin.
Last edited:
Barrett
Senior Airman
SBD's dived at about 240 kts usually at 70 degrees. I got to know Dick Best well, and his discussions were clinically precise. He said "I liked to dive from the bow because it forced me to get steep." However, comma, he pinwheeled Akagi from broad on the port beam.
