Strongest aircraft?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

No Pilot could withstand that many Gs.

 

[pasoleati]

Yes they can. One of the most documented Spitfire dives led to severe damage to the aircraft but the pilot survived unharmed and he could bring the plane back. The damage was assessed and it was deduced that the plane was subjected to over 11 g. And the pilot suffered no harm.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Was he using a US G suit?

 

[pasoleati]

Nope. I´ll check the details but such suits were definitely not used by Brits at that time.

 

[Kurfürst]

Being exposed to sustained G-loads (5-6G max w/o G-suit) and a brief, momentrary exposure is a different thing for human resistance... humans can survive far more than just 15 Gs, I think the record is in fact well over 150 Gs for a short period, trick is they don't survive it if it lasts too long..

 

[delcyros]

Well, You need to know max g and airspeed, the so called V-n diagram.
Dive bombers has high max G but them use dive airbrakes to control airspeed. Every aircraft has a Vne (airspeed not exceed), for the F4U was 787 km/h, for the last model Zero A6M5c was 740 km/h. The thickness of wing skin is a primary factor for max G and Vne and the F4U has fabric outer wing skins. More thickness means heavier aircraft (lower performance). Japanese did not have so powerfull engines like the PWR2800 until the end of the war, so they should control the weight, Zero and other japanese aircraft did not have high Vne.
Il-2 Sturmovik was a very strong aircraft, but it was because armor plate, outer wings were wooden made, and it should limit his max G.
In modern aircraft, F-16 has a maximum G of 9, F-18: 9.6, Mirage M.III/V: 7, A-4:6.
WW2 aircraft sometimes has higher max G, but it is interesting because pilot did not have G-suit, and trained pilots could not resist 5g for more than some seconds without G-suit.

More wing thickness doesn´t necessarely mean a heavier aircraft. It may as the wingspace is increased (which often was loaded up with fuel), but not necessarely.
Quite contrary, one might say that a wing with thin airfoil must be build heavier to achieve the same structural strength than a wing with thick airfoil when building in wood, with frames or light alloys stressed skin.

 

[B-17engineer]

I am just gonna say SBD...........In a turning fight with the zero a zero couldn't pull a 9 G turn without its wings ripping off.....

B-17engineer

actually the SBD pilot could only withstand a 9G turn for a few seconds......

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

B-17 Engineer I have told you to use your Edit Button on many occasions instead of posting 3 posts after another.

Start using it or your posts will be deleted.

 

[comiso90]

B-17 Engineer I have told you to use your Edit Button on many occasions instead of posting 3 posts after another.

Start using it or your posts will be deleted.

$2000 and I will too!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]