General

How does a plane change direction?

How does a plane change direction?

On the outer rear edge of each wing, the two ailerons move in opposite directions, up and down, decreasing lift on one wing while increasing it on the other. This causes the airplane to roll to the left or right. To turn the airplane, the pilot uses the ailerons to tilt the wings in the desired direction.

How did guns fire through propellers?

As the propeller revolved, a series of “firing impulses” was transmitted to the gun, effectively “pulling the trigger”, to fire a single shot.

How far can a Spitfire glide without fuel?

That means that a Spitfire at low altitude, ie, a km or three high, could glide for 10, 20, 30km before landing.

Why don’t we have rear-facing guns on modern planes?

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At high speeds, the rear-facing gun would have to overcome the forward velocity of the aircraft, decreasing its effectiveness. One could imagine something like a CIWS being helpful, but the weight and size would not justify the benefit for being included on a fighter, or even a bomber.

Are there any modern fighter aircraft with rearward firing weapons?

Unfortunately the original source is a dead link. Some tactical fighter aircraft can be armed with rearward firing weapons. The Russian SPPU-6 gun pod containing the six barrel GSh 6-23 cannon can be mounted on a pylon facing either forwards or backward and is used for defence suppression.

How effective were machine guns in WW2?

Machine guns were fairly effective weapons in WWII and shortly after. However, this was only because the attacking aircraft were also armed with machine guns. Even then, the fighter aircraft could be effective against not only the armed bombers, but also against the fighter escorts.

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How effective were fighter aircraft against armed bombers?

Even then, the fighter aircraft could be effective against not only the armed bombers, but also against the fighter escorts. Bombers of the time did typically have tail gunners. However, this only resulted in a change of tactics, with fighters attacking from a different angle.