Hurricane - glide rate
 

Hi, hope you are all well.

Does anyone happen to know the glide rate of a Hurricane? If the engine stopped at what rate would it descend?

Thanks in advance.

Adam

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Not as good as that Spitfire in "Dunkirk", I'll bet!

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

While there is a "best" glide rate or speed based on each aircraft configuration, these aircraft were designed to be flown with power ON unlike a glider. Best glide rate wasn't high on the performance needs list. If the engine quits, push the nose down, stay above stall speed and find a place to land or use the parachute.

Power on (at idle), power off (prop windmilling - lots of drag), power off (propeller seized - no drag)?
Flaps up or flaps down?
Gear up or gear down?
Any combination of the above?

Item #39, in a "clean" configuration.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gbL...zi9ulGLFh/view

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Approach glide speed of a Mk II was 105 mph IAS (flaps up 115) but am assuming you are talking about rate of descent which as Revi says depends on all sorts of things including height, weight and temperature

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Hello
As said previously, it’s depending on a lot of factors. However, for a “clean” aircraft (flaps and gear up, no battle damages, no full tanks, no external charges...), at around optimal gliding speed, the glide ratio for the Hurricane I was approximately 8. For the Spitfire (early Marks) the figure was around 13, 12 for the Bf 109 E/F, and 14 for the P-51. Don’t take these values for more that they are worth !
J Schreiber

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

That certainly appears to be a wide difference between the Hurricane and other contemporaries. To me, this casts doubt in itself, particularly as the P-51 was heavier than the Hurricane. (worth a check that!)

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Well, I made an error in my (basic) computations for the Hurricane. The value should be in the same vicinity as for the Spitfire (13). A very comprehensive article on the aerodynamics of these aircrafts (and others) can be found here :
https://www.aerosociety.com/media/80...-did-it-do.pdf
Regards
J Schreiber

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Well, it was but in the disguise of low drag. The lower the drag is, the better is the range, the climb ratio and also the glide ratio.

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

Agreed, Christer, but the Lift/Drag ratio is surely the dominant term here, so a higher drag can be compensated for by a better lift curve.

Re: Hurricane - glide rate
 

These aircraft were designed to "fight" and while low drag was a goal for speed, range, climb, etc., the glide ratio wasn't a huge concern in the performance realm. It just ends up being whatever it is after the other performance goals are met. These aircraft glide like the relative brick when they lose power and have a big prop acting as a barn door out front.

The goal was fighting, if the engine quits, get it on the ground or bailout. How far one could glide wasn't much of a concern in the development process.