Glide of a Ju88

[gilles collaveri]

Dear all

we will investigate soon a crash site of a Ju88 that was abandonned by its crew and which glided, left on its own.
This JU88 finally crashed empty.

Thus my question :

how long (how many KM) will a JU88 glide, with no fuel, from an altitude of 5 000 m., in a standard environment ?

Thanks

Gilles

[Chris Goss]

I would say a load of variables need to be factored in such as wind direction and speed, temperature, AUW and whether props were feathered. That said there should be guidance in any Ju 88 manual

[gilles collaveri]

True fact, Chris

- Speed : the speed when a crew bail out (rather low speed..)

- prop not feathered but its is likely that the crew bailed out when engines still running (although the gauge says "zero", some fuel was remaining in the tanks)

- wind : I investigate with French meteorologists now

- AUW Gross weight : aircraft rather light, as all fuel was used


So, who here has a Ju88 flight manual ?

Thanks

Gilles

[Chris Goss]

Also if they had jettisoned the cabin roof there would be more drag?

[gilles collaveri]

yes, but I would say it is marginal.

At that stage, I just wonder if a Ju88 abandonned at, say 5 000 meters, would fly 50KM, 100km, 150 km 200 Km...

[Chris Goss]

Don't forget when you find it I would like a bit of it! I assume they would trim the plane for ease of baling out but what about putting it on auto pilot? My suspicion no power it would descend quickly as speed bled off

[ArtieBob]

I have a translation copy of Ju 88 A-4 Bed.-Vorschr.-Fl, I looked through it and The only reference to glide ratio I could find was 1:8 with engines idling dirty (i.e. full flaps and landing gear down). That is little help for determining glide ratio clean. Having flown in a few twins of that vintage just a little (right hand seat only), my unscientific wild ass guess would be less than 10:1. But there are a lot of variables with the aircraft at 5000m, particularly if the engines were still running. IIRC, there was one WWII instance, after crew bailing out, traveling across more than one country and some water.


ArtieBob

[FalkeEins]

doesn't quite meet the OP's original criteria (I'm guessing engines+fuel), but see the case of the StaKa of 4./NJG 2, Oblt. Paul Bohn, night of June 25/26, 1941. He was killed by return fire. BM switched on the Kurssteuerung ‘autopilot’ . Crew pushed Bohn out and then bailed out at 3000 m somewhere over northern France and came down at Charleville. Their Ju 88 crashed near Milan.

[edwest2]

There is no possible way to provide this data. The exact circumstances would have to be known.

[gilles collaveri]

Thanks ArtieBob for the performance numbers, and thanks Falkeeins for the story of Paul Bohn that I did not know.

Edwest : all we know is that the crew bailed out at Langon (near Bordeaux) and that the aircraft crashed in the Aude department. If you look at the map, there is a 300 km distance between these two points;

For sure, Chris, we will keep some part for you. we should be on site in May, with Richard who lives nearby, and I shall keep you posted. A KG40 plane, lovely, isnt'it ?

Have a great sunday all;

Gilles