Life-span of a frequently used aircraft?

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phylo_roadking
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Re: Life-span of a frequently used aircraft?

#16

Post by phylo_roadking » 22 Aug 2013, 21:39

If a picture is emerging on the limited evidence here available, it seems to be that multi-engined types achieved more hours than single engined types.
Sid - this could simply be because their service lives (per type) could (and did) see many changes of use during their lifetime - Halifaxes and Stirlings for example becoming glider tugs and transports, and in the case of the Halifax a successful career in Coastal once they became available, with only late marks of Halifaxes remaining in "combat" service to the end of the war. The last "combat" sortie by a Stirling was by an aircraft of 149 Sqn on the 8th of September 1944...but the type had a very successful tow/transport career on "retirement"! It's also possible that their various "later" duties/careers meant lowered airframe and engines stresses etc...

On the other hand - aircraft like Spitfires had only limited re-use possiblities once particular marks became combat-obsolete; ASR (dinghy dropping), "Jim Crow" flights, OTUs, Coastal Artillery Co-op etc. was only going to soak up a small percentage of Spitfire marks as they successively became obsolete...

On the issue of stresses - I've a feeling that a single-engined fighter type would ALSO spend a greater percentage of its lifetime hours on "full war power" with associated fast engine wear, than a bomber on best economy cruise to distant targets. In turn - in comes the factor that it might simply be seen as more longterm-cost effective to re-engine a multi-engined aircraft than a single-engined combat type...which would soon be obsolete anyway :P I mean...a multi-engined type can survive to go on to other useful uses and accumulate a high number of flying hours...but with the supply certainly outstripping the demand for alternative uses for aged/obsolete single-engined fighter types...why bother teasing out their lifetimes??? :(
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Mangrove
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Re: Life-span of a frequently used aircraft?

#17

Post by Mangrove » 23 Aug 2013, 05:49

phylo_roadking wrote: On the issue of stresses - I've a feeling that a single-engined fighter type would ALSO spend a greater percentage of its lifetime hours on "full war power" with associated fast engine wear, than a bomber on best economy cruise to distant targets.
Another factor to consider is the amount of landings: a single fighter might collect only an hour of flight time per landing, while a multi-engine aeroplane could easily flew several hours per landing. Each landing (and take-off) will subject the landing gears and fuselage to a considerable amount of stress.


Herr_Shep
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Re: Life-span of a frequently used aircraft?

#18

Post by Herr_Shep » 21 Aug 2014, 10:56

THE NUMBERS GAME
9.7 billion gallons of gasoline consumed, 1942-1945.
107.8 million hours flown, 1943-1945.
459.7 billion rounds of aircraft ammo fired overseas, 1942-1945.
7.9 million bombs dropped overseas, 1943-1945.
2.3 million combat sorties, 1941-1945 (one sortie = one takeoff).
299,230 aircraft accepted, 1940-1945.
808,471 aircraft engines accepted, 1940-1945.
799,972 propellers accepted, 1940-1945.

WWII MOST-PRODUCED COMBAT AIRCRAFT
Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik 36,183
Yakolev Yak-1,-3,-7, -9 31,000+
Messerschmitt Bf-109 30,480
Focke-Wulf Fw-190 29,001
Supermarine Spitfire/Seafire 20,351
Convair B-24/PB4Y Liberator/Privateer 18,482
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 15,686
North American P-51 Mustang 15,875
Junkers Ju-88 15,000
Hawker Hurricane 14,533
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 13,738
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 12,731
Vought F4U Corsair 12,571
Grumman F6F Hellcat 12,275
Petlyakov Pe-2 11,400
Lockheed P-38 Lightning 10,037
Mitsubishi A6M Zero 10,449
North American B-25 Mitchell 9,984
Lavochkin LaGG-5 9,920
Note: The LaGG-5 was produced with both water-cooled (top) and air-cooled (bottom) engines.
Grumman TBM Avenger 9,837
Bell P-39 Airacobra 9,584
Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar 5,919
DeHavilland Mosquito 7,780
Avro Lancaster 7,377
Heinkel He-111 6,508
Handley-Page Halifax 6,176
Messerschmitt Bf-110 6,150
Lavochkin LaGG-7 5,753
Boeing B-29 Superfortress 3,970
Short Stirling 2,383

http://www.wwiifoundation.org/mission/w ... aft-facts/
http://www.scienceclarified.com/A-Al/Aircraft.html

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