Flying through powerlines

So I think in dcs you can break a helicopter flying through powerlines but a jet or ww2 prop cuts through that stuff like butter, no damage. Not sure that's realistic.

If its russian made it will chew through the steel cable like spaghetti :lol:. No, not realistic at all. But I didn’t know helicopters could collide with wires, good to know.

This is a terrible real-life tragedy as an example, but in 1998 an EA-6B Prowler on a training mission in Italy flew into a ski lift cable, cutting it and causing the cable car and occupants to plunge into the mountain side below, killing everyone aboard the car. The Prowler returned to base slightly damaged and made a successful emergency landing.

Its hard to imagine how that collision didn't damage the plane more severely. But it did happen.

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/04/world/20-die-in-italy-as-us-jet-cuts-a-ski-lift-cable.html

For smaller planes (CE2, Yak52) it could look like this

maybe also like this

And I must say, there are some interesting videos on youtube :)

.... But I didn’t know helicopters could collide with wires, good to know.

Yes tested and works as expected. :music_whistling: :D

IIRC some Jets have dedicated cable cutter "blades" at the vertical stabiliser, so do some helicopters have them below and on top of the canopy.

I dont know if that is true, but I have read that soviet Jets had them not only for emergency/mishaps but for intentional cutting of power lines. If that is true, I don't know.

Sounds like a job for Viggens

IIRC some Jets have dedicated cable cutter "blades" at the vertical stabiliser, so do some helicopters have them below and on top of the canopy.

 

I dont know if that is true, but I have read that soviet Jets had them not only for emergency/mishaps but for intentional cutting of power lines. If that is true, I don't know.

Yep some helicopter got it, like french army version of the NH-90, you can clearly see the "cable cutter" at the top of the canopy

IIRC some Jets have dedicated cable cutter "blades" at the vertical stabiliser, so do some helicopters have them below and on top of the canopy.

 

I dont know if that is true, but I have read that soviet Jets had them not only for emergency/mishaps but for intentional cutting of power lines. If that is true, I don't know.

The DCS Huey has two, one high on the canopy and one low

Its called the WSPS...wire strike prevention system. Steel cutters all over the place on some birds. Some even have them on the skids.

For smaller planes (CE2, Yak52) it could look like this...

Sounds like a job for Viggens

Pretty sure I've eaten wire in a viggen. I've also done it in helos.

Speaking of the devil, this just happened: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/09/26/us-apache-helicopter-damaged-in-accident-in-germany/

So I think in dcs you can break a helicopter flying through powerlines but a jet or ww2 prop cuts through that stuff like butter, no damage. Not sure that's realistic.

Well, after the latest updates, it's kind of exaggerated in the other way! The pole wires produce too much damage to planes now. Take a flying tank, A-10 or Su-25 (the most resistant examples) and fly through powerlines. You'll insta-explode! 100% damage every time, unless you may sometimes hit the wire with the fin/fins, but with any other plane part that you hit the wire with, will have you exploded!

One guy replied here with an example of an EA-6 Prowler which received damage from a powerline, and even though it's not designed to be an armored vehicle with wings, it still landed safely!

Power line collision I think it would be supported in the damage model eventually? ... hitboxes would need to be very fine, hopefully not a big hit on perf.

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/us-hubschrauber-reisst-bei-ansbach-hochspannungsleitung-herunter,Rd3TYCc

I posted the same news above, but in english, so that everyone here can read it:

Speaking of the devil, this just happened: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/09/26/us-apache-helicopter-damaged-in-accident-in-germany/

I don't think any airplane can survive an impact with overhead transmission line.

Not sure if it was WW2 or one of the later wars but remember reading something in a book (nonfiction) about using prop planes to cut thru communication lines.