Mr.X:
Let's have someone who knows something about pistols and ballistic nylon talk about this. I am no expert here and certainly don't like guns. I know flak jackets used nylon and were largely ineffective at stopping bullets shot from rifles etc.
I agree. It's the bladder inside that counts. Let's throw a javelin at the thing and see what happens!:11:
It is a fun video though!
X
I won't claim to be an expert, but I know something about ballistic nylon and guns.
The nylon in flak jackets is used to keep the jacket together, not stop the bullets.
But yes, it's the bladder that counts. And yes, it's a very cool video!
What is happening, btw, is the bladder is resting against solid rock. Ballistic nylon is fairly tough, and while it can be punctured, it's pretty good at standing up to being squeezed. The bullets are
squeezing the fabric against the solid rock, at which point the solid rock is causing a ricochet (as should be expected). None of this is surprising, although yes, it is interesting to see that there is no mark at all left on the fabric (again, I have not shot up a lot wings to see how their fabric compares by comparison).
From what I understand, however, the most common form of "injury" to a wing is a "pinch flat", to borrow Tobin's term for it. For instance, someone's tank edge lands squarely on your wing against a metal or concrete ground, and the wing is pinched hard enough to make a small hole, which is not necessarily visible from the outside.
That is what may well be happening here as a result of the bullet hits. Or may not. That's what I'd like to know, though. The outer covering will protect from slashes and tears (which is essential around sharp rocks and among sharp metal edges in wrecks), but if the inner bladder is holed, you're losing air no matter how pretty the outside covering is. The outside can be slashed to shreds and you can still dive no problem (as long as there is enough to hold onto the bladder!), but one hole the bladder material and you're losing lift.
