I don't recall the General going vertically upwards. Bo and Luke's motor seemed to lack an engine when "flying" over rivers etc because if it had one, it would have gone vertical quite rapidly (down).

Controlled flight. Not ballistic.

If you're counting brief hops, the 1917 Curtiss Autoplane, "It was able to hop, but not fly."

The show averaged slightly over one car destroyed per episode - over 300 during the production run.

I’m curious about the condition they’re usually in when they land.