Recent content by Shortround6

There were several other W-18s in the 1920s and early 30s. 4 companies ?. As you point out they were based on using the tech and fuel of the time (20s/early 30s). Something to be looked at is the weight for power. Part of the "tech" of the time is that some of the engines were direct drive...

You are counting on a lot more autonomy than Vichy had historically. The French would have to have done a lot better in the spring/summer of 1940 to force such a conclusion. There were a number of things that could have supplied Italy but the G.55 was not one of them, it showed up too late and...

I will note that the Army had ordered 13 YP-37s (P-36s with turbo Allisons) in Dec 1937, just about 1 1/2 years before they ordered the P-40s. First one showed up in June of 1939, One month after the P-40 order. It and it's 12 brethren showed the wisdom of the Army's decision. The turbos and...

You are running into physics. Weight is the enemy of climb rate and turn radius. Now you can conquer climb rate with a high powered engine and a low drag (small ) wing. But turn rate requires a large wing or at least low wing loading, (small wing means very light airplane, no high powered...

Thank you. The 1938 Janes (reprint) gives 536kg for a 14Kfs but that version is direct drive, no reduction gear. Possible source of confusion? The 1938 Janes (reprint) also has a typo (?) as it gets the letters out of order (?) or leaves one out. Trying to figure out the 14K letter code. I...

Several, but they are not primary sources. 1938 edition of "Jane's All the Worlds Aircraft" and several editions of Wilkinson for the French engines. Weights for the Soviet engines are from Kotelnikov. For the M-85 it starts at 600kg and goes through 610kg, 640kg, and tops out at 684kg for...

I would note that the M-89 gained about 120-150KG over the M-88 depending on exact model/s. Adding 17% Plus weight to the engine and not adding a 2 stage supercharger is a very substantial increase. I would note that the the Late G-R 14Ns were running about 50Kg more than the G-R 14Ks. The...

You still need the raw materials. Was France sitting stacks of Iron and Coal just waiting for the Germans order something or were the Germans trying to get the French to ship steel from French iron ore works/steel mills to German factories (or French ones) even to make cooking pots or truck...

It is a crap load of butteryflies no matter what route. For the non-embargo route the French and Germans have to get along much better than they did historically in June of 1940. Maybe the French can agree to send 4-5 divisions with French Equipment to the German Army (somewhere other than...

Very sad news.

Thank you but vehicles such as these would be very scarce in 1938-40. Things better quickly and the British were using some these by mid war. There were a few Covenanter versions for training. The rapid escalation from 15-16 ton tanks (and 6 ton light tanks) to 21-30 ton tanks left several...

Thank you. I think you are giving too much credit to the Italians or not enough to the French. Actual land occupied before armistice seems to have been 20 km or under and only in spots. Granted it was the Alps. How much further they could have gotten? As I see it a problem for better French...

Assuming that France survives at all there are a number of things that can be done to improve the existing planes. The Butterflies are in full force, Huge numbers and operating in concert here. All that has been stated is that France survives/doesn't surrender. What are the British doing? As...

I thank you for your input, because without it, we don't know what ""dangerous to fly" means. Which means we don't know what the remedial course of action is. Different training? Change the vertical fin? for other planes move 100-200lbs of weight around, or change the area of the controls...

The term "dangerous to fly" doesn't actually tell us much. Griffon powered Spitfires were dangerous to fly, for pilots had flown Merlin powered Spitfires and for the same reason, their props spun in different directions. But "dangerous to fly" can also mean too far forward center of gravity...