Recent content by Cave Tonitrum

  1. Cave Tonitrum

    how much to buy and run a war bird

    One bazillion dollars
  2. Cave Tonitrum

    Did German bombers make a different sound and why?

    Funny! That was a good one.
  3. Cave Tonitrum

    Did German bombers make a different sound and why?

    Stona, I don't think we're having an argument but to the extent that you are characterizing it as such, it is you who argued that you (and by extension, others) would not be able to distinguish between a Spitfire and Bf-109 if blindfolded. I merely pointed out that I could. Your admiration is...
  4. Cave Tonitrum

    Did German bombers make a different sound and why?

    I have heard both. (Spitfire and Bf-109) Seen both do flyby's but not together. They do sound different and I could easily distinguish the two. I would expect a concentration of 100 BMW-801's to sound different from a concentration of 100 Rolls Royce Merlins (both featuring different...
  5. Cave Tonitrum

    Did German bombers make a different sound and why?

    It's as simple as different engines sounding different. A Spitfire sounds different than a Bf-109. A P-47 sounds different than a P-40. Why would formations of British as opposed to German bombers be any different?
  6. Cave Tonitrum

    Can gun recoil really slow a fighter?

    "significantly slows a fighter aircraft" No.
  7. Cave Tonitrum

    F6F or F4U

    Shut the **** up Donnie.
  8. Cave Tonitrum

    F6F or F4U

    A pattern of interest - The army seemed more interested in navy planes and the navy seemed more interested in army planes judging by the breakdown of pilots who turned in comment cards.
  9. Cave Tonitrum

    F6F or F4U

    Only 51 people turned in votes for the questionnaire described above. The "division of votes" was as follows: Army - 9 Navy - 15 British - 7 Contractors - 20 What we don't know is the breakdown of the contractors by company affiliation. We do know though that Grumman had eight...
  10. Cave Tonitrum

    F6F or F4U

    Naval Air Combat Statistics (NACS) states that "The F6F appears to have had considerable advantage over the F4U when flown under the same conditions. Receiving about the same number of hits per sortie in comparable operations, the F6F had a far lower rate of loss per plane hit." The report...
  11. Cave Tonitrum

    Attack aircraft

    As for single vs. two engines for attack planes, there was an interesting exchange noted at the 1944 Joint Fighter Conference related to fighter bomber survivability. Page 87: Colonel Garman: "I can speak only for the African theatre and only for a particular type of operation. The P-38 was...
  12. Cave Tonitrum

    A-26 wing guns?

    A single .50 BMG round doesn't inflict a knock out punch. It causes damage. At some point, over the course of several strikes, the damage to a target can become severe enough to qualify it as "destroyed." Another six or eight guns means more damage, a greater chance of hitting a critical area...
  13. Cave Tonitrum

    A-26 wing guns?

    I read that they could also lock the upper twin .50 turret forward (Has anyone else heard this?) thus bringing sixteen .50's to bear on target.
  14. Cave Tonitrum

    Great P-47 video "Snafu"

    What a graceful beast. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXPytatsWgI
  15. Cave Tonitrum

    In Praise of the Me-110

    I recall a P-47 pilot referring to the Me-110 as "meat on the table."
Back