Recent content by helmitsmit

Heard the P-40 was faster, better turn and rate of roll at low level (5,000ft) than P51D. Would a P-40F with merlin 60 series and longer nose but minimal changes to airframe beat 437mph at 25,000ft?

Napier Sabre was an awesome engine for tempest, even a merlin 30 was wasted on a Hurricane only 332mph from 1700bhp! The Sea hurricane with all equipment had a max speed of 280mph tops and wasn't as agile as the Spit in close combat

P-38 didn't need it. Too much power for minimal benefit

If the RAF wanted the lanc to go heigher they could have put in merlin 61s like the lincon. but they didn't need too for night duty. Turbosupercharging was bulky and complex. The two stage merlin 60 series had one of the best altitude performance of any ww2 aeroengine

To be fair the purpose of a bomber is to bomb first and then survive. I'd prefer speed over anything and delivering a good load. If you want then to stand a better chance to escort them simple. The b24 with 10 guns was still mauld be german fighters so it needed escorting. U could stick 20 guns...

You have to bear in mind the mission most of Bomber command used. ie night bombing. At night you need loose formation and rely on cloud cover and mobility to avoid trouble. The Lanc and to a degree halifaxes were able to corkscrew and dodge emeny forces. This is a totally different way of...

Yeah true. I think this was a greater achievement the BoB! Because short supplies much more out numbered and bigger apparent disadvantage of aircraft performance fighter-fighter.

yet thegladiators shot down lots of fighters too. And I thought the hurricanes were equal to the Machi 200 because of the volkes filter certainly no better.

I was wondering how did the RAF's aircraft compare as fighters to their opponents over Malta? How did the Sea Gladiators do so well? How come they weren't shot out of the sky? How did the Hurricane mk 1 do against the Macchi 200 and 202 and Me 109 E/F? What was it's strengths and...

It is very easy for pilots to think they are vertical when they are not. The stuka had an angle meaure at the side of the canopy to aim the pilot and it had a automatic recovery system incase of blackout.

Also the stuka was surprisingly manuvourable I have heard reports of german stuka polits giving the Spits a run around. I think it was the most accurate dive bomber of the war because it could do vertical dives. And the most practical. But you neeed to have air supiriority before the...

Why wasn't the FW190 the standard Luftwaffe fight from 1942 onwards? Wasn't it clearly superior to the ME 109 at medium attitudes and more of a match against the allies?

The mosquito relied on speed and height to escape fighters and such. Speed is only a good defence. You try using the mosquito to attack these fighters and you lose a lot of what the mossie was good at. Plus it was better on it's own in fighter formations it would have been eaten alive!

I became interested in Aircraft when my late granddad told me stories about his time as a sheetmetal worker for the RAF. He work on the desert air filters for Spitfires and mosquitos. I still have both as my favourites today. I also like the sound of the Merlin so that helps!

I would have liked to have seen more of this