Recent content by jpatrick62

Well looks like a lot of history buffs have weighed in on this topic, so I'll throw in my .02 for laughs. I tend to trust the tests performed by the various service branches at the time since their very lives often depended on accuracy. Of course, we can't rule out inter-service rivalries, so a...

As an American who has read much on the 30's and 40's I always wondered about the fall of France. It was if the horrors of WW1 and the political climate of the 1930's in France infected the army like a disease. Of course, we can't dismiss the absolute devastation inflicted upon the north east...

I actually bought the book, but it's been a bit since I have read it. I do remember that, all things being equal, the pilots of each branch tended to like their own aircraft. Even so, you can glean some decent information about the aircraft based on the comments and rankings given after the...

I think both aircraft were excellent for differeing reasons. If I am a rookie pilot, I want the F6F simply because it is easier to fly. If I am an experienced pilot, I would opt for the Corsair because it was a hotter ship (to paraphrase a quote of the time). Regardless of arguments made...

Overall, I think the FW190 and the F4U-1 were very similar in performance with the F4U having better manuverability and the FW190 (depending on model) a better arsenal of weapons. What would have been a real treat would have been a showdown between a F4U-4 and some Dora models of FW190 or even a...

I would have to agree with those who thought the reason the F4U became "iconic" was the overall excellent performance of a carrier based fighter in a time where carrier based fighters exhibited less than optimal overall performance. I suppose Rex Beisel hit a "sweet spot" performance-wise. I...

But I've read and heard the F4U was tricky at low speeds. Nickname was "The Ensign Eliminator". The F6 didn't have that problem. Have read it flew like a station wagon. Easy, simple, no dark corners. I've read interviews with WW2 pilots in the pacific that indicate the same thing - the...

There seems to be a lot of disconnect between those who flew the F4U and modern aircraft experts along with flight sim people. Reading about the F4U from the modern experts you would get the idea that it was a poor turner and a horrible dogfighter with poor climb. The only real advantage it had...

Don't hold me up on this but I think I remember the Bearcat having a soaring climb rate of some 6,000 ft/min, and its dogfighting ability was pretty darn decent as-well. That's correct - for the later F8F-2 models. The 1945 models, the F8F-1 - which could have seen combat if the war had gone on...

Having never flown an F8F fighter, I can only go by pilots who did. Almost to a man, they loved the plane, it could manuver at low speed better than any of it's contemporaries, it had a small profile, and it's climb was exceptional due to a great power/weight ratio. Corky Meirs, the great...

The Ta-152H-1 will make mince meat out of each of the above if a turn-fight is ensued Than the Mk 21 Spit, the KI-84, or the F4U-4? While it may be true it could out-turn the P51D/P47 variants, I'm very skeptical it could do so to those aircraft. If you look at wing loading, the Ta-152...

It was perhaps the best interceptor of the bunch, and it provided fantaastic performance at SL. However, for all around performance, I think the F4U-4 was the best of the WW2 bunch..

We need to judge aircraft as they existed and not with special test propellers, cleaned up characteristics, removed arrestor hooks, reduced fuel loads or the like to account for different roles. Jank, While that is certainly true for aircraft performing similar roles (P51 vs P47 vs P38)...

Jank, I think you need to reread the tests again yourself. The report clearly said that 2 speed test were physically conducted to geet the first result of 431 mph ON wep. In point 3, the testers clearly state that 1875 HP at 21,400 with ram was reasonable to expect, so I'm not sure where you...

I'll have to go with several of the other posts in here making combat experience a key component of my choice. Many of the "stats" of the superprops were manufacturer's best conditions, and without firsthand combat evaluations, dubious at best. How would the Sea Fury hold up to damage? How would...