Recent content by Mangrove

I have also browsed through the material at the Finnish National Archive and various museums but found no such document as stated before. I also think that Raunio's book is quite a typical example of a work of an amateur historian with no accurate references to sources used to produce the book...

What is the primary source quoted by the Ilmailu magazine and Raunio on his book? What was the weight of the plane and rpm pressure of the engine? I have not seen such document nor does any of the documents (dated from 1939 to December 1942) I have copies of mentioned such velocities.

The exported 1065 hp Twin Wasps indeed used 87 octane fuel, but the Cyclones could utilise 90 octane fuel as per factory and Finnish specifications. However, the Curtiss manual rates the Twin Wasp S3C3-G as 1100 hp. Thus the difference between using 87 octane fuel and using 100 octane fuel was...

The highest ever recorded level flight velocity for a service Finnish Hawk 75 equipped with a 1200 hp Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G205A was 439 km/h at 3505 meters, i.e. 273 mph at 11500 feet. The same figure for a Finnish Hawk with 1065 hp Twin Wasp SC-G was 429 km/h at 1500 meters, i.e 267 mph at...

I never said the number was for any particular type of an aeroplane. The weight range I quoted was for a typical Finnish test pilot who wore a fur or leather flying suit, a parachute, goggles etc. For future reference, here are some empty weights (i.e. the fuselage, the engine and the fixed...

Some other unofficial Finnish fighter pilot mascots: 1) Siberian Huskies(?) Huli Heku of the Lentolaivue 32. SA-kuva no. 84257. 2) The mascot of a flight of the Lentolaivue 12. SA-kuva no. 141200. 3) Tessu of the Lentolaivue 30. SA-kuva no. 121315.

Weighted Finnish pilot wearing equivalent of combat gear weighted often around 95-100 kg (210-220 lbs), according to the copies of Finnish test reports I have. For comparison, a 200 round belt of 12.7 mm (.50, with ammunition boxes included) to the Berezin UB weighted 36 kg or 80 lbs.

Finnish VL Pyörremyrsky was basically a project to try to include all of the good factors of the BF 109, use the same engine, but with some of the faults of the Messerschmitt fixed.

According to the Finnish tests, the service ceiling of a LaGG-3 was 7800 meters. It took 24 minutes to climb to that altitude from the sea level. However, the service ceiling of a MiG-3 was far greater, around 10-12 km according to some German tests.

The unofficial mascot of the 3rd Flight of the Finnish fighter squadron Lentolaivue 24 (flying Brewster B-239 and Bf 109 during the Continuation War) was the pet of the CO of the Flight, an Irish Setter called Peggy Brown. Photographs by SA - kuvagalleria, no. 97039 and 150320.

The German manual I quoted claims the best attack angle for FW-190 against shipping is around between 30 and 50 degrees. A Finnish Jabo manual for Bf 109 recommends 45 degree angle.

This was hardly the case. Finnish pilots flying Bf 109 (using the Revi sight to aim) could score hits within 20 meters from a same size target with a few weeks of practice. This was deemed accurate enough for attacking small patrol vessels in the Gulf of Finland. I also have a copy of a German...

Finnish Air Force operated Hurricane Mk. I, MS-406/410 and improved MS-406/410s equipped with more powerful Soviet Klimov M-103 (so called "Mörkö Morane"). The Finnish Morane-Saulniers also fought against the Soviet Hurricane Mk. II and shot down a few. Hans Wind on the Hurricane (Mk. II)...

Blackburn Ripon. Used as a land and seaplane during Winter and Continuation War by Finnish Air Force. As new in 1928 their top speed was 210 km/h (130 MPH) as landplane with load and around 160 km/h (100 MPH) as seaplane with bomb load. Shavrov Sh-2. Soviet Air Force used the type to supply...

I agree with Kürfurst. Messerschmitt 109 - myths, facts and the view from the cockpit Diving - structural rigidity of 109 in dives The Me 109 was dived to Mach 0.79 in instrumented tests. Slightly modified, it was even dived to Mach 0.80, and the problems experimented there weren't due...