Recent content by RCAFson

The F-16, F-15, Mig 29... all competetive with modern avionics. The airframe is almost irrelevant; it's the weapons systems and avioinics that really matter.

F-20 Tigershark; Canada built hundreds of CF-5s and we can still build hundreds of CF-20s. The hundreds of aircrew come from training programs but that also requires lots of service aircraft and lots of reserve aircraft to handle the inevitable attrition.

Canada needs hundreds of, domestically built, high performance, low cost, multirole fighter aircraft; not a few dozen costly imports. The whole rational and purpose of our air force and air defense systems must be based upon the availability of numerous reserves of trained personnel and hundreds...

What was the flap deployment speed limits?

It's been awhile since I looked into the 1min limit on the 109 so I was hoping that you could confirm that. The 5min limit for 12lb boost was allowed after ~50 hours of testing on a Merlin III of which 8.5 hours was flown at 12lb boost...

The 5min limit is in almost all Merlin engined aircraft's Pilot's Notes but it's really just an advisory to report it upon landing. IIRC the BF109 1min limit had a mechanism to regulate it. I suppose in theory a 109E could use the flaps to outturn a Spitfire or Hurricane, or at least try to do...

It was up to the pilot to decide when to reduce RPM and boost since there was no clockwork mechanism that would alter the throttle settings. There are accounts of pilots running a Merlin III at full boost and full revs for ~30 minutes at a time.

In late 1942 the Canadian Frank's G Suit was put into service by FAA 807 Sqn flying Seafires during Operation Torch. The Australian designer Cotton's G Suite was also used in 1942.

Johnson states that he was 'greying out' in his turns, so his turn rate was pilot limited, not airframe limited, and that plus the 190's superior roll rate might have been the deciding factor.

Fulmar Mk1: 750RPG x 8, Mk2, 1000RPG x 8.

What's less well known is that Reginald Denny's brother was an RN officer deeply involved with the Royal Navy's aerial drone program, that was about 7 years ahead of the USN in terms of drone development and deployment. I'm certain there was no 'shop talk' between the Denny brothers...

FAA and RAF divebombing- trial data from Smith's 'Dive Bomber!' Swordfish: Although Centurion was not a fast ship, it's interesting to note that accuracy against a manoeuvring ship went up. RAF and the Fairey Battle: In fact 6 Battle squadrons conducted high angle dive-bombing trials...

That's very unlikely. See here for actual data: https://www.hmshood.org.uk/ship/hoodspecs4.htm (note the reduction of speed in tight turns!) There's a finite amount of power that can be applied to the prop shafts before the props begin to cavitate and the turbine blades can be stripped if too...

In windless conditions to launch a deck load strike. The IJN never used flight deck catapults on their carriers, so high speed was specified to aid in carrier ops, as was the need for light weight aircraft. The speed chosen when under attack had to also factor in the ability of screening ships...

It takes a long time for a carrier to accelerate from cruising speed to max speed. Without AW radar the IJN wouldn't have time to appreciably increase speed.