Recent content by V-1710

I have heard the story of the P-38 right corkscrew too. I think the tactic was commonly used in the PTO. A little asymmetrical throttle improved the maneuver.

One thing that may explain the cockpit floor difference between an Allison engine Mustang and a Merlin powered version is that the fuselage of the P-51B and later Mustang is about 7" deeper than that of a P-51A.

Yes, I meant the B-239. I agree that some of the B-339's were not very much different than F2A-2's.

How does the B-339 compare to the F2A-2 or -3? I was always under the impression the Buffalo was a very responsive ship until the addition of more guns and armor.

I seem to remember reading the landing gear design of the P-36/40 was a Boeing design, and Curtiss-Wright had to pay a licensing fee to use it. Correct the strut is actually outside of the wing, I think this was done to clear a wing spar.

So many very good designers (has anyone mentioned Alexander Kartveli yet?) but one does stand out, particularly considering his later accomplishments. Kelly Johnson. The question of manufacturer is a little more difficult, as many organizations only produced one really outstanding aircraft...

Take a look at the 2 stage supercharged Allison used in the P-63. It was a novel design, using a fluid coupling to drive the second stage, and performed well at high altitudes. May not have been practical for installation in a Mustang though.

It all makes me think of what a mess the XP-37 was........

Like I said, conceptually. I saw some drawings of the AP-10 and they appeared to show P-35 horizontal stabilizers, but yes it would have been a substantially different aircraft. All that was ever built was a partial wooden mockup (shown in the linked picture). The early P-40 was far closer to...

Strangely enough, the aircraft that would have become the XP-47 was conceptually a P-35 derivative powered by an Allison V-1710. The Republic AP-10 proposal was an Alexander Kartvelli design that came about due to Air Corps thinking at the time that in-line liquid cooled engines (read Allison)...

Seem to remember reading the RAF used the Douglas Boston as a night fighter on occasion.

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the RAF and Vickers conduct extensive experiments with high altitude (pressurized) versions of the Wellington?

I think the V-3420 had the potential to be a more reliable and more powerful engine than the R-3350 had it been fully developed. As you all know, the B-39 was a contingency in case the B-29 could not reach operational status with the R-3350's. Wright made enough progress with the R-3350 during...

At least everyone got out O.K.. No doubt the pilot did the right thing. Every time something like this happens, I wonder when aircraft like the B-17 will become too rare and too valuable to fly. I have enjoyed warbirds at airshows and museums many many times, but even so incidents like this...

I think GM was capable of manufacturing most any precision device to whatever tolerance the specifications called for, be it an aircraft engine, a diesel engine, a complete aircraft, or a gun. And I think GM was without peer when it came to manufacturing percision devices in quantity. Vast...