Acceleration factor info

[WARSPITER]

Car specifications always show the 0 - 60 time as part of the package.

Aircraft info usually has top speed and climb rate.

I was wondering if there is any info on the "cruise to combat" speed so to speak.
As an example the Typhoon was used as a low level interceptor against the FW-190. Was this
in part due to superior acceleration ?

Did some aircraft have a better ability to evade trouble using acceleration capability ?

 

[Shortround6]

There is some in the back of "America's Hundred Thousand" but it is calculated.
It assumes starting at 250mph at sea level and 80% propeller efficiency and that it figures power (military for early, combat for late war) , weight, thrust, and drag to come up with acceleration in ft/sec/sec
Like
P-38F............................2.30
P-51(Allison)..............2.13
F4U-1............................2.08
P-40E............................1.23
For early planes.

It is the lack of acceleration that made many fighters cruise at much higher speed than the bombers they were escorting.
Spitfire Vs could take about 2 minutes to go from a low 200mph Cruise to full speed. By which time everything was pretty much over.

 

[WARSPITER]

Thanks. That's what I am after.

 

[Shortround6]

Well, it is only for American planes. The information on the Spitfire is from another source and was concerned with the instructions given Spitfire pilots in late 1941 or early 1942 for best cruise speed vs fuel consumption.
Strangely enough (cough, cough) it was using low rpm and high boost.

Somethings had to be relearned.

 

[GregP]

Also, "combat speed" was never top speed.

Basically, combat speed was whatever you were cruising at plus the acceleration you could get before closing. Best economy for radials was very low ... on the order of 180 - 220 mph. Combat speed was generally 250 - 300 mph. 250 if the accelerated flying level and higher if they accelerated in a dive.

Only those caught too low would stay in a low-speed climb and close combat that way.

That's generally why escorts would cruise at at least 250 mph or faster when they were expecting company ... sometimes 300 mph for P-51s, so they could have decent speed when combat was joined.

Cruising at economy power and rpm was for routine patrols where you weren't expecting trouble. and had good visibility If the weather got iffy and visibility was lower, they'd cruise faster just for safety just in case combat was encountered.

 

[ThomasP]

re "Strangely enough (cough, cough) it was using low rpm and high boost."

I always did think it was strange that the American P-38 pilots had to wait for Lindberg to teach them this technique for range in the Pacific.

 

[GrauGeist]

By the way, the Tiffy's ability to counter the Fw190 down low, was because of it's handling characteristics.

 

[Snautzer01]

I always did think it was strange that the American P-38 pilots had to wait for Lindberg to teach them this technique for range in the Pacific

There were many long distance flyers. I think they took lindberg because of fame. Just as in advertising: if you want to sell stuff take a celeb.
A product like a basketball will sell better if magic johnson says its a good ball.

 

[33k in the air]

I always did think it was strange that the American P-38 pilots had to wait for Lindberg to teach them this technique for range in the Pacific.

From what I recall reading, it was thought the techniques Lindbergh used were bad for the engines, resulting in much more maintenance being required, so they weren't recommended. Lindbergh showed via actual usage the techniques were viable and did not cause the amount of additional maintenance as was expected.

 

[Shortround6]

Lindbergh showed via actual usage the techniques were viable and did not cause the amount of additional maintenance as was expected.

The techniques that Lindbergh (and LeVier showed Europe) were the ones that Allison and Lockheed were both recommending.
But the USAAC knew better

 

[Greg Boeser]

Kinda reminds me of the Doolittle B-25s. The engines had been tweaked to improve performance on the East Coast, but when they got to California prior to going aboard ship, the locals "fixed" them back to factory settings.