Best Aircraft UNDER 1000hp

[kitplane01]

Can anyone improve this list please.

Best aircraft any time in WWII of under 1,000 HP:

Fastest: Dewoitine D.520C.1 ????

Biggest: K-Class Blimp

Highest Alitiude: ?????

Fighter: Spitfire Mk1a (with a tired engine that's missing 30HP)

Carrier Based Fighter: Mitsubishi Zero

Close Air Support: Breda Ba.65 or HS 123 (Seems like weak choices)

ASW: K-Class Blimp

Transport: Lockheed Electra

Carrier Based Attack: Stringbag

STOL: Fi 156 Storch

Flying Boat: Grumman G-21 Goose or Grumman J2F Duck if you're operating from a catapult

Most Attractive: Lockheed Vega

 

[SaparotRob]

I am looking forward to reading the replies to this thread!
Regarding biggest, The K class (my idea of a personal aircraft) certainly wouldn't be the heaviest. Would there have been a larger aircraft, area wise or with a larger footprint? I'm thinking high altitude reconnaissance.
I like the flying boat category. A separate float plane category too? I like the looks of the IJN planes.
I like the best fighter being a Spit with a tired engine.

 

[kitplane01]

I am looking forward to reading the replies to this thread!
Regarding biggest, The K class (my idea of a personal aircraft) certainly wouldn't be the heaviest. Would there have been a larger aircraft, area wise or with a larger footprint? I'm thinking high altitude reconnaissance.
I like the flying boat category. A separate float plane category too? I like the looks of the IJN planes.
I like the best fighter being a Spit with a tired engine.

A K-class blimp has a gross lift of about 25,000 lbs. I don't know of any plane with less than 1,000 hp weighing more.

 

[SaparotRob]

My bad. I meant empty weight.

 

[GrauGeist]

A K-class blimp has a gross lift of about 25,000 lbs. I don't know of any plane with less than 1,000 hp weighing more.

"Gross or Useful Lift" is an airship (dirigible or blimp) designation for maximum amount of weight it can safely carry, not it's actual weight.

Typical dirigibles like the Hindenberg had a Useful Lift of 511,000 pounds, the USN Akron (ZRS-4) had a Useful Lift of 152,644 pounds.

 

[kitplane01]

My bad. I meant empty weight.

It's empty weight was about 17,000 lbs. It had about another 7,000 lbs payload. Biggest thing I know of that could fly on 1,000 hp.

 

[kitplane01]

Can anyone improve this list?

 

[buffnut453]

Best Kill-to-Loss Ratio: Brewster 239

 

[Snautzer01]

Fokker D-21

 

[ThomasP]

Lysander

 

[RCAFson]

Can anyone improve this list please.

Best aircraft any time in WWII of under 1,000 HP:

Fastest: Dewoitine D.520C.1 ????

Biggest: K-Class Blimp

Highest Alitiude: ?????

Fighter: Spitfire Mk1a (with a tired engine that's missing 30HP)

Carrier Based Fighter: Mitsubishi Zero

Close Air Support: Breda Ba.65 or HS 123 (Seems like weak choices)

ASW: K-Class Blimp

Transport: Lockheed Electra

Carrier Based Attack: Stringbag

STOL: Fi 156 Storch

Flying Boat: Grumman G-21 Goose or Grumman J2F Duck if you're operating from a catapult

Most Attractive: Lockheed Vega

The A6M2-21 Sakei 12 engine developed just over 1000hp using WEP, and the Merlin III on the Spitfire 1A developed over 1300hp using WEP (12lb boost)

 

[special ed]

Avia B.534

 

[GrauGeist]

My vote for a twin-engined fighter would go to the Fokker G.1 (with Mercury VIII engines).

 

[kitplane01]

The A6M2-21 Sakei 12 engine developed just over 1000hp using WEP, and the Merlin III on the Spitfire 1A developed over 1300hp using WEP (12lb boost)

I'm looking at the very eary spitfire, which is listed at 1030 hp. Supermarine Spitfire variants: specifications, performance and armament - Wikipedia

And I'm looking (I asume) at an earlier varient of the Zero. Mitsubishi A6M Zero - Wikipedia

 

[Clayton Magnet]

The original P-36A, with a 900hp R-1830-13?

 

[kitplane01]

Fokker D-21

What about it? What category is it best for?

 

[kitplane01]

Lysander

Same question: What about it? What category is it best for?

 

[kitplane01]

Avia B.534

I cannot imagine what category this is for. Fastest biplane???

 

[kitplane01]

The original P-36A, with a 900hp R-1830-13?

Are you arguing that this plane is better than both the Zero an the very early Spitfire?

 

[Clayton Magnet]

Are you arguing that this plane is better than both the Zero an the very early Spitfire?

I am not arguing anything, just presenting options.
A P-36A is definitely better than the A6M, between 1937 and 1940.
Would a P-36A be superior to a 1938 era Spitfire Mk.I, with a Merlin II and fitted with a Watts 2-blade, fixed pitch prop? Probably not. The Spitfire was making 362mph on 966 hp

Spitfire Mk I K.9787 Trials Report

Spitfire Performance Testing, wartime flight trials and reports of Spitfire aircraft. Spitfire Mk I data.

www.spitfireperformance.com