Best Fighter

[cheddar cheese]

im in agreement there too 8)

 

[Lightning Guy]

I would say the P-51D was better than most of the P-47s varients. The P-47M "Super T-bolt" had some great performance, if only it could have seen more action.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

the P-47 sure was a hell of a suprise to both sides, the allies didn't ecpect a fighter almost twice the weight of the spit to perform that well, the germans just weren't expecting it altogether..............

 

[Lightning Guy]

Ya'll probably won't like hearing this, but I know of instances where P-47s got the better of Spitfires in mock dogfights.

 

[plan_D]

When you refer to the Spitfire refer to the mark, they were so different from the first to the last.

 

[Lightning Guy]

It was a Spit. Mk. IX. The P-47 was an early D model lacking water-injection or a paddleblade prop.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

so if the P-47 had water injection and variable pitch prop it would have kicked the spit even more??.................

 

[cheddar cheese]

most probably. apparently i america for 600 bucks you get to learn how to fly a plane and then laser dog fight someone, bargain if you ask me...

 

[Lightning Guy]

Yes it would have. With those modifications a P-47 could outclimb a Spit IX. I don't think it would have been enough to let a P-47 beat a Mk. XIV but the two planes were probably close enough the pilot skill and tactics became crucial.

 

[plan_D]

I don't think a P-47D would have had the capability to force a Mk XIV into a tactics battle, the Mk. XIV would have simply out-classed it. The P-47N is a different matter but the Mk. XIV would have still been the superior plane of the two.

 

[Lightning Guy]

Oh don't tell me you are going to go to the outrun/outclimb bit now. If the Shiden could force a Corsair into combat, then a P-47D could certainly for a Mk. XIV Spit.

 

[plan_D]

I said it couldn't force the Mk. XIV into a tactics battle, the Mk. XIV was just better. Anyway, the Corsair was better for the rookie than the Shiden. Surely though with the Hurricane as an inferior plane to the Bf-109E how come they shot so many down? The 109 could out-climb and out-dive the Hurricane but they still got shot down.
You have to go into combat sometime.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well in the hands of a good pilot there's absolutely no reason why a hurricane can't take out a 109..............

 

[plan_D]

That's the same principal surrounding our previous discussion about the Shiden and the Corsair on the Naval Thread.

 

[Lightning Guy]

I found something interesting in relation to that the other day. When designing the Zero, one 'faction' of the Imperial Navy wanted a fighter with more power and speed. Their reasoning was that a good pilot could make a sluggish plane handle better but no amount of pilot skill can make a slow plane go faster.

 

[cheddar cheese]

very true

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

that's a fair point, but if the plane's sluggish even a good pilot would struggle to make it better..............

 

[Lightning Guy]

Struggle, yes. But he IS NOT going to make a slow plane go faster. Physics just won't let him.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

unless he bails out, that way the plane's ligher....................

 

[cheddar cheese]

but then he is not piloting the plane anymore.