Best Fighter

[the lancaster kicks ass]

fair enough, it was a good plane

 

[GermansRGeniuses]

i dont like mustang... and on a random note i figured out that swastikas are good! go to http://www.swastika-info.com/en/start.php for more info

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

why don't you like the mustang, it was a good plane, but it's your opinion i suppose

 

[Viper]

lanc, stop being predjudiced against other countries planes, all the best planes arent british y'know credits due where credits due...

thankyou chedar couldnt have said it better

 

[Viper]

why don't you like the mustang, it was a good plane, but it's your opinion i suppose

what do u mean "was"it stil is!!,my grandpa was telling me that in the 1960's he could have bought a p-51d for 12'000$!!!! i dont know how he could pass that offer.but his friend bought three

 

[bronzewhaler82]

You guys are all wrong! the guy who was asked what the best fighter was would have to have been a bloody yank to give the names of American planes! by far the BEST fighter of WW2 was undoubtably the unsung hero the Dehavilland Mosquito! that plane did everything! and even though it was much smaller, was made of wood, and originally a fighter it was capable of carrying a bomb load equal to that of a B-17 (a much larger plane) and it was one of the fastest planes of WW2
(faster than a bloody Thunderbolt!)

 

[Viper]

hes sold them all unfortunatly,he also had a sea fury and some jets and harvards,and he died so....

 

[Anonymous]

The Mosquito was a good plane, and a great night figher, but when it came down to a dog fight, a mustang or spitfire or fw 90 could get behind it and take it out. It was faster then the planes mentioned but it could not compete in a dogfight.

 

[bronzewhaler82]

I agree it was not a great dogfighter but the point of it being a Nightfighter and a fast, wooden plane was that it didn't get into dogfights - it would use radar to sneak up on enemy planes in the dark and take them out before it got into a dogfight. Thats why it was made of wood and had no real armour - and why it hardly suffered any losses during the war - because it was designed for speed and a good enough plane to AVOID getting into dogfights - either the fight was over before they got close enough to dogfight or the Mosquito could escape to a safe distance and finish off the enemy plane before it could turn on it

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

ah, at last, someone with a equal love for the mosquito, thanks whaler

 

[Viper]

the mossie was a sweet plane it did everything,all roles,my opinion it was one of the best planes

 

[kiwimac]

The mosquito was a sweet airplane but I wonder, can we count aircraft that had the potential to be bloody amazing but which the Reich Air Ministry did not make use of?

If so I nominate both the Arado Ar-240 and the Focke-Wulf FW 187.

Germany, perhaps more so that other nations, seemed to develop an aircraft and then abandon the project in mid-stride. The Fw187 Falke was an outstanding example of this, and its case is even more incredulous because it was a surprisingly good fighter! Although it was never put into full production, it was a superb foundation for later twin engined German fighters. The first model Fw 187 (this would be about 1937) was 50mph faster than the Bf 109 prototype which had the same engine, despite the fact that the Fw187 weighed almost twice as much and had twice the range. Later the V3 adopted a twin seat cockpit and this version of the Fw187 was much more accomodating for the crew. During this stage of development, the Fw187 was dubbed a zerstorer, or Destroyer (heavy fighter), and they were given heavier armament than other aircraft of the time. Still, there was no inclination that Germany would put the Fw187 into full production, and the Falkes built were mostly used for testing. Only three A-0 model Falkes ever saw action, and they supposedly scored several kills in 1940. These three were then loaned to a Jagdstaffel in Norway that flew Me110s, and they reported that the Fw187s were a greatly superior aircraft. However, when Germany found out about this the Fw187s were taken away instantly, and development was ordered ceased. Actually, the Nazi Government was shooting itself in the foot by recalling the Fw187s and ordering the development ceased. Had it continued, Germany would have had a top class fighter far superior to the Me110. The reasons for Nazi Germany's loathing of the Fw187 is still not fully known.

And from the Warbirds Resource Group site the following information.

Type: Destroyer heavy fighter
Origin: Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH
Models: A, B, C Series
First Flight: May 10, 1940
Service Delivery: N/A
Final Delivery: N/A

POWERPLANT:
Type: Daimler-Benz V-12 water cooled, various models
Horsepower: Various

DIMENSIONS:
Wing span:
A-0: 13.33m (43 ft. 9 in.)
C-0: 16.59m (54 ft. 5 in.)
Length:
A-0: 12.81m (42 ft. 0.25 in.)
Height:
A-0: 3.95m (12 ft. 11.5 in.)
Wing Surface Area: N/A

WEIGHTS:
Empty:
A-0: 6,200kg (13,669 lbs.)
C-0: 8,460kg (18,650 lbs.)
Maximum:
A-0: 10,297kg (22,700 lbs.)
C-0: 11,726kg (25,850 lbs.)

PERFORMANCE:
Maximum Speed:
A-0: 618km/h (384 mph)
C-0: 730km/h (454 mph) with GM-1 boost at high altitudes
Initial climb: N/A
Range (A-0): 1,242 Miles (2000 km)
Service Ceiling: N/A

ARMAMENT:
A-O:
Two fixed 7.92mm MG 17 And Two remote-control barbettes each with two 7.92mm MG 81

C-0:
Four fixed 20mm MG 151 And Two remote-control barbettes each with two 13mm MG 131 Plus External bomb load of up to 3,968 lbs. (1,800 kg.)

Kiwimac

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i think the spit. was the best fighter

 

[Viper]

i agree it was the best britesh fighter,then the mossie

 

[kiwimac]

FW 190 D series and the Ta 152/153

Kiwimac

 

[cheddar cheese]

my friend was on this site the other day and he started saying that his great uncle was the first people to ever fly in the mosquito dunno whether to believe him or not, his story sounded convincing enough though

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

oh, i dunno bout that...................

 

[cheddar cheese]

me neither..... of anyone could find out the name of the crew that were in it on its maiden voyage it would be helpful 8)

 

[ZLIN pilot]

Back to the Mustangs for $12,000...sweet deal I must say, immediately after the war the Canadian government auctioned off dozens of surplus Kittyhawk Is (P-40Es I believe) and Hurricane XII(?)s for $25 - 50 Canadian! Boy was I born 50 years too late! I remember seeing this on a web page ages ago, they had pictures of one particular plane still in RCAF livery and natural metal paint. The owner bought it in 1945 or whatnot and continues to run-up the engine to this day.

 

[bronzewhaler82]

Back on the subject of the best fighter has anyone ever heard of a 'Kyushu J7W Shinden' codenamed 'Magnificent Lightning'?

It was built by the Japanese only 12 days before they surrendered but it was a Heavy Interceptor capable of speeds of 466mph (faster than a Mustang) its engine was in the rear and it had 4 nose mounted 30mm cannons...thank god the war ended when it did otherwise i think this plane would've caused havoc

http://avia.russian.ee/pictures/japan/kyushu_j7w.jpg