Getting P-40 into the air quickly

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The Basket

Senior Master Sergeant
3,712
1,891
Jun 27, 2007
Talking about Pearl Harbour.
How long would it take to get a P-40 from cold to full combat readiness so fully fuelled fully armed on the runway about to takeoff?
So total surprise to combat
 
Kermit Weeks takes about 4 minutes from cracking the throttle and priming to taxi start and he's doing a lot of talking and farting around:

 
I believe he is including dry fuel tanks and no ammo. So how long to fuel, fill ammo cans, charge weapons, start engine and take off
 
My Uncle Charles' P-40 was armed and had a "base" loadout of fuel, but was strafed and destroyed before he could get to it.
So technically speaking - all his chief had to do, was get it prepped, help strap him in and then go through the startup and taxi. That would have taken only a few minutes.

In my Uncle Jimmy's case, his P-36 was fueled, but not armed...the startup would have been the same: getting strapped in, start up and taxi off the ramp and onto the runway to get aloft.

The P-40 didn't like to idle long before overheat issues became aparent and in the Pacific (unlike European, Eastern Front and Aleution winters), there really wasn't a "warm up" period.

With ample warning and fully fueled and armed P-36 and P-40 fighters at the ready, the Japanese would have paid hell on 7 December...
 
I'm pretty sure the crew chiefs could start the engines as part of maintenance checks, which would let them "warm" the aircraft up or even have it idling when the pilot showed up. That would allow a rather quick launch.

The Eagle during normal flights was taxied after 12 minutes (time used to check systems and load nav/INS and radios). During scramble ops, in which the jet was prepped, we would sometimes get airborne before the radar timed in (4.5 minutes after second generator on line). Roughly 5.5 minutes after initiating the start to airborne.

Cheers,
Biff
 
Coz them saying at Pearl Harbour them saying that if the Radar report was fully acted upon then the IJN would have faced a wall of P-40s.

I am skeptical as in a peace time setting you have to find everything and the guys to do it. One issue at Pearl was the ammunition stores were locked on some of the navy ships and I would see that as an issue with the P-40s as well.
 
pinsog said:
I believe he is including dry fuel tanks and no ammo. So how long to fuel, fill ammo cans, charge weapons, start engine and take off
Click to expand...
The fuel tanks were never empty to prevent condensation so they were refueled after the last flight of the day. Despite this precaution, tanks must be drained to eliminate water before the first flight of the day.
 
waroff said:
The fuel tanks were never empty to prevent condensation so they were refueled after the last flight of the day. Despite this precaution, tanks must be drained to eliminate water before the first flight of the day.
Click to expand...
Yes, but if this regimen has been strictly adhered to and tanks religiously topped and sumped daily, the likelihood of a sudden scramble resulting in catastrophe is pretty slender. At most a possibility vs the certainty of unwanted Zero attention the longer they sit on the ground.
Cheers,
Wes
 
During the attack, Lt. Rasmussen (in his pajamas), found an undamaged P-36, started it up and taxied to a revetment to have it armed. From there, he took off and joined the battle.

So that's another indication that aircraft out on the line contained fuel.
 
Quite a number of the USAAF fighter pilots were not even on Oahu . A number, including the squadron commander, had been invited to a pig hunt and roast over on the Big Island, flew over there on Saturday in an unarmed B-18, and spent the night.
 
fubar57 said:
The book I used in Post #6 mentioned aircraft exploding after being hit, burning fuel leaking over to the next aircraft and setting that one on fire
Click to expand...
That would be likely in any case. Even an aircraft with operationally "empty" tanks has enough vapor and unusable fuel in it to put on an impressive (and contagious) fireworks display. And early days self-sealing tanks, intended to protect against machine gun fire, would have a hard time withstanding 20mm hits from a diving Zero against a stationary target. Quite a different impact energy compared to getting hit from 6 o'clock at combat speed.
Cheers,
Wes
 
BiffF15 said:
The Eagle during normal flights was taxied after 12 minutes (time used to check systems and load nav/INS and radios).
Click to expand...
I'm guessing when the airplane was standing on alert, the systems checks, the INS would have already been lined up, and stuff like that?
During scramble ops, in which the jet was prepped, we would sometimes get airborne before the radar timed in (4.5 minutes after second generator on line). Roughly 5.5 minutes after initiating the start to airborne.
Click to expand...
How the hell did the F-102's and F-106's manage to go from start-up to the start of the runway in 2 minutes?
 
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