Groundhog Thread Part Deux - P-39 Fantasy and Fetish - The Never Ending Story (Mods take no responsibility for head against wall injuries sustained) (7 Viewers)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

emu27 said:
Have been intrigued by the P-39 tumble reputation and exactly what it was, Bob Hoover provides an answer at 18:20, a Lomcovak.

Click to expand...
Great Clip, met him a few times, loved talking to him -

A few things -

Not disputing what he said about the C/G, for the most part he is 100% correct, HOWEVER, when he experienced this we don't know WHERE within the C/G envelope his aircraft was when he did these flights. As Thumpalumpacus mentioned, no indication of ammo or ballast. Where I believe the P-39 got folks in trouble is when it was flown at the most aft of the C/G envelope, and as shown within this long and drawn out thread, we showed where the C/G went when fuel and ammo was expended.

He also doesn't mention if these maneuvers were accomplished in any type of bank angle, that would surely make conditions worse.

Great guy, excellent pilot, may he RIP!
 
FLYBOYJ said:
He also doesn't mention if these maneuvers were accomplished in any type of bank angle, that would surely make conditions worse.
Click to expand...

That was one thing I noticed in his hand-representations of his maneuver, that he twisted his hands a little, but never really talked about that aspect of it -- which has to change much even in my non-flier mind.

FLYBOYJ said:
Great guy, excellent pilot, may he RIP!
Click to expand...

 
I miss the champion of this aircraft.
I do. He loved it with a passion. Give or take a heater or armour.
I learned about this one and laughed a lot i must say. He was not always wrong but stuck a few times at wrong data.
A tad stubborn in facts. But as i recall most a gentleman.
And.... the p-39 will have a legandary status because of it here.
 
GregP said:
Probably had one of those buttons on the floor that you push with your foot to dim and bright the lights. Might have used one to fire the guns.
Click to expand...
My '53 Pontiac Catalina Starliner had two of those floor switches.
The one on the far left was for dimming the headlights, the one by the gas pedal was to start the engine.
 
Yeah, I've driven a couple that used them for starters and more than a few that had them for dimming lights. A few had older transmissions that had to be double-clutched just to get a smooth shift. Old, mostly-forgotten times, but it's fun to recall some of the old cars and other vehicles. I learned to drive on my grandfather's old Farmall Cub tractor. The cars were a lot easier, but the tractor was more fun.

I'll never forget the summer I almost died on it because, over the course of the last winter, he had put water in the tires. I was pulling stumps and almost went over backwards when the tires didn't spin, but rather stayed connected to the ground and pulled the front end up. I stabbed for the clutch as fast as I could and managed to hit it on the first try. The front end slammed down and bounced once or twice, but I didn't wind up dead. That was a shock, but I didn't have any more trouble after surviving that first manual transmission emergency.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 8 (members: 0, guests: 8)

Similar threads

Paper comparing the flight performance of the P-40E Warhawk and the A6M2 Zero
Replies
8
Views
696
Ivan1GFP
I
The poor performance of the 343 Kokutai against USAAF fighters
2 3 4
Replies
60
Views
6K
GrauGeist
617th squadron and the bunkers in Ijmuiden.
2
Replies
23
Views
640
DerAdlerIstGelandet
M
P-39 Turbo - Here We Go Again
Replies
13
Views
2K
GregP
P-39-style fighter by other people?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
GrauGeist
Menu
Log in
Register