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Yes. IAS is measured by measuring a pressure and "calculating" speed by assuming sea level density. At sea level, std day TAS and IAS are equal; 100 knots true air speed gives about 33.8 psf pressure. At 20,000 ft, to get the same dynamic pressure, the true airspeed is 136.5 kts.
The Tinian Air Group was formed in October 1941 (originally attached to the 25th Air Flotilla) and was restructured in November 1942, with several more changes, the Tinian Air Group continued operations until the Island was attacked and captured by Allied forces in July of 1944.
Because victory tallies played a role in building and retaining morale, both in the fighting units and back home. It is a measure of the pilot's stature. A quantitative measure of qualitative skill. A pilot's claims were his measure of success. Vetting the records and discovering that a majority of claims were unsubstantiated does not take away from the esteem these pilots had at the time. Most claims were made in good faith, I would not use the term "blatant", because that implies the pilot was knowingly making a false claim.
Understand, "going solo" in the context of primary flight instruction does not imply authority to go hop in the plane at will and blast off into the wild blue. The first 3 - 5 solo flights are supervised solos that start off as dual instruction and then have a solo session incorporated under the strict observation and supervision of the instructor. Five hour solos were not routine or common, but an exceptionally adept student could achieve it if they could absorb all the requisite skills in that amount of time. And if you're operating from a low traffic rural airport with enough different runways to handle a variety of wind conditions the occasional talented student could do it, if old man weather cooperated. YOU wouldn't have soloed in five hours, even if the skill set was in place, because you wouldn't have been mentally ready and I wouldn't have made that call. I've had students that were "ready" skillwise to solo in seven or eight hours, but didn't have the confidence to be mentally ready until they were up to twelve or more. These were often of the perfectionist persuasion, and made some of the best pilots in the end.
All true and agree, my point was Bong flew with the 80th (as well as many other units) after his appointment to V Fighter Command HQ. I have no dog in the fight with regards to the comments about the Tainan AG
What do you mean "stupid maneuver"? He was kind of boxed in, harrying the B-26s at low altitude his options were limited. The B-26 was a speed demon bomber, so if he had overtake speed on them, he was up in the speed range where the Zero was pretty stiff in roll, so he wasn't going to win a turning fight if he lived to get into it, but he had speed, so up was the viable option. This is a situation where control harmony at speed is the deciding factor. Heavy high speed stick forces in the Zero, vs light and responsive in the ("twitchy" aft engine) P-39 allowed the Cobra to stay with him in the pull-up. His goose was pretty much cooked from the onset. His only other survival option might have been a (muscular!) roll to the left into the tightest turn he could manage at that speed and hope the American misjudges his deflection as he gets in a quick snap shot before popping up into his zoom climb. This might have achieved survival, but no victory, an unattractive prospect for any self-respecting Samurai. The zoom into a loop onto the opponent's tail is much more attractive. He just didn't expect the clunky, slow climbing Cobra to commit suicide by trying to go vertical with him.
My experience was in gliders with twenty years experience on and off with about eight as an instructor in the 70's and 80's. We will simply have to agree to disagree as there are a number of fundamental differences, namely:-
I also instructed in Schweitzer 2-33s and a 2-32, Lark IS-28Bs, Grob 103, and ASK-21. Glider training is a different animal altogether. We had a particularly difficult mountain airfield to fly from, so student proficiency had to be top-notch, but the lift was fabulous, including mountain wave that could sometimes be accessed right over the field with a 3000 ft tow. No winch launches here! In fact winch launches seem to be pretty rare in the US.
Throttle back and slow down into the Zero's optimum speed range only works if you have time enough to accomplish it before your attacker is in firing range. Like any aggressive fighter pilot, Yoshino quite likely would have been focusing on his prey with an occasional glance over his shoulder to check six. Head on silhouette of a P-39 is pretty slim, and on a collision course would be a stationary image, easy to miss in the heat of battle. Many an accomplished fighter pilot has died this way.
I rode through three winch launches in an ancient Schweizer TG-2 with a CG hook when I was a 14 yr old CAP cadet. Closest thing to a catshot you can get on dry land! The clmbout was spectacular, and with the zero downward visibility from the back seat all you could see was sky. Felt like vertical!
What did you learn on your checkride? My Private Pilot Examiner said "Sweat thyself not, this is just another lesson. We're going to educate each other: you're going to show me how safe a pilot you are, and I'm going to show you a thing or two your instructors never did. So after he put me through my paces, he said "You'll do", then asked: "Have you ever been in a fully developed spin in one of these things?"
