oldcrowcv63
Tech Sergeant
Take off run was 280 yd (160 yd into a 230 kt wind)
YIKES!!! I know it's just a typo but it conjured images of a Martlet heading into a Cat 5+ Hurricane/Cyclone/Typhoon or worse, a tornado. I think the take off run into such a wind would be quite abbreviated. Like maybe 0.5 yards?
also, I suspect the capacity of the drop tank was reversed and should be 52 gallons, not 25.
Although more seriously, I find it difficult to believe any text would claim that Wildcat IVs were equivalent to the F4F-4 and were generally similar to the F4F-3, unless by generally similar it meant they had about the same appearance. The performance of the -3, which the RN never saw except perhaps in stateside training , was significantly superior to the -4 and any subsequent mark until the advent of the FM-2 and even in that case I believe the -3 performed better at altitude.
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