ARTESH
Chief Master Sergeant
Well, I'm not Expert in ww2 Airplanes ...
But, I would say my Chose is
Romanian IAR 80
But, I would say my Chose is
Romanian IAR 80
If you were a pilot in ww2 which plane would you want to fly
- Thread starter Xdominick97
- Start date
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drewwizard
Airman
- 41
- Dec 31, 2016
My uncle was a ferry pilot during WWII. Flew essentially all the allied fighters while ferrying US aircraft to Russia through Alaska, including British aircraft. The one that he believed was the best aircraft was by far the P-38. Very comfortable to fly, robust with the two engines as well as fast and maneuverable. Given that I voted for the ME-262. It's the most advanced of all of them. Real fan of the TA-152, but if my life was on the line, I would look for every advantage I could get.
Brave man. Even the "Experten" had a hard time surviving the war in 262s. Your worst enemy is your own mount, and if that doesn't get you there's always a sky full of Mustangs and Tempests determined to not let you take off or land in peace. Low slow and dirty you are target practice.
Cheers,
Wes
Peter Gunn
Master Sergeant
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Why? He actually does talk like that. Old timer from Tennessee, see him from time to time at muzzleloader shoots, and we Josh each other over the phone occaisonaly. I call him "Gramps" and he calls me "Damn Yankee Whippersnapper" or just "Whip" for short. He buys me a beer and I buy him a shot or two of Jack Daniels. He's about twenty or so years older, which puts him in his nineties, but has many more years than that edge on me in the wisdom department. Sharp as a tack and spry as a rooster, and shows no signs of slowing down. Was a teenage machinist in WarII, and is still building beautiful muzzleloaders. Has an amazing self-education, but it's in his eyes and ears and fingertips, not his speech.
Sorry, this whole muzzleloader chat has drifted way off topic. Let's stop here. My apologies if I've offended anyone.
Cheers,
Wes
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Shortround6
Major General
Yep, the priming powder keeps flying out of the pan when trying to shoot them long rifles from an airplane 
Isn't that how you get freckles?Yep, the priming powder keeps flying out of the pan when trying to shoot them long rifles from an airplane
Peter Gunn
Master Sergeant
Wes,
The post you quoted was not directed at you, it was in response to something else in the thread that I would like the Mods to delete. The post above it WAS in response to your black powder post and was in jest. My apologies for any confusion or possible insult.
( I changed the text to better communicate to the mods )
drewwizard
Airman
- 41
- Dec 31, 2016
Yes the disadvantage of the ME-262 was the hostile skies over Germany and being heavily outnumbered. Given even odds, I would still vote for the ME-262. Maybe the HE-163? salamander. Speed is life in hostile skies.
Done. At least I hope I deleted the correct post.
Peter Gunn
Master Sergeant
Yes indeed, thank you.
Even odds is a pipe dream! If the odds are even, you've already screwed up. You're supposed to kill the other guy before he realizes you're there. If surviving the war is your objective, I think you'd have been better off in a late model HE219. Most night bombers didn't have belly turrets, and you could play your "organ music" mostly un molested. Most allied deep penetration night fighters would be fighting you at a great disadvantage of fuel and endurance if they could reach you at all. And when the time came, you'd have the speed and stealth to escape to the west and avoid the Russians.
I didn't make an aircraft choice, as that would not have been an option for me. My destiny would have been limited to an M1 Garand.
Cheers,
Wes
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
At least the Japanese were honest and called their rocket bomb the suicide machine it was. The Germans tried to pretend theirs was survivable.
BTW, one of the original Me163 test pilots, Rudi Opitz, was still instructing in gliders with Nutmeg Soaring in Connecticut as of the late 80s or early 90s. They used to come up and fly with us at Sugarbush during the annual wave camp.
Cheers,
Wes
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
I met him when I worked at Lycoming, probably for about 3 seconds when I was one of the test engineers on the ALF-502. There were some people with interesting histories there. I vaguely remember being told that one of the people working in the engineering department was an Austrian Jew who flew for the RAF.
drewwizard
Airman
- 41
- Dec 31, 2016
ME-163 was an incredible aircraft. Unfortunately the prototype rocket engines were far more deadly than the plane. They just finished up a test at the end of the war which would have made the ME-163 extremely deadly. Vertical cannon which were triggered automatically by the shadow of a plane above it. Just fly under a B-17 at 650 MPH, and the cannon automatically trigger by the shadow of the plane above. Almost guaranteed kill and no defense. Rockets were regularly blowing up on launch pads into the 1960's. Long way to go before a rocket powered plane would be reasonably safe for it's pilot.
But only on mid summers day in the parts of Germany close to the equator.
And you find you can't get to the bombers without flying under a cloud. "Ooopps, what happened to my ammunition?" How many clouds included in the kill tally painted below the cockpit?
Cheers,
Wes
drewwizard
Airman
- 41
- Dec 31, 2016
How about the De Havilland Hornet? This was an aircraft that seemed to have many advantages and was just entering into service in late 1945. Essentially a fighter version (reduced airframe [lower frontal area] for a single pilot, but same engines as the Mosquito). Four 20mm in the nose and very good visability. All with the advantage of two engines.
RAF veteran I met at Oshkosh 30 years ago said "You don't sit in a Spit, you strap it on and wear it like a backpack 'chute." (looks up at me) "And don't you even bother trying, son, you're too bloody big!"
Cheers,
Wes
