Is Spitfire relly superior to FW-190?

[cheddar cheese]

Although having never flown a plane, I personally would rather have a yoke.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

It just makes sense to me and most modern aircraft today are built like that. You control the aircraft with your right hand and you control the throttle and other important controls with the left hand.

The same is for helicopters, the cyclic is between the pilots leg (as it is in most fixed wing fighter aircraft, with the execption of several newer aircraft with the stick on the right) and the collective with throttle controls on the left of the pilot.

You said it - and thats why I had a hard time understanding this combat configuration thing. Sure, you're going to different power settings and configurations during W/E ops but for the most part the process should be the same if your in a nomal climb or decent during non-combat flight, and all this would be on a checklist. The exception here is doing WE you're going to be going through that checklist a lot quicker!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Same thing here. I was confused.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

Although having never flown a plane, I personally would rather have a yoke.

Thanks CC - you could see most engine controls are on the left hand side within close reach of each other.

I could tell CC, I feel more confortable in a single engine aircraft with a stick. 2 or more engines for the most part I like a yoke.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

I did this from memory (its slow at work right now). I'll check myself later!

 

[wmaxt]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

I did this from memory (its slow at work right now). I'll check myself later!

Where you labled "Gun Charger" is the Cannon firing button but the rest are correct. What is not visable is the Fuel Selector Switches (2)on the left floor/shelf. Heaven help you if you turn them to a spot between two positions or an empty tank in the excitement of combat!

I belive the Gun Charge Handle is/would be behind the control arm to the control wheel. It/s hard to say in one picture I have it looks like it's on the panel behind the yoke the other pictures are a later model without the charg handle (Early models through H dad a gun charging handle) other models were charged on the ground prior to flight.

wmaxt

 

[KraziKanuK]

More at http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/P38.html

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

I did this from memory (its slow at work right now). I'll check myself later!

Where you labled "Gun Charger" is the Cannon firing button but the rest are correct. What is not visable is the Fuel Selector Switches (2)on the left floor/shelf. Heaven help you if you turn them to a spot between two positions or an empty tank in the excitement of combat!

I belive the Gun Charge Handle is/would be behind the control arm to the control wheel. It/s hard to say in one picture I have it looks like it's on the panel behind the yoke the other pictures are a later model without the charg handle (Early models through H dad a gun charging handle) other models were charged on the ground prior to flight.

wmaxt

Hey thanks for the critique - and you're right, it would be a bummer to turn to an empty tank - I almost did it flying a Bonanza, not fun, but that's why you use a checklist when you fly!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

More at http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/P38.html

Thanks KK - I got the same manual

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

Although having never flown a plane, I personally would rather have a yoke.

Thanks CC - you could see most engine controls are on the left hand side within close reach of each other.

I could tell CC, I feel more confortable in a single engine aircraft with a stick. 2 or more engines for the most part I like a yoke.

When it comes to accrobatics and combat aircraft I would rather have cyclic or stick but for just slow private flying such as in a Cessna I would rather have a yoke. I just fine that a stick gives you more maneaverabilty but then again I have never flown a combat aircraft that had a yoke so I do not know. The only aircraft with yoke that I have flown are Cessna's. All the military aircraft I have flown had a stick.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Here is a shot of the cockpit of a P-38

Although having never flown a plane, I personally would rather have a yoke.

Thanks CC - you could see most engine controls are on the left hand side within close reach of each other.

I could tell CC, I feel more confortable in a single engine aircraft with a stick. 2 or more engines for the most part I like a yoke.

When it comes to accrobatics and combat aircraft I would rather have cyclic or stick but for just slow private flying such as in a Cessna I would rather have a yoke. I just fine that a stick gives you more maneaverabilty but then again I have never flown a combat aircraft that had a yoke so I do not know. The only aircraft with yoke that I have flown are Cessna's. All the military aircraft I have flown had a stick.

Try a Citabria or a Super Cub - "It's a kick with a stick"! The most comfortable plane I've flown with a stick is a T-34. I got about 70 hours in these an I could tell you with a stick you feel like the ailerons are part of your arms!

 

[wmaxt]

I think with the P-38 it was used to make sure the Pilot had enogh strength to operate the controls effectively it's a big plane. It was probable convienence that kept it in the J-25 and L models. I bet it was nice if your flying a 9 hour mission.

wmaxt

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I think with the P-38 it was used to make sure the Pilot had enogh strength to operate the controls effectively it's a big plane. It was probable convienence that kept it in the J-25 and L models. I bet it was nice if your flying a 9 hour mission.

wmaxt

Steve Hinton, A pilot form the Chino air museum has a lot of hours in a P-38. I asked him about this one time and he said "as long as the aircraft is kept trim, its light on the controls."

I've flown aircraft for long durations and I could tell you if you're penatrating rough air, that's when you work, size of the aircraft a different matter. I've gone on 4 hours flights in calm air in a Cessna 210T and felt fine after the flight, yet I've flown Cessna 150s in 40 knot winds for 20 minutes and it felt like iI got mugged by a New York street gang!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Exactly size of the aircraft does not matter, especially in the modern world of hydraulics and hydraulic pumps, servos, primary servos, and flight control rods and fly by wire. You can weigh 90lb and fly a 747.

As FLYBOYJ said though when the winds get crazy you have to fight the winds and that is when you start to feel muscles that you never had. Try flying through the Alps of Austria at 5000ft at a speed of 135 knots with a winds of 42 knots. It was crazy for about 30 minutes until we got through the pass. Sort of like a roller coaster, you would see the aircraft in front of you just disappear and then it was like "Oh Shit guys, hold on!" Good fun though.

 

[evangilder]

Good fun, in a pucker factor sort of way! I know what you mean though, it's fun once your realise that no one got hurt.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Exactly afterwards when you are drinking a beer at the pub. The funny thing was on that flight my left auxternal fuel tank was not seated properly and it was not transfering fuel. We thought we were going to have to make an extra stop in Hungary on our way to Bosnia. The winds and turbulence were so crazy that it seated my tank for me and the fuel started transfering just fine, so we were able to continue the flight as planned.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I thought it was quite amuzing.

 

[evangilder]

Gotta love when that happens. 8)

 

[FLYBOYJ]

When I lived in California, the area around Edwards AFB and Mojave airport are well know for thier crazy winds. You could take off out of Edwards or Mojave and the winds will be dead calm, come back in an hour and they'll be 35 gusting to 55 mph with turbulance that could toss you around +/- 500 with no problem! At Mojave Airport the winds come from all directions. It location is at the foot of these mountains that produce some wild mountain waves, the worse place in the world to build an airport. The MARINES built the place during WW2 - Go Figure!

I was putting around in a friend's C-150 over Mojave airport after completing its annual inspection when I got smacked so hard that the needle valve in the carbuerator float stuck, pouring gas straight out of the carb! I could swear that I saw the whole windscreen and nose of the airplane actually "twist" from the turbulance! It made a squeeking and popping noise that led me to believe that I was about to be left 1000 feet above Mojave Airport with an airplane split in 2! Luckily I was turining base to final and landed without incident, but the gas kept pouring from the carb and the engine kept running! When I got back to our hangar, you should seen the look on the face of the guy who owned the plane! He only belived my story after we took his carbuertor off the plane (after shutting off the fuel) and I showed him the stuck carbuertor!

But anyway, from a C-150 to A 747, as Adler stated, any aircraft could be a handful when flying through rough air!