the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
i read today that the P-38L could carry 3,200lbs of ordinance a range of only 450 miles...............
P-38 or Mosquito?
- Thread starter cheddar cheese
- Start date
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
- Thread starter
- #362
cheddar cheese
Major General
Yeah but thats with ordinance, without it was 1,400. I dont think the L's were often used as bombers though, the J had that job.
A
Anonymous
Guest
the lancaster kicks ass said:
Sure, external ordinance means more drag and thus reduced range. Still that is 900 miles round trip plus combat time (normally figured at ~20 minutes).
Also keep in mind USA range figures usually include 1 hour of reserve flight time. Most other countries include half that or less. Soviet ranges include no reserve at all.
=S=
Lunatic
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
no, that's 450 miles for the whole trip, not 450 there, 450 back.................
- Thread starter
- #365
cheddar cheese
Major General
Your book is totally wrong then, it is a 900 mile round trip as RG said...
A
Anonymous
Guest
the lancaster kicks ass said:
That seems extremely low. Check again, if it says "range" it probably means each way.
- Thread starter
- #367
cheddar cheese
Major General
seen as how unladen the J model could do 2,200 round trip on internal fuel I think a range drop of 1,850miles for a few thousand lbs of bombs is a little dodgy....
A
Anonymous
Guest
cheddar cheese said:
I think the range was more like 1100 miles round trip on internal fuel, not counting reserve time (typcially 1 hour which is about another 250 miles). 2200 miles is probably the round trip range with drop tanks.
- Thread starter
- #369
cheddar cheese
Major General
www.p-38online.com
Hmmmmm that doest really claer it up but Id actually say you were probably right.
Adolf Galland
Airman 1st Class
does anybody know a mosq. is alot more vuneruable than the p-38??
A
Anonymous
Guest
Adolf Galland said:
More vulernable how? Do you mean it could take less battle damage, or that it was more likely to sustain battle damage?
The fact is, wood was often quite resilient. The Mossies were made of plywood and held up surprisingly well to small arms and even smaller cannon.
I'd guess they were about the same as far as ability to absorb damage, maybe the Mossie even had a slight edge (it's a lot bigger). But clearly the P-38 was the plane more likely to evade enemy fighters.
=S=
Lunatic
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
it's span's about 2 feet more............
i believe the mossie has the advantage as it was wood, if it get's hit it'll merely splinter, if a sheet of the P-38 was hit it would split and the whole pannel would have to be repaired..........
- Thread starter
- #374
cheddar cheese
Major General
The P-38 had a very narrow surface area though so hitting it would be more difficult. And it doesnt rot in wet weather 
A
Anonymous
Guest
the lancaster kicks ass said:
Looking down at the two planes the Mossie is a much larger target. The projection from any angle is larger.
??? Often when sheet aluminum is hit all that happens is a hole. Plywood often shatters or splits when hit even by a small caliber round, it depends on lots of little factors. Once wood is damaged, the damage often spreads widely, this is much less common (though it happens) with alluminum and steel.
Wood was used because it was cheap. Usually wood planes were over-built to compensate for the negative aspects of wood, which gave them some added resiliancy. But they also were heavier than their metal counterparts.
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
the P-38J was a mere 600lbs lighter than the Mk.II mossie......
- Thread starter
- #377
cheddar cheese
Major General
Its still lighter...
A
Anonymous
Guest
the lancaster kicks ass said:
The normal flying weight of the P-38J was about 17,500 lbs. The normal flying weight of the Mossie VI was about 20,500 lbs.
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
yes but i stated the weight of the Mk.II
A
Anonymous
Guest
the lancaster kicks ass said:
So you think it is approprate to compare one of the very early model Mossies with the very late model P-38? As available engine power increases, planes tend to get heavier.
