archerynut
Recruit
ever since i can remember, i have had a spot for this plane somewhere. that big intake on the bottom, the sharks mouth, it all goes together to make a plane that meant business more than anything else. all over the internet, its talked about as being one of the toughest, most reliable of the early war fighters. along its design history is talk of having been equipped with a rolls royce/packard merlin. this engine, in most cases, seemed to "make" the plane it was installed in. so why did they short change the p-40 by equipping it with the Allison instead? was it a matter of logistics or just convenience? with the merlin, it could have been a truly amazing airplane that would have performed brilliantly at ANY altitude that combat would have taken place. to look back at its combat record, i can't help but think the quality of the pilot is what made the p-40 what it is thought of being today. they had the training and they "had right on their side"!