The plane that lost out to the F4U

[Bucksnort101]

At least they got one name right!

TO

KingBonita!!!

 

[Colin1]

KingBonita!!!

Now that just sounds like a catwalk transsexual

 

[Thorlifter]

Now that just sounds like a catwalk transsexual

 

[davebender]

Another Lend-Lease aircraft for our gallant allies. Meanwhile the U.S.M.C. will operate the Corsair.

 

[Timppa]

The Airabonita looks good compared to this Grumman's alternative (ordered by the Navy at the same time as the XF4U-1) :

 

[comiso90]

The Airabonita looks good compared to this Grumman's alternative (ordered by the Navy at the same time as the XF4U-1) :

I've always liked that plane... it looks like a pod racer from Star Wars..


The Black Sheep wouldn't have seemed as fearsome with the Airbonita..

Pappy would have joined the Air Corps or navy instead

.

 

[davebender]

He had the option to remain in China / Burma.

 

[Colin1]

The Airabonita looks good compared to this Grumman's alternative (ordered by the Navy at the same time as the XF4U-1)

If I recall
it had a similar performance to the Westland Whirlwind

 

[Thorlifter]

comiso, didn't that plane used to be your siggy?

 

[Clay_Allison]

I don't understand why half of the experimental XP-?? planes the military looked at in the 1930s and 1940s looked like the were designed by Dr Seuss.

 

[Wavelength]

..


The Black Sheep wouldn't have seemed as fearsome with the Airbonita..

Pappy would have joined the Air Corps or navy instead

.

That perhaps a good reason to get out of the AVG and back into the Marines; just in case some pencil pusher in Washington decides that the AVG should trade in their P40's for P400's.

 

[Colin1]

I don't understand why half of the experimental XP-?? planes the military looked at in the 1930s and 1940s looked like the were designed by Dr Seuss.

That's just research
how you find out what works and what doesn't, they stuck the powerplant on the front of WWII fighters because, well, they stuck them on the front of WWI fighters and that worked; what if they tried something else and that worked better?

The fact that it usually didn't is beside the point, in my view.

 

[Milosh]

That perhaps a good reason to get out of the AVG and back into the Marines; just in case some pencil pusher in Washington decides that the AVG should trade in their P40's for P400's.

The Soviets did quite well in the P-39/P-400 and they had less training than American pilots. Don't blame the plane when it is the pilot's fault.

 

[Messy1]

The Soviets did quite well in the P-39/P-400 and they had less training than American pilots. Don't blame the plane when it is the pilot's fault.

Ahh, but the Soviets were not going against high altitude fighters, and the P400's were used for mainly ground attack and low level patrols. That is all they could do! They did not have either oxygen or any type of supercharger or turbo charger.

 

[Milosh]

Ahh, but the Soviets were not going against high altitude fighters, and the P400's were used for mainly ground attack and low level patrols. That is all they could do! They did not have either oxygen or any type of supercharger or turbo charger.

The Allison in the P-39 most certainly did have a supercharger. The Bf109 is not a high altitude fighter?

 

[Messy1]

I was trying to say that the P39 was not able to climb to high altitude, and was best below 10,000 feet, because, I do believe the supercharger was removed from the P39, which contributed to its decrease in performance in the production model compared to the prototype, and also suffered from several hundred pounds added to it. The P39/P400 mostly excelled for the Soviets in the ground attack role, it did struggle to get up to elevation against the German fighters, but did account for itself well when in low altitude dogfights.

 

[Markus]

Speaking of names, the USN considred to call the F2A Twister. "Brewster Twister", makes my toenails roll up inwards.

 

[Markus]

I do believe the supercharger was removed from the P39, which contributed to its decrease in performance in the production model compared to the prototype, and also suffered from several hundred pounds added to it. The P39/P400 mostly excelled for the Soviets in the ground attack role, it did struggle to get up to elevation against the german fighters, but did account for itself well when in low altitude dogfights.

It excelled in the "air superiority fighter" role as their -N version was a lot better than the -D the USAAF got in 1942. Furthermore neither the LW nor the VVS had much above 20,000ft that needed to be protected or attacked. The "ground attack" myth is the result of a poor translation of the Soviet term for "air superiority mission", which literally translates to "coverage of ground forces". Somehow that was interpreted as "support of ground forces" or CAS.

 

[Colin1]

...which literally translates to "coverage of ground forces". Somehow that was interpreted as "support of ground forces" ...

So what IS the difference?

 

[Vincenzo]

So what IS the difference?

read all Markus post, the P-39 was used as escort for ground attack planes not for ground attack and for air defence