The slowest single-seat, single-engined, prop, monoplane, retractible undercarriage fighter?

[Admiral Beez]

Which production WW2 fighter was the the slowest single-seat, single-engined, propellor-driven, monoplane, retractible undercarriage fighter? At 290 mph, the Seversky P-35 has to be a contender. The Koolhoven F.K.58 and Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 compete for a close second.

 

[Simon Thomas]

Blackburn Roc
I assume you mean the slowest maximum speed at max power and optimum altitude.

 

[swampyankee]

Blackburn Roc was a two-seater.

It was also, of course, a piece of crap.

 

[buffnut453]

Commonwealth Boomerang is another contender in the "close second" group.

 

[Greyman]

Funnily enough I think it might be the 109D.

 

[wlewisiii]

What? It's not the P-39???

< Grinning, ducking and running >

 

[buffnut453]

Have a new contender for the title...the Caudron C.714. As an aircraft that only entered service in 1940, it has to rank amongst the worst.

 

[Hardlydank]

Fiat G.50 - 290mph

 

[Shortround6]

Have a new contender for the title...the Caudron C.714. As an aircraft that only entered service in 1940, it has to rank amongst the worst.

The C.714 was rated at about 314mph IIRC. however it couldn't climb, parts tended to fall off, and it had a few other problems, even the Finns didn't want to use them.

If not the worst it was a leading contender, but it wasn't the slowest until missing panels increased the drag

 

[glennasher]

Surely the Brewster is a contender?

 

[SaparotRob]

Wait a minute, there's something worse than a Buffalo and even the Finns wouldn't take it?

 

[glennasher]

It turns out there's a LOT of aircraft slower than the Buffalo at nearly 330 mph. Who'da thunk it? I withdraw the Brewster as a contender..

 

[buffnut453]

The C.714 was rated at about 314mph IIRC. however it couldn't climb, parts tended to fall off, and it had a few other problems, even the Finns didn't want to use them.

If not the worst it was a leading contender, but it wasn't the slowest until missing panels increased the drag

Wikipedia (yeah...I know!) gives the following figures for the C.714: 455 km/h (283 mph, 246 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft); 467 km/h (290 mph; 252 kn) at 5,000 m (16,000 ft).

If those numbers are right, then it truly was a dire airframe to be introduced as late as 1940...and that's before the "parts falling off" problem that you identified.

 

[buffnut453]

Wait a minute, there's something worse than a Buffalo and even the Finns wouldn't take it?

Actually, the Finns did take six C.714s but they were found too unreliable and difficult to land, and so were never used operationally. The only surviving complete airframe is in Finland (although the Finns gave an extra fuselage back to France which is currently being restored).

 

[SaparotRob]

If it was difficult to land why not just shut off the engine and let gravity help?

 

[buffnut453]

If it was difficult to land why not just shut off the engine and let gravity help?

Better yet, just take to the parachute and put the aircraft out of everyone's misery!

 

[swampyankee]

If it was difficult to land why not just shut off the engine and let gravity help?

"Landing" implies the aircraft retain the ability to "take-off" without extensive repair.

-----

"Parts falling off" seems to be more a problem of poor construction or poor structural design than aerodynamics.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Have a new contender for the title...the Caudron C.714. As an aircraft that only entered service in 1940, it has to rank amongst the worst.

A good one.

Caudron C.714 - Wikipedia

283 to 290 mph is pretty miserable for a fighter entering service in 1940. Our other slow pokes are mostly leftovers from the mid 1930s.

 

[Vincenzo]

Not for defend the C.714 but you see the engine?, the C.714 was a attempt to built a fighter with a 2nd rate engine.
The P-35, G.50, and so, had first rate engine, also if no more enough for a fighter in '40

 

[CORSNING]

To the best of my knowledge the answer being sought out is the Polikarpov
I-16 type 4 of 1935. Maximum speed: 224 mph./S.L.
If the parameters had included that the aircraft had to be of WW2 vintage (1939-
1945) then the answer becomes Polikarpov I-16 type 17 with a speed at full
throttle height of 265/2,555 m. (8,382 ft.).
Type 4

Type 17