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- #21
BarnOwlLover
Staff Sergeant
Pretty informative. This is the sort of info I've been been looking for for a while, and why when I got back interested in World War II aircraft I came here.
It's also the figures I've commonly seen for the P-51B/D climb rates being only 3200-3600 fpm, when it's been disclosed at that combat weight and on combat power it was more like 4400-4500 fpm, and on half fuel (sort of interceptor trim) it got as high as 4900+fpm.
Planes like the Spitfire and the Me-109 it has to be said that the figures quoted for them as far as especially climb are basically what you see is what you get. Because as point interceptors (by World War II definitions), when flying clean they were for their missions almost certainly flying with full fuel or close to it on take off, due to limited fuel capacity and range. For escort fighters, as you pointed out, things are different and hence combat weight vs TO weight factors in.
BTW, basic SAC manuals did say that the P-51H was normally capable of 5000+ fpm, while the larger one does go into deeper detail on climb rates and speeds and under what conditions they could be expected to be achieved. I do sort of doubt that such info from SAC exists for the XP-82 or P-82B since only about 22 Merlin Twin Mustangs got made, the rest were Allison powered, and in terms of climb and top speed, were noticeably inferior to the Merlin versions.
It's also the figures I've commonly seen for the P-51B/D climb rates being only 3200-3600 fpm, when it's been disclosed at that combat weight and on combat power it was more like 4400-4500 fpm, and on half fuel (sort of interceptor trim) it got as high as 4900+fpm.
Planes like the Spitfire and the Me-109 it has to be said that the figures quoted for them as far as especially climb are basically what you see is what you get. Because as point interceptors (by World War II definitions), when flying clean they were for their missions almost certainly flying with full fuel or close to it on take off, due to limited fuel capacity and range. For escort fighters, as you pointed out, things are different and hence combat weight vs TO weight factors in.
BTW, basic SAC manuals did say that the P-51H was normally capable of 5000+ fpm, while the larger one does go into deeper detail on climb rates and speeds and under what conditions they could be expected to be achieved. I do sort of doubt that such info from SAC exists for the XP-82 or P-82B since only about 22 Merlin Twin Mustangs got made, the rest were Allison powered, and in terms of climb and top speed, were noticeably inferior to the Merlin versions.