Who would you want to design your fighter - 1943

[GrauGeist]

Hi,
If I had to pick anyone to design a plane for me back then it would probably be Walt Disney. I know he wasn't a plane designer, and so I wouldn't be expecting much, but it would be cool to tell everyone that you flew a plane designed by Disney.

Disney provided artwork for quite a few Army and Navy air units' insignias.

 

[SaparotRob]

My Grandfather was an executive for Chrysler and always had the newest models - his favorite was the 300.
He passed away beforw I was born, but between the photos and stories my Dad and Uncles mentioned, he had some real nice stuff.
My Grandmother also had new Chrysler's for life, but she was more conservative, however, in the 60's, she did have a fire-engine red Dart GT with a black vinyl roof, black interior and a 273 "Commando" V-8.

I was a member of The Dart/Valiant Slant Six Club of America. Fo' real! All time favorite was the '68 Scat Pak model, AKA the "Bumblee Dart".

 

[SaparotRob]

Disney provided artwork for quite a few Army and Navy air units' insignias.

And Swamp Ghost.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I wonder what Fokker's Erich Schatzki, the designer of the pre-war Koolhoven F.K.58 and Fokker D.XXI was capable of if given the money and resources. The article says he did some work on the P-47.

 

[SaparotRob]

I wonder what Fokker's Erich Schatzki, the designer of the pre-war Koolhoven F.K.58 and Fokker D.XXI was capable of if given the money and resources. The article says he did some work on the P-47.

Very informative.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Very informative.

I agree. It would be hopelessly obsolete by 1939, but I've always liked his Koolhoven F.K.58. A cheap, easily built, 300 mph fighter with four mgs and retractable undercarriage. And it's so tiny, looking almost kitplane-like and a foot shorter than the Bf 109 or A6M, and over 220 lbs (empty) lighter than a Ki-43.

 

[SaparotRob]

I wonder what Mr. Schatzki could have done with a Republic or Lockheed bankroll.

 

[GrauGeist]

I would have liked to see what the G.I (also designed by Schatzki) was capable of, had it had time to mature.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Hi,
If I had to pick anyone to design a plane for me back then it would probably be Walt Disney. I know he wasn't a plane designer, and so I wouldn't be expecting much, but it would be cool to tell everyone that you flew a plane designed by Disney.

Disney could trick out a nice plane I bet, and it's still around, Walt Disney's plane to be restored, displayed at D23 Expo.

 

[GrauGeist]

A fun bit of trivia:
MCAS El Toro (Orange County, California) had it's mascot designed by Walt Disney.
It was a winged bull (named Ferdinand) and to show their appreciation, all aircraft assigned to MCAS El Toro had the tail-code of "WD".

 

[Spindash64]

How bad was it really? The two-speed supercharger Merlin_XX was allegedly uninstallable in a Spitfire, but somehow, they got the two-stage Griffon into it. In the absence of jet fighters, how do you take the Mustang to the next level of performance?

Easy: use Water Injection. V-1650-9 could reach comparable power on 90" Mercury to what a 2 stage Griffon reached at +21lbs, or roughly 75" if my math is correct

 

[Howard Gibson]

Easy: use Water Injection. V-1650-9 could reach comparable power on 90" Mercury to what a 2 stage Griffon reached at +21lbs, or roughly 75" if my math is correct

Why not put water injection on the Griffon?

 

[wuzak]

Easy: use Water Injection. V-1650-9 could reach comparable power on 90" Mercury to what a 2 stage Griffon reached at +21lbs, or roughly 75" if my math is correct

Only to a point.

V-1650-9

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/p-51h-booklet-pg10.jpg

Griffon

http://www.spitfireperformance.com/griffonhp_b.jpg

At 10,000ft, with ram, the V-1650-9 with ADi and +30psi boost (90inHg MAP) has a slight advantage over the Griffon with +21psi boost. Both in low gear.

At 20,000ft the Griffon has the advantage, maybe 100hp.

The Griffon would also be rated for +25psi boost late in the war, without ADI, for even higher peak power.

 

[Shortround6]

A problem is that the jet engines were capable of running for long periods of time at near full power if not at full power.
If you are running a piston engine at these higher powers it is a very limited time duration. It also significantly shortens up the engine life.

 

[Grandson312]

I would want Charles Lindbergh on the team.