RAF Airacobra

[Wrench 9,851]

anyone interestered in it? After all, historically, it was a failure in Western Europe, with an approx. 6 month operational life. But I hate to waste a mod.

 

(there's a screenie in the screenshots thread, title "Rarest of the Rare")

 

For grins and giggles, it might be interestering to see, gaming wise, how it might have done against the Luftwaffe. Even for that short time.

 

Let me know!

[+RAVEN 414]

Ok Bob I'm putting gun pods on the Storch, Just kidding. :) Yes do it!, I'm doing a Soviet Hurricane Mk.II and they only received 1, I guess they gave it to them just to look at or something? I just like the camo.

[Wrench 9,851]

Personally, I'd put X-4 missiles on the Stroch, but that's just me !!!

[Stratos 3,192]

Well it's a interesting plane, and it was used in real life, so why not?

 

And... it was great fun in EAW.

 

[ShrikeHawk 384]

Folks just didn't know how to use the Airacobra. Just use it below Angels 12 and it's a terrific airplane. The Russians used it this way and they couldn't get enough of them. It could've easily filled the same niche as the Spit IX LF and done so much earlier. I rather enjoyed taking it up against the Bf-109F-4 over Africa. Now that's a good battle.

[+Geary 1,889]

_{I'm interested. Please release.}

[MAKO69 186]

The plane didn't have a chance in Europe they were built without the turbochargers, kind of like castrating a bull.  The Airacobra Mk 1 max speed was 358 mph @15K. 179 were taken back by the U.S./Bell and just over 100 were sent to the Pacific theater in Australia and given the designation P-400. The P-400 had a 20mm cannon in place of the 37mm more ammo and less prone to jamming when pulling G's and firing. The need for the 400's was so immediate that they were flown with RAF paint scheme and serial numbers. 212 were diverted to the Soviet Union as part of the lend lease program, 54 were lost in transit. The P-400 and her sister P-39s actually did very well were most of the flying and fighting took place below 15K. The Airacobra was a true "Mud Fighter" the plane was very maneuverable down low were she thrived, pilots who flew her said they could turn with the Zeros for a bit and could also outrun the Zero, but the boom and zoom tactic was the best for dealing with the Zero all pilots learned to stay at 15K or above and wait for the zeros to come in around 8-10K roll in with speed engage push through into a high speed shallow climb asses to re-engage or just run out with superior speed. The European theater was 15K+ the Pac and Soviet theater was 15K and under, that's why the P-39 and her sisters did well in those theaters.

[ShrikeHawk 384]

The plane didn't have a chance in the Europe they were built without the turbochargers, kind of like castrating a bull.  The Airacobra Mk 1 max speed was 358 mph @15K. 179 were taken back by the U.S./Bell and just over 100 were sent to the Pacific theater in Australia and given the designation P-400. The P-400 had a 20mm cannon in place of the 37mm more ammo and less prone to jamming when pulling G's and firing. The need for the 400's was so immediate that they were flown with RAF paint scheme and serial numbers. 212 were diverted to the Soviet Union as part of the lend lease program, 54 were lost in transit. The P-400 and her sister P-39s actually did very well were most of the flying and fighting took place below 15K. The Airacobra was a true "Mud Fighter" the plane was very maneuverable down low were she thrived, pilots who flew her said they could turn with the Zeros for a bit and could also outrun the Zero, but the boom and zoom tactic was the best for dealing with the Zero all pilots learned to stay at 15K or above and wait for the zeros to come in around 8-10K roll in with speed engage push through into a high speed shallow climb asses to re-engage or just run out with superior speed. The European theater was 15K+ the Pac and Soviet theater was 15K and under, that's why the P-39 and her sisters did well in those theaters.

Yep. From what I read, it was a disappointment to the brass in the Pacific as well. It was billed as an interceptor so they sent it after Japanese bombers flying in around 20K feet. Of course, it's performance was pathetic at that altitude with no supercharger, and zeros would just chew it up. They put it into mud-moving duties where it performed very well, but this detail isn't often mentioned. When it came to engaging zeros, just about any allied aircraft used BnZ maneuvers. The Zero was deadly in Turn-n-Burn combat to just about anything. 

[MAKO69 186]

Yep. From what I read, it was a disappointment to the brass in the Pacific as well. It was billed as an interceptor so they sent it after Japanese bombers flying in around 20K feet. Of course, it's performance was pathetic at that altitude with no supercharger, and zeros would just chew it up. They put it into mud-moving duties where it performed very well, but this detail isn't often mentioned. When it came to engaging zeros, just about any allied aircraft used BnZ maneuvers. The Zero was deadly in Turn-n-Burn combat to just about anything. 

Of course to the Pacific Brass the plane would be a failure it's not what they wanted, they wanted all the hot planes that were going to Europe, but they would have to wait a couple of years.  2nd Lt. Don McGee USAAF said as long as you didn't turn with the zero on an equal altitude and had energy in the bank you could break away and run out. 1st Lt. Jack Jones USAAF, this guy said if he had the speed advantage over the zero he would turn with them and get them to scrub their speed and come back and wackem with 30 cal. and the 20mm cannon and save his 50 cal for the flight/fight home, sometimes they'd come back and the Japs would be attacking the field. Maj. Paul Betchel USAAF who stated the plane had it's short comings but when the pilots learned how to fight the plane they were very comfortable with it. Betchel a USAAF CO was stationed on Guadalcanal with Marine torpedo and fighter squads. Pilots cross trained on each others planes and even flew missions in mixed bagged formations with guys battling dysentery and some planes not just being able to fly due to no supply for parts it had to be done. When the Japs would attack what ever plane a pilot were closest to, that's what you were going to fly if you were a Marine pilot but standing next to a P-400 well that's what you were going to be flying when the air raid siren sounded. All acquired kills on Zeros with the Airacobra types. Russian Ace Alexzander Pokryshkin who flew several P-39 types and scored most of his 59 (48 or49 depends on the book you read)  victories in Airacobras. He nick named the P-39 britchik (little razor). Grigory Rechkalov scored 40+ kills in the Cobra. Nikolai D. Gulayev 36 kills in the Cobra. The P-39 was faster than the zero the P-400 was quicker in a dive and with energy could run out. The guys that flew the P-400 said they had to be more careful and not scrub off the speed, they couldn't get it back as quickly as the turbocharged P-39s. Most dogfights in the Pacific and Russia were below 15K. It was known not to take the planes higher for a fight especially the P-400s, most of them didn't even have O2 but to patrol at or above 15K was common. The P-39s and P-400s were used as interceptors, fighters, fighter/bombers and bomber escort until mid 1943 when newer P-38s, P-51s, and F-4Us came on line. It may have been loathed by the Brass, but the pilots using them learned to use them and fight them.

[deanklef 0]

How about ,French, Italian,and Australian?

 

deanklef

[Wrench 9,851]

actually, it lacked a SUPERcharger, with is very different from a TURBOcharger. One being mechanicly driven (engine -ie crankshaft driven- positive displacement Roots-type supercharger) the other an exhaust gas driven turbine-type. While both devices do, basicly the same thing, they're very different in operation.

 

Keeping within the "mid to low" altitude operations kept the aircraft within it's element. It wasn't a bad plane it just wasn't the best. But it was amongst the "best available at the time"

And there's the so called "tumbling". The Warbird Tech volume on the Airacroba has a whole chapter discussing it.

 

Dean: I have an MTO version nearly done. One AAF, another Free French. The friendly Italian (Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, post Oct 43) I haven't done as they're a different model. But,  it would be a simple reskin to the "D" versions, if one doesn't look too close!!.

The Aussies only had less than 6  and they gave them the boot pretty quick.

 

Stratos: nice to see it showed up in EAW (which I never had -- wish I'd had it back when)

 

So, I take it that a resounding "yes"??

[MAKO69 186]

actually, it lacked a SUPERcharger, with is very different from a TURBOcharger. One being mechanicly driven (engine -ie crankshaft driven- positive displacement Roots-type supercharger) the other an exhaust gas driven turbine-type. While both devices do, basicly the same thing, they're very different in operation.

 

Keeping within the "mid to low" altitude operations kept the aircraft within it's element. It wasn't a bad plane it just wasn't the best. But it was amongst the "best available at the time"

And there's the so called "tumbling". The Warbird Tech volume on the Airacroba has a whole chapter discussing it.

 

Dean: I have an MTO version nearly done. One AAF, another Free French. The friendly Italian (Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, post Oct 43) I haven't done as they're a different model. But,  it would be a simple reskin to the "D" versions, if one doesn't look too close!!.

The Aussies only had less than 6  and they gave them the boot pretty quick.

 

Stratos: nice to see it showed up in EAW (which I never had -- wish I'd had it back when)

 

So, I take it that a resounding "yes"??

Supercharger, turbocharger in my un-mechanical mind they mean the same thing. Have you seen the study on a P-63 with a Packard Merlin engine. I must find it I have about 4 books on the P-39

[dsawan 624]

yes! some Pacific ones would be cool too for tac recon

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-39#mediaviewer/File:72nd_Tactical_Recon_Group_P-39.jpg

Edited June 15, 2014 by dsawan