MAKO69

Grand Prix, Tank, and The Distinguished Gentleman. Just a few more.

Well that makes perfect sense! Why did they never do that, or was their a plan to, just not allowed because of the arm embargos.

Plenty of commercials, but worth the wait. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/708108/2007_rnzaf_red_checkers/

What fun is there in flying that plane?

So the planes are being sold to Iraq? And the people flying them are Russian pilots, sounds like Russia's getting into the mercenary business. Or there up to the old Honchos' game again from Korea and Vietnam just not keeping it secret because they are helping a nation this time. On the other hand its about time Russia takes a stance for the good of this fledgling nation that needs help. The United States can't come to the rescue every time, even though we kind of finished up kind of half assed with a sh!tty exit strategy from our dictator.

Even with the ski jump UK carriers use full flaps and nozzles are vectored down about 1/4 the way towards vertical thrust as your airspeed gets to 150kts you can start to vector to horizontal thrust. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKH8NJX51Cg

How are you taking off with the harrier? Are you vectoring the jet's nozzles properly? Try a lighter load.

I wish we had a president as cool as this character from that movie.

What's the point of stealth if your going to be flashing wings and control surfaces pulling Gs at a possible enemy radar if air or ground based. The F-16 isn't stealthy like the Super Hornet. Your guess of the penalty for the G limit is probably right on along with costs of a wing pod, but if the US Govt. wants them they will pay for them with our money. The point of stealth is to go in at low or no light, poor weather slide in and out super slick drop your load and slide out. With standoff weapons like G.P.S. and laser guided bombs and missiles there should be no need for a plane to whip the ponies in and out of the target area. An F/A-18 E/F, F-22, or an F-35 JSF pulling ACMs will give itself away eventually by flashing control surfaces and creating radar signatures that are not as docile looking on a radar operators screen as a stealth based plane flying straight and level. Stealth makes them harder to find not invisible.

Only a few right?

Tragic. Deadly business the military is, even when training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDV1NJ_aNCU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wicwZUs02EE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8kjzkpR2M

Thank God my wife only knows one.

Not good, our presence will only add to this sh!t storm, the Iraqi people need to stand up for themselves and show they are a proud people to fight for what they have. We need to let a Coalition of Muslim forces from the region rain down on these extremists.

275 troops deployed to Iraq, but they where already there.

Does anybody know of a link or site that has the creepy Middle Eastern almost like bagpipe music you see in all the games, TV, and movies. Watching BBC America 2nite they aired this episode, my daughter was like what is that music. I was like I don't know. I'll shout out to the peeps @ CA. Anyways the music starts at Streetfire.net. segment 5 @ 2:13. http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-season-9-episode-3-usa-special_part-1_2382196.htm

There was talk a few years back, and I'm afraid that was all just talk. It was a true anti-ship plane though for its day. That plane is so ugly it's pretty.

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

People are evacuating including the Iraqi Army. This will be nothing like the Civil War of your country or mine, because these people are going to kill everybody women children etc etc etc...

I don't know what news agencies you watch, but you couldn't be more wrong, these sh!tbums are marching unopposed, Iraqi security forces are deserting their posts. These guys are 36 miles outside Baghdad and are using captured weapons and vehicles of the Iraqi Army and security forces.

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.

I thought they were to fly until 2016, 2017 sometime, what happened?

I feel the same way, but we made the sh!t sandwich, and it looks like the US will have to take a giant bite of it. The ISIS are no slouches a lot of these scum bags have proper military or organized training and combat experience. They use both conventional and unconventional tactics. There are even reports they have an elite "special forces" division, I doubt that.

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.