Tempest max speed

[ddmd80]

I have read that the Tempest was one of the fastest allied fighters of the war. I love the aircraft but can't seem to get it over 250 mph (straight and level) except in a dive. Any help would be great thanks.

IL-2 1946 4.08

[jasonbirder]

You're not mistaking True Airspeed and Indicated Airspeed are you?
At altitude there can be a significant difference between the two...
(Apologies if you already know that)

[kristorf]

Hate to say it but from what I have read the Tempest is indeed greatly underspeed, it was a match for the 190D and any other Axis fighter, but I am pleased with what we have

[jasonbirder]

Don't forget the Air Speed indicator in the Tempest reeds in Knots not MPH (100 knots is about 115 Mph)

[secretone]

Yeah, and the Tempest in this game is not very manoeverable either. Does anyone know if the real plane was such a dog?

[TooCool]

From my experience on it (game, not real ), the Tempest is a heavy plane, that needs soft handling... and, if handled "well" (mean keeping your speed up), it can black out you in no time. If you allow your plane to slow down, you're in deep trouble with it, that's certain

My only problem in it is rear visibility which I find definitely bad (but, according to Closterman's "Great Show", it was 56cm wide, so I guess that the real one wasn't very good either )

[JG52Uther]

Originally Posted by secretone

Yeah, and the Tempest in this game is not very manoeverable either. Does anyone know if the real plane was such a dog?

Read 'The Big Show' by Clostermann.The Tempest seemed to be a bit of a pig in real life.

[VMF-214_HaVoK]

Originally Posted by secretone

Yeah, and the Tempest in this game is not very manoeverable either. Does anyone know if the real plane was such a dog?

How do you guys expect the thing to handle? What planes to you fly often as it could explain why you think the Tempest is a dog.

S!

[*Buzzsaw*]

Salute

The Tempest we have in the game is the earliest production model of the aircraft, one which only operated in early 1944, during April and June, and which was replaced by more powerful models. It represents about 10% of the Tempests which flew. It is a far cry from the Tempests which flew in 1945.

To use a comparison, imagine if there was only one 190A in the game, and that was the 190A4.

Second, the handling of the Tempest is questionable. The combat reports I have read, from both Allied and German pilots, suggest it could easily outturn the 190D at its normal operating speeds. (see "JG26, TOP GUNS OF THE LUFTWAFFE" the last part of the book, for several quotes from German pilots who encountered the Tempest) The Tempest had a wingloading of 37 lbs per Sq/ft, compared with 48 lbs per Sq/ft for the 190D, even if you take into account the fact that the Tempest had a laminar flow aerofoil, the 23% better wingloading has to be a factor. Official RAF AIR FIGHTING DEVELOPMENT UNIT tests of the initial prototype Tempest versus the 109G2, showed it outturned the G2, and the prototype had less horsepower than the version we have.

[JG52Uther]

Yet Clostermann in his book hints that the Tempest was pretty close to a deathtrap and scared the crap out of most pilots.