Okay, just did the A6M5 Zero and FW 190A-5 1.65 ata at 10,000 ft, and the results are to me, at least-shocking. More shocking than the fact that there was
gambling going on at Rick's
Cafe' American. Bear in mind that I have rarely flown any of these Pacific theater aircraft in campaigns, and I haven't been in a 190A model for a good year or so, so I probably didn't get the best out of any of them. I think that I flew them all equally badly, but your results may differ.
The Zero in Il-2 is painfully slow; there is no way to put it diplomatically. Top speed (with WEP) is 410kph indicated at 10,000 ft, and it takes a while to get there. I found myself marking times from 275 to 300, 300 to 350, and then after 370, to every 10 kph. It takes longer to reach every speed than any of the other aircraft tested so far, which doesn't seem right, even at just 250 meters below the altitude for switching to the next supercharger stage.
Same conditions. 10,000 ft, Crimea map over the ocean heading due west. Start speed 270-280 kph indicated, in trim at starting speed, throttle to 110%, Prop Pitch to 100%, WEP. Trimming is somewhat easier than the Corsair, but it does take a while to catch up; altitude varied as much as 500m, centered on 3050m. Course was much easier to maintain; that varied no more than 4 degrees. After the P-47, the A6M5 seemed positively docile.
From
275 to 300 kph indicated, it took
8 seconds.
From
300 to 350 kph, it took another 17 seconds, or
25 seconds to go from 275 to 350. The Corsair took
13 seconds.
From 350 to 370, it took an average of
8 seconds.
From 370 to 380, it took
6 seconds.
From 380 to 390, it took another
10 seconds.
From 390 to 400, it averaged
10 seconds.
From 400 to 410, it averaged
26 seconds.
From start to top speed(!) of 410 kph indicated, the A6M5 took
1:25. Overheat consistently occurred at 1:00.
I don't have a time for the Corsair to 410 IAS, but at 400 kph indicated, it is
31 seconds ahead of the Zero-sen Model 52, or 50 kph faster at the same point in time.
SHOCKING.
The FW 190A-5 was also a bit of a shock; by far the most easily trimmed and controlled at all speeds, it still would tend to rather suddenly nose down or nose up when a certain speed was reached if I wasn't alert. It is also a bit sluggish compared to the US birds, although quicker than the Zero. Again, trimmed at 270-280 kph, 3050m, Crimea over the sea, due west, full throttle and WEP applied almost simultaneously.
Start to 300 took
6 seconds.
300 to 350 took
17 seconds (same as Zero, but with a 2 second lead).
350 to 370 took
8 seconds.
370 to 380 took
4 seconds.
380 to 390 took
4 seconds.
390 to 400 took
6 seconds. that is
45 seconds from start to 400 kph indicated. By comparison, the F4U-1A took
28 seconds and the P-47 took
41 seconds!
From 400 to 450, the FW 190A-5 (with 1.65ata) takes
38 seconds.
From 450 to 470, another
16 seconds.
From 470 to 480, another
13 seconds.
From 480 to 490, which was the top speed achieved, it took another
46 seconds. From start to top speed, the FW 190A-5 (1.65ata) takes
2:38, and overheated like clockwork at 2:14. The Corsair reaches that speed a full one minute earlier, and achieves another 10 kph indicated. The P-47D-22 gets there at
2:27.
As a local 'crusading' television journalist likes to say, that ain't right. At least, it doesn't seem right to me.
I'm so confused. Somebody
please show me I'm wrong!
cheers
horseback