Quote:
Originally Posted by JtD
The problem with the F4F is twofold, first, the FM-2 appears to be indeed slightly undermodelled, and second, the F4F-3 and F4F-4 are modelled very generously, climb rates exceeding documented data in the region of 20%. This turn historical relations upside down.
Which charger gears were you using for the F6F and F4U?
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I used the first stage (which should be analogous to 'Neutral' on the real things) blower for all the USN-USMC fighters; as I recall, the second stage shouldn't be engaged until about 8000 ft. Mixture was the standard 100%. While I have read that the superchargers had two gears for each stage, this doesn't seem to be modeled.
All of these aircraft seem to fall
well short of generally accepted performance figures for speed at sea level and 5000 ft for military power (much less War Emergency Power), including the Wildcats, and the relationships seem a bit skewed. I would think that the Hellcat should initially be a good deal closer to the Corsair; the weight difference is not that great (with full internal fuel, some sources show the Corsair as the heavier of the two), they're using the same engines and drag shouldn't exert that great an influence until later in the speed range.
Interestingly, the top speed results I got for the F6F-5 are very close to numbers I have seen quoted for it carrying a drop tank and two 1000 lb bombs. Since the Corsair didn't 'officially' become equipped for bombs until the -1C/D models, I have no figures for a 'bombed up' Corsair until the we get to the -1C/D versions (and TBH, I haven't been looking).
Both models of the Hellcat and the later (-1A and later) Corsairs are recorded to have retained their drop tanks during combat on several occasions; their performance was sufficiently superior to the mid-war Japanese fighters that keeping the tanks was sometimes both possible and practical. I have to wonder if at least some of their numbers may be off because someone didn't notice the sets of numbers they were using included the belly tanks.
cheers
horseback