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#1
05-25-2012, 08:39 PM
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#2
05-25-2012, 09:34 PM
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#3
05-25-2012, 11:21 PM
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The P40's "bad reputation" as a turner came from it's early encounters with the A6M Zero, which of course could out turn any "modren" Allied aircraft. If fact, the early P40 versions (Hawk 81) could out turn a Spitfire below 15,000ft. (And was equally fast at those altitudes as well). The original Hawk 81 had a roll rate of 135 degrees/second at 360mph IAS. Only an FW 190 could best that, umm... several years later. The only roll rate data I have for later models is for the P40 F (Hawk 87) that was tested at only 250 mph IAS was still a respectable 95 Deg/sec. There is no reason given for the low test speed. There is a video of I think Hinton flyiing a P 40 for the first time, I'll try to find it... Anyway, he came into it thinking the same thing, that it was a dog. He came away with a totally different re think of the P 40. He said it rolled so fast that he hit is head on the canopy the first time. The Curtiss P40 was the most maneuverable fighter fielded by the USAAF in WW2. Check the pilot interviews with the guys from the 325th. that flew them in North Africa and Italy.
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 Personally speaking, the P-40 could contend on an equal footing with all the types of Messerschmitts, almost to the end of 1943. ~Nikolay Gerasimovitch Golodnikov |
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#4
05-26-2012, 03:04 PM
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Oh, did I say I can't wait for flyable Hawk 75s?
 
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Personally speaking, the P-40 could contend on an equal footing with all the types of Messerschmitts, almost to the end of 1943. ~Nikolay Gerasimovitch Golodnikov |
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#5
05-26-2012, 09:33 PM
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I'd personally prefer a P-36 or a H75-C1, as I do like the U.S. and french camo more.  Nice shot!
__________________
 ---------------------------------------------- For bugreports, help and support contact: daidalos.team@googlemail.com For modelers - The IL-2 standard modeling specifications: IL-Modeling Bible |
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#6
05-27-2012, 11:09 AM
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Their real strength was dive speed. The factor that won the French order was a 400mph dive speed in show trials, considered totally remarkable at the time. I've got some anecdotes from the test pilot and ground crew for that trial but no performance tables or anything, just his description and some figures here and there. |
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#7
05-27-2012, 12:29 PM
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At the Curtiss demonstration of dive speed for the French, an amazingly high, 575 mph, was reported, but this was due mostly to error in the recording instruments. Still, the Hawk 75 could dive much faster than the unthinkably low 390mph IAS limit that was artificially placed on it by the USAAC. After all, this is the same basic airframe used in the Hawk 81 versions of the P40, and they were good for what?, 500mph IAS in the dive?
Also of note, the P36 was the first US Army aircraft with any kind of red line speed restrictions. We were entering a new world of aircraft performance. Not bad for a design that dates to 1934.
__________________
Personally speaking, the P-40 could contend on an equal footing with all the types of Messerschmitts, almost to the end of 1943. ~Nikolay Gerasimovitch Golodnikov |
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#9
05-27-2012, 05:22 PM
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The Vichy pilots fared very poorly against the USN's Wildcats. I don't think I would necessarly blame this on the aircraft.
And as a side note, I have always wondered why the Vichy French attacked Allied forces. Very odd looking at it from our time.
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Personally speaking, the P-40 could contend on an equal footing with all the types of Messerschmitts, almost to the end of 1943. ~Nikolay Gerasimovitch Golodnikov |
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