4.11 F4U Performance

[h0MbrE]

Originally Posted by JtD

I achieved 660 km/h full switch minus
- unlimited fuel in order to keep conditions constant
- cockpit off so I could see the speed
- no wind and turbulence as this adds a random element
in a F4U-1D, standard loadout, 100% fuel at 20000ft on the Crimea map, noon, all out, rads closed, 3rd gear charger.

I could maintain that for a while before the engine gave in. 660 km/h is 410 mph.

I'll give that a try. One thing I'm wondering is what you mean by "the engine gave in". How long did this take? The corsair was able to travel fairly decent distances at this speed without a problem. This is taken from Wikipedia:

"On 1 October, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engine U.S. fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) by setting an average ground speed of 405 miles per hour (652 km/h) during a flight from Stratford to Hartford."

That's over 50 miles from wheels up to wheels down. That is a pretty sustained distance and I'm sure they weren't blowing their engine to do it.