MCFAFF: I better not comment about those BRITISH planes seems my info is a little erroneous. I'm going to check where I read this stuff.
But Anyway- Ready to argue about American planes
Absolutely.....
Lets get this straight...Sir Henry Self (British Purchasing Envoy) came to the US to buy Curtiss P-40's from North American Aviation. Correct?
Yup
He didnt go to Curtiss. You Guys likes the AT-6 Harvard. Dutch Kindleburger and Raymong Rice President and Chief Engineer of NAA basically told the Brits they could design tool and build a better fighter in the time constraints alotted which was 120 days Correct?
Close but not what I understood as the brief. He was to procure an immediate order and delivery of P-40s to be followed up by a 'new fighter' which bettered the P-40 and the planned Spitfire Marks (II and IV). In the end the NAA offered to design a build the next generation so quickly it was deemed a better option. But the truth is possibly somewhere between the two as UK accounts are biased
Mr. Self purchased 300 or 600 somewhere sight unseen. The mustang was born as the NA-73X Correct? Yup
You guys did name it "Mustang" though. "An American Wild Horse as the man said"
I do agree the aircraft truly became a great high altitude fighter after you guys stuck a Merlin in it. NAA then redesigned the engine mounts and cowling to adapt the American built Packard Merlins V1650-3 to -6 Correct?
Nope... the P-51 with the original Allison engine was not an improvement over the then current MK-9 Spit. Mind you the Mk-9 was not planned when the Mustang was ordered..so its a bit rich to compare it..However the adoption of the Merlin at the 'request of the RAF', true
transformed the P-51 into one of the greatest ever all round fighters. It was peerless in range and agility and damn good low down, bettered only be the Tempest/ Typhoon and P-47.
As we know the airframe and engine combo made the aircraft..as alone they were good, but together they were the best.
It was built for the british as a request and not a Engineering specification..Can we Agree?
True as I have not
So- A-36 was actually a great airplane as long as it didnt try to fight above 20K need a better blower system (Allison V1710)... Right?
Not according to my 'biased' contemporary pilot reports. Again it may be that the truth is not exactly as reported at the time. Mind you guys I know how have flown both recently tend to agree...but they only fly displays not combat...
P-38 was used everywhere and wasnt called the Forktoothed Devil for nothing. Dick Bong got his 40 kills in Europe and the Pacific..Not bad?
Still it wasn't good enough for Europe by and large.. or shall we say its greatest strength was not fully exploited there... or how else do we consider the overwhelming preponderance of P-51/ P-47 units in Europe.....compared to the number of P-38 units in the Pacific theatre, where it was supreme.
I will argue forever when you say the P-47 was outclassed by the German A/C..How is that??? The latter model P-47M (480 MPH) was fast, rugged and carried 8 fifties, HVAR rockets and recoiless rifles. It was faster than anything in the ETO except an ME-262 which could be flown for a wopping 25 minutes. Me-163 comet was faster also but not effective and probably never went head to head with a Jug or a Spitz..I am I still correct?
Interesting... I think we need to divide up the P-47 into generations... the initial B model was found wanting in the ETO, both in range and agility compared to the contemporary 190.....certainly from the D (with its longer fuselage and additional fuel) onwards it had found is role far more than the early models. It was made even better by the bubble canopy. These changes did turn it into a real beast.. not sure it would have had an easy time against a 190D.
Anyway- Was it the Wellington with the Bridge/ truss wooden airframe with merlins also?
What was the actual name of that construction. Wellington sused both Merlins and various Bristol radials, such as Pegasus and Hercules. It was built according to Barnes Wallis' geodetic design....
Anyway- Tell me about this Typhoon you guys are restoring. That was always a pretty cool bird that didnt get its post war rewards. One of the unsung heros.
Its a return to flight restoration of a 'partial' airframe. Lots of new build parts, especially panelling. Much has been sourced from the National Museums here in the UK. in return for manufacture of spares. The engine is the biggest issue. Not too many Sabres around and getting it rebuilt is a challenge.
Client is unsurprising a wealthy American, well known for his patronage of UK companies for rebuild of his UK planes....You know who he is.
Got any pictures?
Sorry no...
Joe,
The 190 is not going to fly in the UK. As its going across the pond to your side the paper work was deemed excessive for a few test flights which would need to be repeated again.....so we'll not see it flying with a Mk-9 Spit over Duxford skies.