Does P40 really s**k, or is it just me?

[J4SCrisZeri]

This dumb plane doesn't move, I've just been kickassed by a mere bf100.

Normally, I can beat any plane with any other plane (yes, even a toy like the i-16), but when it comes to fly the p40 I end up cursing at my PC...

So far, I find it just a useless, heavy crap tractor, expecially in dogfight

Where am I failing at?

[Guest deleted@50488]

I'm with you brother :-/

 

at most I can get a bit more out of it in the expert / iconless servers...

 

Got some resignation from this video:

Edited January 8, 2016 by Bearcat
Video deleted due to language

[SteelValkyrie]

I love how you have the audacity to call the plane "dumb", seeing as you're a master at aerodynamics and engineering and could produce something airworthy compared to the P40?

 

Beyond that, it sounds like you are flying the plane to its disadvantages. From what I've read recently it certainly wasn't on even ground matched up against 109's but could overcome that with the use of its rugged nature, firepower and teamwork. Luckily the devs have created a game that represents the aircraft's performance relatively well (Please no FM arguments), I think a lot more people would be mad if the p40 was zoom climbing after 109's and turning on a dime without bleeding any energy.

 

As I'm sure you're aware it doesn't climb or manoeuvre particularly well, though if you considerably lower the amount of fuel you take out on a sortie, as well as the x4 50cal option and take it out for a ground attack mission with a friend that may help. 

 

Staying under the radar and sneaking up on unsuspecting opponents turning and burning with Yaks down low and generally trying to keep yourself in as an advantageous position as possible will probably help, I notice there are usually huge blankets of thick cloud hanging around at low alt for people to hide/run away in as well.

 

If you're struggling to find people to fly with/cover you then jumping on TS is always a solution, they're a friendly bunch as far as I can tell. If you're looking for a war winning machine that can muscle out of most situations I think you're flying the wrong bird

[TP_Jacko]

The Flying Tigers only attacked from an advantage. I don't think you can turn but you can roll and the guns should do some damage.

http://www.warbirdforum.com/shilling.htm

[=69.GIAP=RADKO]

I love the P-40, especially its rugged characteristics but the one thing that bugs me is its speed. I'm certainly no expert but struggling to even reach 300kmh at max throttle doesn't seem quite right to me.

Edited January 8, 2016 by =69.GIAP=RADKO

[Guest deleted@50488]

I love the P-40, especially its rugged characteristics but the one thing that bugs me is its speed. I'm certainly no expert but struggling to even reach 300kmh at max throttle doesn't seem quite right to me.

 

 

300 mph I guess ( or is it knot in the P40 ASI ? but certainly not km/h...)

Edited January 8, 2016 by JCOMM

[BlitzPig_EL]

P40 ASI should be marked in MPH.

[=69.GIAP=RADKO]

300 mph I guess ( or is it knot in the P40 ASI ? but certainly not km/h...)

 

That would explain it hahaha

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

It uses peacetime power settings. War Emergency power ingame of 44.5" @3000rpm (1150hp) for 5 minutes is military power setting in Dec 1941. By next year the data sheet gets updated with a War Emergency power setting of  56"@3000rpm for 5 minutes (1470hp) and Military power (1150hp) gets extended to 15 minutes. As such, even though there are cases of units running it to 60" and over (1570hp+) and Allison themselves saying that running the V-1710-39 to 60" is safe, the P-40E suffers most from the dev's interpretation of engine time limits.

Edited January 8, 2016 by RoflSeal

[J4SCrisZeri]

Yes,  its damn slow too.  Look,  I'm not an ace at all,  but I have great,  fun dogfights with any other plane.  So there must be something wrong netween me and the p40.

And I hate that,  since the design of this plane makes me drool. 

[Recon]

It uses peacetime power settings. War Emergency power ingame of 44.5" @3000rpm (1150hp) for 5 minutes is military power setting in Dec 1941. By next year the data sheet gets updated with a War Emergency power setting of  56"@3000rpm for 5 minutes (1470hp) and Military power (1150hp) gets extended to 15 minutes. As such, even though there are cases of units running it to 60" and over (1570hp+) and Allison themselves saying that running the V-1710-39 to 60" is safe, the P-40E suffers most from the dev's interpretation of engine time limits.

 

Yes... as has always been the case with the IL2 series when it comes to US aircraft...  

 

Let's face it though, the missed out sales on BOM is hindered by the lack of a correctly setup p40 (and a lack of p39s in the sim as well).    I know most my squadron isn't buying BOM until it's on discount, but if it was done correctly it might have led to more purchases!   I'm fairly convinced the main market of the sim is Russia/Europeans and the US market is overlooked.   Great game but really hope to see it expand and consider more lend lease AC.   

 

Meanwhile, gotta love the 190  

[7.GShAP/Silas]

Using anything except the absolute best in icon servers(and anything other than a fighter period) is asking for heartbreak.  If you're flying it in expert servers, the #1 thing you can do is fly it like the Tigers did and use your intellect.  Being successful with it is a labor of love.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, gotta love the 190  

 

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Silas

[Dakpilot]

You can get 50+ inches WEP (instrument max reading 50inch/hg)  can easily get 350mph at 300m (auto rads) not sure how long before the engine blows tho 

 

WEP adjustments were made in a recent patch

 

7. ATA limiter removed from P-40E-1 since there was none on this model. You can increase pressure above 45.5 for a limited time. If in-game engine helper is switched off (Expert mode), it won't return to normal values automatically after spending time limit, potentially breaking the engine.

 

Cheers Dakpilot

Edited January 8, 2016 by Dakpilot

[Xenunjeon88]

As said before, I agree that its weakness comes from artificial roadblocks programmed to balance like the engine time limit.

 

Since the enemies prowling in friendly territory had 15-20 minutes to climb, you're pretty much a sitting duck until you have 500-1000m advantage which would take almost a half hour to climb to 4000m. Even then plenty of 190s will sit pretty at 5000m. Even with such and advantage, if an enemy is in your blind spot, they can just simply climb to your altitude in minutes catch you and neutralize any advantage.

 

Not only that, you literally have to kill your enemy pretty much immediately, if you fail on your first pass, you may not even get a second chance because every plane can out climb you rather easily while the P40, due to its engine time limit, can lose energy obscenely quickly.

 

I see a P-40, I'm not afraid, not even when it's diving on me. (well not entirely true, a Bf-110/Stuka/He-111 will not survive long against a P-40 but then again, so would a Yak/Lagg/La)  I see anything when I'm in a P-40, I'm pretty much afraid of everything. Durability means nothing, it's not impervious to bullets and cannons to which it is very prone to catching. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Xenunjeon88

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

You can get 50+ inches WEP (instrument max reading 50inch/hg)  can easily get 350mph at 300m (auto rads) not sure how long before the engine blows tho 

 

WEP adjustments were made in a recent patch

 

7. ATA limiter removed from P-40E-1 since there was none on this model. You can increase pressure above 45.5 for a limited time. If in-game engine helper is switched off (Expert mode), it won't return to normal values automatically after spending time limit, potentially breaking the engine.

 

Cheers Dakpilot

 engine lasts 1-2 minutes over 50"

[Dakpilot]

Just flew 5 mins 50inch/hg+ before getting any damage, 353mph (568kmh) max (HUD), Autumn Map, full fuel, 6 guns, , auto rads, level autopilot, 12.00pm, zero wind, stabilised speed at combat power then 5 mins max WEP no overheat warnings

 

seems pretty accurate to me

 

for those on normal server, use custom level and disable engine auto throttle limit, if you absolutely have to fly at max WEP for more than 5 minutes in P-40 rethink tactics 

 

*EDIT* you will get a warning at +-1 and 3 mins that you are exceeding time but no damage until 5mins is exceeded this is similar to what was posted above regarding real limitations

 

Cheers Dakpilot

Edited January 8, 2016 by Dakpilot

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

I see a P-40, I'm not afraid, not even when it's diving on me. (well not entirely true, a Bf-110/Stuka/He-111 will not survive long against a P-40 but then again, so would a Yak/Lagg/La)  I see anything when I'm in a P-40, I'm pretty much afraid of everything. Durability means nothing, it's not impervious to bullets and cannons to which it is very prone to catching. 

 

Not to downplay some major shortcomings of the P-40 as a lone-wolf fighter design, but it has to be said: this is playing a huge part on you getting poor results with it. It doesn't even matter which aircraft you are flying, if you are not confident and end up scared of enemies, they will overwhelm you then send you burning. Happens to everyone. I was flying scaredy cat style on 1946 this week on a La-5FN, got shot down every time. After warming up and taking a deep breath I downed 3 1944-era German fighters in the same sortie within two minutes using a 1942 LaGG-3, and these were flown by the same people who were relentlessly shooting me down before. As Suvorov said, "to me death is better than the defensive".

 

While this is absolutely not Il-2 related, I suggest you read through all of this thread on the DCS forums: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=133804It is packed with information, reports and tactics from people successfully flying the MiG-21 up against the F-15 and other 4th generation fighters. Obviously modern missile-focused combat is different from the 1942 bonanza here, but the psychology of air combat employed will really help you look at the situation with a clear mind, make the right decisions and put all your aircraft's advantages to use.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Lucas_From_Hell

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

Just flew 5 mins 50inch/hg+ before getting any damage, 353mph (568kmh) max (HUD), Autumn Map, full fuel, 6 guns, , auto rads, level autopilot, 12.00pm, zero wind, stabilised speed at combat power then 5 mins max WEP no overheat warnings

 

seems pretty accurate to me

 

for those on normal server, use custom level and disable engine auto throttle limit, if you absolutely have to fly at max WEP for more than 5 minutes in P-40 rethink tactics 

 

*EDIT* you will get a warning at +-1 and 3 mins that you are exceeding time but no damage until 5mins is exceeded this is similar to what was posted above regarding real limitations

 

Cheers Dakpilot

I don't know what you did but I just did the same and I got no warnings, damaged engine at 3:12 and completely dead engine at 4:07

 

EDIT: Done another test, no warning and engine damage at 2:58 this time.

 

Seems to coroborate with my online experience, no warning of your impending doom and really safety of 50"+ is 2 minutes.

 

 

EDIT2: Actually I'm not getting any time limit warnings on any aircraft I've tested (BF-109F-4 and FW-190), maybe my game is broke ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited January 8, 2016 by RoflSeal

[Jade_Monkey]

Are the auto rads on by default like on the 109?

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

Are the auto rads on by default like on the 109?

P-40 has no Auto rads

[bokepacha]

I haven't seen a p40 flying for the last month...or more!.

[Dakpilot]

Did some more runs, different times to engine malfunction/stop and different times and amounts that engine combat time exceeded warning appears

 

seems to be on a random function but never had damage before 3.00 mins there must be outlier parameters to randomness, not going to do 50 tests to find average limit 

 

Still, 50+ inch/hg is accessible when you need it, and 568kmh is not the slug it was claimed 

 

Cheers Dakpilot

Edited January 8, 2016 by Dakpilot

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

Except IMO it should do 50-60" comfortably for 5 minutes (maybe devs should add an unlock to replace manifold pressure indicator with one that goes up to 75" ) and more importantly, 44.5" at 3000 rpm for 15minutes, currently that is set to 5 minutes IIRC.

[Dakpilot]

44.5 inch/hg 2650rpm  300mph, 5.10 mins combat time exceeded warning, 10.13 mins engine damage warning, 299mph 10.58 engine smoke 11.10 engine stops just after overheat warning. 

 

Only one test, same parameters as above

 

Cheers Dakpilot

[Sokol1]

at most I can get a bit more out of it in the expert / iconless servers...

 

People, specially "new players" tend join to "Arcade/F4All" servers (NORMAL) think that there things are easy,

but the "advantage" in see icons turn against then fast, the icons show the plane at long distances,

the enemy know previously what plane he are flying, the combats are a ~200 meters, without space for maneuvers,

and in that servers are "veterans" players hunting for easy kills. 

Some this players even fly in LaGG thinking that "big cannons" will compensate his lack of skill/bad aim.

 

In "EXPERT" one have choice to surprise a Bf 109/Fw 90 with the underdog P-40.

[ACG_pezman]

This dumb plane doesn't move, I've just been kickassed by a mere bf100.

Normally, I can beat any plane with any other plane (yes, even a toy like the i-16), but when it comes to fly the p40 I end up cursing at my PC...

So far, I find it just a useless, heavy crap tractor, expecially in dogfight

Where am I failing at?

 

Haha, yeah I know what you mean.  This aircraft looks like it should tear up the skies when in reality it is an awful design.  Looks good but preforms very bad.  So bad that the United States decided to ditch all of them to lend lease and make new fighters.  It wasn't even that old.  I mean, the U.S. knew that aircraft was such shit that they just gave up on them, using them only where they had too, and accepting the losses.

 

I love how you have the audacity to call the plane "dumb", seeing as you're a master at aerodynamics and engineering and could produce something airworthy compared to the P40?

 

Beyond that, it sounds like you are flying the plane to its disadvantages...

You know Aphelion, I have wondered what kind of "Masters of aerodynamics and engineering" created this bird in the first place?  I mean the United States Army Air Corps okayed the bird in testing (which tells me they had no clue what a good aircraft was supposed to be) and they still didn't use it except where forced too during the war.  The U.S. willingly gave them away to Russia and Britain and decided to make new aircraft for ourselves to use.  The only advantage you can fly this aircraft to is the one every aircraft has; not being seen before you attack.  After that, I don't think it has what it takes to take on any aircraft in this game, even with an altitude advantage, which is damn near impossible to get because you climb so slow.  Like it was stated earlier, if you don't kill on your first pass then you are screwed.  And with the crazy nose-wobble from the unbalanced fuel load, how are you supposed to aim accurately on your only pass?

 

I'm no ace and am not claiming to be, but I know when an aircraft is complete [Edited], and I believe that the OP is right to be exasperated with this aircraft.  Unfortunately for him and I, both being lovers of it, we just have to accept the fact that it is [Edited] and always will be.  That flying it will more than likely (even with teammates) result in death and frustration.  Maybe when BOM is released it will be more fair fighting less powerful aircraft, however I still don't think it will make much of a difference.

 

I really have to applaud the dev's for modeling this aircraft so perfectly though.  Everything I have read about this aircraft from pilots seems to be true, which makes me realize just how awful of an aircraft it really is.  I just feel bad for all the Russian and British pilots who flew this aircraft knowing it was [Edited] and accepting their fate every time they took off.

 

Please don't misunderstand, this is not a flame to anyone.  I just think it's quite obvious how awful it is, and that is how it should be.  As an American it sucks that our only aircraft in this game is a laughing stock.  However, it is true and that is why I applaud the devs.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Bearcat
Language

[Dakpilot]

In peaceful pre war 1935 its direct ancestor, Curtiss 75 was not so bad, 

 

 

all P-40's can trace their heritage back to this, Curtiss were not known for speedy development 

 

Cheers Dakpilot

 

 

[Xenunjeon88]

Alternatively, it's not too bad as a bomb ferry for ground objectives...

[ACG_pezman]

In peaceful pre war 1935 its direct ancestor, Curtiss 75 was not so bad, 

 

curtissp36.jpg

 

all P-40's can trace their heritage back to this, Curtiss were not known for speedy development 

 

Cheers Dakpilot

 

Makes you wonder why they just didn't keep the Curtiss P-36?  Even in other flight sims the P-36 is better than the P-40 it seems.

 

 

Alternatively, it's not too bad as a bomb ferry for ground objectives...

 

Yeah, I get that.  Except that when you strap a bomb to it you might as well consign yourself to not gaining any altitude or killing a half an hour just to get to 1500m.  Especially if you strapped on the FAB 500, wow that plane doesn't like to climb with that thing attached.  It's a miracle it takes off with it sometimes.

[LukeFF]

 

 

By next year the data sheet gets updated with a War Emergency power setting of  56"@3000rpm for 5 minutes (1470hp) and Military power (1150hp) gets extended to 15 minutes.

 

Do you happen to have that data sheet handy? I sent a lot of original P-40 data to the team, but this particular document I may have missed.

[=362nd_FS=RoflSeal]

Do you happen to have that data sheet handy? I sent a lot of original P-40 data to the team, but this particular document I may have missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gump]

i dont see hardly ANY p40's flying at all. doesnt look to me like it was very much of a success in regard to generating interest.

.

personally, i dont have preBOM, and i dont want it, so i dont have "access" to the p40. i wouldnt be very interested in it anyway, seeing what a dog it is and seeing the lack of presence anywhere in the skies, but it kinda bothers me that one would need to have BoM to get access to it or any other plane that can fly in BOS.

.

i recall seeing a poll that originated a couple years back asking what fighter should be next in BoS. the p40 won the poll (the selection was preset and  limited, though). i dont know how many ppl participated and, of them, how many understood the characteristics of this plane.

.

i recall a little historical blurb about the american "redtails" (italy) using them for a while, because they were 'black' and considered less capable pilots so they got inferior planes. they complained a LOT about that. their commander did a lot of stumping and advocacy, and that apparently coupled with the devastating bomber losses got the redtails' p40's replaced with P51's. they were happy campers after that, and made history with respect.

.

BOS already has superior fighters to the p40 on both sides. even the lagg 3 is better, and that is a suicide machine. why anyone would think adding something inferior is gonna generate interest confuses me. maybe cuz it makes the airfield look cool sitting there? anyways, add some late model fighters, even if slightly anachronic (like the la5fn), that are competitive with what is here already and there will be interest generated.

.

there was some interesting information about the use of p47's that indicated they were considered crap by the vvs at first (they called them "targets") because of the low alt action nature of the eastern front, but reconsidered later after the US used them so successfully for ground attack. the p47 also had some interesting climbing, diving and high alt capabilities, but the eastern front was famous for its low alt fighting (IRL). they may have found more value when considering higher altitudes (like in the game?). maybe the p47 should be considered?

[Danziger]

My P-40 kicks ass at ground pounding. I like it. Then again I'm not a dogfighter and the only reason I'd be high up is for hunting bombers. I haven't tried that with my P-40 yet.

[Y-29.Silky]

I used to love it. But now I'm not so sure anymore with what they did to it. You have to constantly adjust your manifold and RPM's every 5 seconds or you'll risk blowing your engine, and you'll risk blowing your engine maintaining 40''. Right now the Lagg-3 is superior which is interesting because according to a Soviet pilot, the P-40 was better than the Lagg's and Hurricanes (hence they both were replaced by P-40's during the start of the battle) but not as good as the Yak. And it was the Lagg/La pilots who were fighting their engines more than their enemies.The fact that the P-40 is basically limited to being a ground pounder.. I don't know.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Y-29.Silky

[LukeFF]

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Right now the Lagg-3 is superior which is interesting because according to a Soviet pilot, the P-40 was better than the Lagg's and Hurricanes (hence they both were replaced by P-40's during the start of the battle) but not as good as the Yak.

You need to take in account that the LaGG-3 flown in 1941 was extremely overweight, and the very first models that were there during the beginning of the war had some of the usual early production issues most aircraft (and products for that matter) faced. The LaGG-3 that flew over Stalingrad was lighter and had a better engine, while this P-40E is still the same old 1941 bird.

[Falco_Peregrinus]

I don't understand why the P40E is getting so much virtual pilots beatings in here.

Please, show some humble respect for that war machine which saw action during the majority of theaters during the last world war.   

A warplane doesn't have to be the fastest or most agile in the air to be loved or appreciated. There are some plane characteristics which cannot

be put on paper, or which cannot be even evaluated in the same manner as speed, roc, diving speed or other... Think about the ruggedness of a structure,

the nicely layout of a cockpit, the good ergonomics (which are intangible for us in a virtual sim, but they were important aspects of a plane..), radios that worked and were efficient, a very good visibility all around, a very good quality manufacturing of every single component (small or big), an armament of just machine-guns but that rarely jammed, that intangible feeling of trust a pilot can or cannot have for the structural integrity of a plane or if the plane didn't shake at all and gave max confidence to its pilot that made him push the plane to its limits (this was really important...), the easiness of making modifications to the airframe, the easiness to replace a component if damaged, and, last but not least, even the beauty of a war machine which could boost a pilot in appreciating the type.

These are aspects which are often ignored by most of us, yet they also represented what a plane was in reality, flight characteristics apart.
 

We can read about a fighter which could do 700 km/h and be an absolute beast on paper, while in fact in reality it could be able to absorb a maximum of +5Gs and pilots would never feel confident in it. Maybe while flying it some rivets were ripped off, some flutter was experienced under weird circumstances on some of its surfaces, some shaking happened during strange evolutions...An absolute beast on paper, but real world pilots would never feel "as one" with their mounts, would never reach its max potential, would never risk their life doing so.
The plane may be excellent for a wikipedia article, but in the real world it would definitely not be the case.

 

The Kittyhawk may be not the best and it may be not the most elegant in performing aerobatics in the air, nor the most agile, speedy or climber in our virtual pixelled skies, but it certainly could bite when the occasion arose.

 

Air combat in reality was almost never a 1 vs 1 engagement.
Air combats generally happened between formations of squadron sized unites of different kind of planes, all coordinated by their respective commanders and sub commanders, and followed and executed by the normal pilot who had often the very basic order to just follow their leader and stick to him, regardless of what happened around him.
There were not many occasions often for pilots to flying carelessly in the skies in search of another lonely plane and fight a pure medieval knights-style duel.
There were instructions, orders and tactics to follow, formations to change, navigation rules to abide to.

Under these circumstances, under these real life circumstances, the P40 showed many times to be an efficient war machine, a good bomber hunter, a very good ground pounder.

I just love to fly it and think about all the aforementioned aspects while flying this plane and love it for its peculiarities and "hidden" characteristics.
 

Edited January 9, 2016 by Ioshic

[69th_chuter]

On August 26, 1943 a report sent from US Army/RAF liaison and signed by Brig.Gen. Horn stated in part:

 

"In view of the British operation and the fact that we have an approved war emergency rating on the 1710-39 engine of 56", it is suggested that immediate steps be taken to remove the automatic boost controls from our P-51 airplanes in this theatre and that the instrument dials be marked with the proper lights.  The British have operated at full throttle at sea level (72" Hg) for as much as 20 min at a time without hurting the engines.  According to them, the Allison is averaging about 1500 hrs between bearing failures as compared to 500 to 600 hrs for the Merlin.  The Allison, they have found, will drag them home even with the bearings ruined."

 

 

 

Fuel quality, it must be noted, plays a HUGE part in this and I have NO IDEA what kind of fuel the Russians were using or how consistent it was.  Ben Kelsey had a rather protracted "discussion" with Allison about what he considered way too conservative power restrictions on their motors that's mentioned in Bodie's book The Lockheed P-38 Lightning.  The way I see it, the reason for time limits is, initially, to prevent damage that reduces the time on aircraft.  In other words, preventing wear that requires engine removal before the expected or scheduled engine change.  (Ultimately, you could spin bearings or lose compression.)  You simply can't have the whole squadron blasting through their motors in one mission if you only have five ready spares at any one point in time and it takes you two days to get those.

 

Just for comparison, 72" in an Allison equates to 68" in a Merlin as regards combustion chamber pressure.

Edited January 9, 2016 by chuter

[Dakpilot]

On August 26, 1943 a report sent from US Army/RAF liaison and signed by Brig.Gen. Horn stated in part:

 

"In view of the British operation and the fact that we have an approved war emergency rating on the 1710-39 engine of 56", it is suggested that immediate steps be taken to remove the automatic boost controls from our P-51 airplanes in this theatre and that the instrument dials be marked with the proper lights.  The British have operated at full throttle at sea level (72" Hg) for as much as 20 min at a time without hurting the engines.  According to them, the Allison is averaging about 1500 hrs between bearing failures as compared to 500 to 600 hrs for the Merlin.  The Allison, they have found, will drag them home even with the bearings ruined."

 

 

 

Fuel quality, it must be noted, plays a HUGE part in this and I have NO IDEA what kind of fuel the Russians were using or how consistent it was.  Ben Kelsey had a rather protracted "discussion" with Allison about what he considered way too conservative power restrictions on their motors that's mentioned in Bodie's book The Lockheed P-38 Lightning.  The way I see it, the reason for time limits is, initially, to prevent damage that reduces the time on aircraft.  In other words, preventing wear that requires engine removal before the expected or scheduled engine change.  (Ultimately, you could spin bearings or lose compression.)  You simply can't have the whole squadron blasting through their motors in one mission if you only have five ready spares at any one point in time and it takes you two days to get those.

 

Just for comparison, 72" in an Allison equates to 68" in a Merlin as regards combustion chamber pressure.

 

I think in Russian theater the oil was one of the biggest factors in reducing life and performance of Western engines operated there, having the correct oil is crucial with aero engines and Russian produced oil at the time was simply much lower tech, the same can be said of the fuel, i know some of the lend lease aircraft had to be only operated with imported fuel

 

Cheers Dakpilot

[Guest deleted@50488]

I believe it is all a question of training and proper use of the pluses of each aircraft, the P40 not being an exception.

 

Yesterady I started flying at a very nice duel fighter where we can enter a furball, already airborne, without airplane icons. 

 

The same portuguese fellow pilot who made me start liking the C.202, was flying the P40-E, and doing a great score against all sorts of opponent aircraft, me included ( I picked the 190, and two 109s, as well as the C.202 ).

 

He commented that after learning how to master it, it can really become a threat and show it's true potential, even flying all alone instead of doing team work which will certainly expose even more it's strong points...