Flying the P-39

[Monostripezebra]

You know the discussion is gonna come. Might as well prepare that thread allready. ;=P

 

 

 

 

[Daff]

I love the guy just continuing to run the grader as this plane is belly landing. Probably just too used to planes coming and going to notice, too busy moving earth, or he was just cutting grass.

[[DBS]Tx_Tip]

Bump for the Kobrushka...

[Nil]

It was not popular... but I like its original design!

[SYN_Mike77]

That was excellent....can't wait!

[312_Tygr]

Spin recovery is very unorthodox! This will be extremely useful to master, if flight modelling is true to the original airplane. 

[=38=Tatarenko]

fascinating film, thank you

[Finkeren]

For a bit more detail:

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Finkeren

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

Live em old movies

 

 

Heres another one

[=38=Tatarenko]

Klunk that's the same one as the first one.

[Legioneod]

Can't wait to fly this thing. I've always liked American aircraft so I'm happy that we are getting two more.

 

Does anyone know what aircraft we will get for the early access? It's this month right?

[Jade_Monkey]

Is it just me or it kinda looks like a 109 F from a distance?

 

[ShamrockOneFive]

Can't wait to fly this thing. I've always liked American aircraft so I'm happy that we are getting two more.

 

Does anyone know what aircraft we will get for the early access? It's this month right?

 

The devs have stated that the Bf109G-4 is the first of the BoK early access types.

 

Probably for practical reasons. We've also seen evidence that the Bf110G-2, He111H-16 and Spitfire V are in active development. There may be more... but that's what we've seen from them.

[AirDnD]

That is some of the best presented spin-recovery information I've seen. P-39s are deadly in a spin bc the of the rearward center of gravity. (engine behind the pilot). The farther below 10 thousand feet you are, the more preferable a bail out becomes over recovery. I remember practicing that spin recovery in IL-2 and it's essential that you know the procedure by heart before pulling the areocobra through tight turns.

 

I've been a luft-stick for ages, but my first love was the P-39. All the ac in il2 were alien, but at least the Bell was American. I love this plane like an old girlfriend.

[Finkeren]

Is it just me or it kinda looks like a 109 F from a distance?

 

From certain angles it does yeah. The wing shape, which is normally quite destinct on VVS fighters, doesn't help in this case. Edited December 2, 2016 by Finkeren

[Legioneod]

The devs have stated that the Bf109G-4 is the first of the BoK early access types.

 

Probably for practical reasons. We've also seen evidence that the Bf110G-2, He111H-16 and Spitfire V are in active development. There may be more... but that's what we've seen from them.

Cool, though I was hoping to fly the P-39 sooner rather than later.

[Finkeren]

Cool, though I was hoping to fly the P-39 sooner rather than later.

Je später der Abend, desto schöner die Gäste.

[[DBS]Tx_Tip]

Yep, looking forward to it. The spin recovery, manifold and rpm settings are very well addressed in the vid.

Great stuff.

[ShamrockOneFive]

Cool, though I was hoping to fly the P-39 sooner rather than later.

 

I'm sure we'll see it before too long. I still remember waiting a good long while in BoS development to get the Yak-1. It was a great day when it finally arrived :D

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

Klunk that's the same one as the first one.

Silly me

[II./JG77_Manu*]

Kuban was - alongside Operation Husky and Ruhrgebiet/Guardian Angles - my absolute favourite historical scenario in War Thunder back then, when they still made those MP missions. I preferred the P39 over every other fighter the Soviets had, including the Yak-1b. Epic fights against 190 A5, or the other way round. Hoping to get the same aircraft in BoK, alongside the BoX fidelity and feel of flight. Would be a dream come true, alongside the fixed 190. Can't wait for those encounters

Edited December 2, 2016 by II./JG77_Manu*

[Finkeren]

The P-39 is by far the BoK aircraft I'm looking forward to the most.

[LukeFF]

Excellent video, especially the part about spin recovery procedures.

[Ceowulf]

Yeah, thanks for the video.  I can't wait to fly the Airacobra and Russia is the place to do it.  If it was lackluster in the Pacific, it was apparently an acemaker on the Eastern front.  Anybody have thoughts on it's use and tactics on the Eastern Front?  

 

Ceowulf<><

[Gambit21]

http://www.ghspaulding.com/guadalcanal.htm

[Ceowulf]

I just read somewhere that pacific Airacobra pilots joked that the "P400 is a P40 with a zero on it's tail."  (P400  = export version of P39, apparently.)  

 

Did the Soviets really just have all their success by surprise rush throughs of low level flights?  I haven't bought books yet on the front but it's impressive that they did so well.  The P39's only stellar virtues relative to the Germans are firepower and durability, right?

 

Ceowulf<><

[ShamrockOneFive]

I just read somewhere that pacific Airacobra pilots joked that the "P400 is a P40 with a zero on it's tail."  (P400  = export version of P39, apparently.)  

 

Did the Soviets really just have all their success by surprise rush throughs of low level flights?  I haven't bought books yet on the front but it's impressive that they did so well.  The P39's only stellar virtues relative to the Germans are firepower and durability, right?

 

Ceowulf<><

 

I've read the same joke.

 

I'd encourage you to read about the defense of Port Morseby and the efforts by USAAF fighters to defend it. Its where both the P-40 and P-39 earned much of their reputation in the Army Air Corps and it wasn't a good report for either of them. Geography was a significant part of the problem - neither P-39 nor P-40 had the ability to perform well above 20,000 feet. The problem is that the Owen Staney mountain range has peaks at 13,000 feet pushing the air combat a lot higher than fighting along the Black Sea Coast in the East. The G4M and A6M both had acceptable high altitude performance, certainly better than either USAAF fighter, and so the Japanese really had a huge advantage while attacking at these altitudes.

 

The other problems were forward logistics, poor resupply early on, antiquated tactics, and so forth.

 

By comparison... when the VVS did get the P-39 into heavy use in the Kuban battle the VVS had two years of combat experience and had adjusted tactics. So the experiences were very different because of geography, tactics, experience, logistics, and probably some other stuff I've left off the list.

 

BTW: The P-400 is a designation used for P-39D-1s that were initially slated for RAF service, however, when the RAF rejected the Airacobra Mark I these aircraft were diverted to USAAF stocks as the P-400. Effectively the same aircraft as the P-39D-1. I'm unclear on if the P-400 had Browning .303 or Browning .30 or if they were modified after RAF rejection.

Edited December 3, 2016 by ShamrockOneFive

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

Hmm really looking forward to try it out both on eastern front ag German planes , and on Pacific front aganst Japanese planes; the advisaries have indeed very different kinds of plane construction philosophies. In interviews Saburu Sakai praised the Zero's acrobatic performances; something I would guess Galland would comment with "humbug - that's not a great feature of an effective fighter plane"

Edited December 3, 2016 by SvAF/F19_Klunk

[=38=Tatarenko]

One of the main things the Soviets liked about the P-39 was the clear and efficient radio, which opened up all kinds of new tactics and co-ordination. We tend to think in terms of climb rates etc and forget the things that we don't really notice in a sim.

They didn't like the Spitfires they got in the Kuban (normally MkV that had seen use in N Africa) and so I wouldn't expect those to be fantastic in BoK. They felt them to be inferior and only outfitted a single VVS regiment with them.

BTW there's a book on the P-39 in the Kuban called Attack of the Airacobras. Worth a read.

[Trooper117]

Spitfires were unsuitable for the Eastern Front type of battles the soviets were engaged in.... The Spitfires lack of range could be called into question, but the main reason was down to how they were employing them.

Using them at lower levels instead of at higher altitudes where their performance was better did not help.

They were withdrawn to be used for the PVO where they could operate for high altitude interceptions where they were more suited. 

 

As we all know, the old MkVb was being outclassed by better versions of the 109, but in particular the appearance of the 190 was the real nail in the coffin for the old girl.

Will it stop me flying it?.... absolutely not   

[-=PHX=-SuperEtendard]

The P-400 is a designation used for P-39D-1s that were initially slated for RAF service, however, when the RAF rejected the Airacobra Mark I these aircraft were diverted to USAAF stocks as the P-400. Effectively the same aircraft as the P-39D-1.

 

I think also another difference was that the P-400 didn't have pilot seat armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, where as the US P-39 variants did.

[=38=Tatarenko]

Spitfires were unsuitable for the Eastern Front type of battles the soviets were engaged in.... The Spitfires lack of range could be called into question, but the main reason was down to how they were employing them.

Using them at lower levels instead of at higher altitudes where their performance was better did not help.

They were withdrawn to be used for the PVO where they could operate for high altitude interceptions where they were more suited. 

 

As we all know, the old MkVb was being outclassed by better versions of the 109, but in particular the appearance of the 190 was the real nail in the coffin for the old girl.

Will it stop me flying it?.... absolutely not    

 

I think it's more a question of the older MkV's they got in the south were clapped out. The newer MkIX's were better and used to intercept recce etc over Leningrad.

 

And yeah, I'll fly one too for sure

Edited December 3, 2016 by =38=Tatarenko

[BlitzPig_EL]

The P 400 also had British oxygen equipment, and that meant that they were useless above 13,000 ft. when in USAAF service, we were not equipped to use the British set up.

They were rushed to the Pacific because we needed fighters as fast as we could get them there.

 

 

P 400s being serviced at Seven Mile Airfield, Port Morseby, New Guinea

[ShamrockOneFive]

The P 400 also had British oxygen equipment, and that meant that they were useless above 13,000 ft. when in USAAF service, we were not equipped to use the British set up.

They were rushed to the Pacific because we needed fighters as fast as we could get them there.

 

 

P 400s being serviced at Seven Mile Airfield, Port Morseby, New Guinea

 

Well that definitely made them useless there. The mountains are higher than that.