P-39K1-L1 flight manual

[=FEW=Hauggy]

For those who might be interested and of course that includes our dear game developpers.

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-39/P-39K-1_L1_Operating_Instructions.pdf

Also I found this performance sheet:

http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-39/P-39_Aircraft_Performance_Characteristics.jpg

Edited March 28, 2017 by Hauggy

[Thad]

Darn... the P-39 has a very impressive weapons loadout.

 

1. A 37mm cannon firing through the nose.

2. Two .50 caliber machine guns on the forward fuselage firing through the propeller blades.

3. Four .30 caliber machine guns... two on each wing.

[Y29.Layin_Scunion]

Darn... the P-39 has a very impressive weapons loadout.

 

1. A 37mm cannon firing through the nose.

2. Two .50 caliber machine guns on the forward fuselage firing through the propeller blades.

3. Four .30 caliber machine guns... two on each wing.

The Soviets made a habit of removing the .30 cals.  Not sure if they did that with every variant but I know a majority of them had them removed.

[Thad]

Ah, if this is correct, I wonder why. Do you have a reference concerning this? Regardless, I suppose they may have wanted to lighten up the plane for better flight performance or they had problems obtaining 30 caliber ammunition.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Thad

[Y29.Layin_Scunion]

Ah, if this is correct, I wonder why. Do you have a reference concerning this? Regardless, I suppose they may have wanted to lighten up the plane for better flight performance or they had problems obtaining 30 caliber ammunition.

They did it to improve flight performance like you said.  It improved roll rate by a decent margin and made the aircraft lighter thus more maneuverable.

 

I have read it personally in this book.  But to give you something to read...

If I recall correctly, it is in this excerpt translated from Russian to English, "Airacobras Enter Combat"

 

The biggest issue is that it was documented by the Soviets and written about by pilots in Russian.  English documentation is here and there...mostly from translations.

[Thad]

Thanks... interesting reading.

[=MG=Dooplet11]

Manual for P-39 Russian red army air force:

https://cloud.mail.ru/public/6f1w/ezdJT9rhM