Dive attacks with late USAAF birds

[Bremspropeller]

Is it me or are those things going downhill like a runaway freight-train?

I think I must have bought the farm due to low pullouts a dozen times the past few days. It's unreal how quick those airplanes accelerate and hit their max speeds.

 

Is there anything else than starting the dive early at shallow angles, pulling pack power and trimming up, so you won't recover 50ft below the ground?

 

I followed a trio of DBS Lightnings earlier tonight and wondered why they started their dives so early. I kind of know now

 

[RedKestrel]

21 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

Is it me or are those things going downhill like a runaway freight-train?

I think I must have bought the farm due to low pullouts a dozen times the past few days. It's unreal how quick those airplanes accelerate and hit their max speeds.

 

Is there anything else than starting the dive early at shallow angles, pulling pack power and trimming up, so you won't recover 50ft below the ground?

 

I followed a trio of DBS Lightnings earlier tonight and wondered why they started their dives so early. I kind of know now

 

The P-47 flight manual here tells how they trained for dive bombing in that plane. https://www.avialogs.com/aircraft-r/republic/item/5091-aaf-51-127-3-pilot-training-manual-for-the-p-47-thunderbolt

Basically they were slowing to 150 mph, diving at about 45-60 degree angles from 6 to 8000 feet, and dropping at about 3000 feet and completing their pullout at 1000 feet. Whether this is how they did it in combat, I don't know, but obviously they had trouble with steep dives and high speed recoveries too.

[40plus]

P-38 is my favorite and most frequent lawn dart......tried to bounce a 262 10,000ft below me. It must have been quite the sight for him to see zoom past and thwack into terra firma....nothing to see here, continue on your way.