| ElAurens |
05-25-2012 10:21 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luno13
(Post 429243)
Didn't the P-40 handle like a dog though (and therefore slightly 'overmodeled' in Il-2)? Genuinely curious.
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I don't want to take this thread off topic, so I'll be brief.
The P40's "bad reputation" as a turner came from it's early encounters with the A6M Zero, which of course could out turn any "modren" Allied aircraft.
If fact, the early P40 versions (Hawk 81) could out turn a Spitfire below 15,000ft. (And was equally fast at those altitudes as well).
The original Hawk 81 had a roll rate of 135 degrees/second at 360mph IAS. Only an FW 190 could best that, umm... several years later.
The only roll rate data I have for later models is for the P40 F (Hawk 87) that was tested at only 250 mph IAS was still a respectable 95 Deg/sec. There is no reason given for the low test speed.
There is a video of I think Hinton flyiing a P 40 for the first time, I'll try to find it...
Anyway, he came into it thinking the same thing, that it was a dog. He came away with a totally different re think of the P 40. He said it rolled so fast that he hit is head on the canopy the first time.
The Curtiss P40 was the most maneuverable fighter fielded by the USAAF in WW2.
Check the pilot interviews with the guys from the 325th. that flew them in North Africa and Italy. |
