sound radar is back ... naaaaaaah!

[Insuber]

Originally Posted by Gollum

I agree with the fact that research must be done because a blanket would be unrealistic. For example, the japanese called the corsair "the whistleing death" for a reason.

The reason was simple: ground attacks to troops.

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by Insuber

The reason was simple: ground attacks to troops.

Tuche'... If this is true I withdraw my statement and request the whines be too low to be heard when one runs their engine at full power. A blanket would still not work though because you would be able to hear other planes while running your engine at idle no? Or is the idle of the engine so loud that you still wouldn't be able to hear other planes diving on you?>

[winny]

Duno if this is helpful or not,

I've read hundreds (literally) of BoB era pilot's accounts. The only time they mention being able to hear enemy aircraft is when they were extremley close. It seems to happen more with head on attacks and almost always the pilot says something like "I was so close I could hear the engines" Geoff Wellum, Peter Townsend, one of the Dundas brothers (can't remember which one), Brian Lane and quite a few others.

Another similarity is that this happened as they broke underneath the enemy after a head on attack - a bit closer than they'd like 5-10 meters. I'll try and dig out some of the quotes, one of them was a mid air collision with a 109, the pilot said he heard the 109 just before they crashed.

I also recall one Spit pilot flying in cloud with his canopy open hearing a LW Bomber before he saw it, it was about 10 meters off his wing.