I-16 Very close view - Flying Warbird!

[Les]

Originally Posted by BG-09

One thing I have noticed, it was the vibrations of the little door, and the vibrations of the pitot tube on the wing...

I noticed that too. I'd like to see those kinds of effects modelled in a sim one day, but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks for the video. I like planes that look like an engine with a few other bits added on. Was waiting to see the pilot do some rolls though. There's another video out there somewhere too that shows the I-16 manouvering so fast it looks like the film is sped up. Even in this video there are a couple of moments there where I'm sure I can see the plane moving around a bit more than the pilot wanted it to.

[jermin]

Have been wondering whether this tiny bird could really give early German fighters a hard time in WWII as portrayed in IL2.

[Sven]

Originally Posted by jermin

Have been wondering whether this tiny bird could really give early German fighters a hard time in WWII as portrayed in IL2.

To be honest, not really. The BF-109 has all the advantages except horizontal maneuverability. The Rata was very nimble and hard to hit I could imagine, but it contributed little to halt the German Blitz, it was essential for them to shoot down the German bombers, but they couldn't, not enough of them at least. Large numbers were destroyed on the ground by the bombers and in the air by the 109/110 escorts. The Rata being very advanced when it was introduced, was obsolete by summer 1941. Lacking in speed and armament ( 4x ShKAS main type I-16 ) it was no serious threat for the German fighter pilot, if he stuck to his flying envelop.

[fruitbat]

It could give Emils a hard time down low, but Friedrichs outclassed it totally if flown by people who Knew what they were doing, which by and large in '41 the Luftwaffe did.

[jermin]

C'mon, in IL2 in can even outzoom G2.

[BG-09]

I can tell you a Real short story about I-16 and Bf-109 E:

One Soviet pilot of I-16 was cought in very low dogfight with 2 Bf-109 E. The soviet pilot have done everything, but he cannot escape from the Bf-109 E's. I-16 was triying to escape on high speed over one lawn, with 1 Bf-109 E very close on its tail. Looking backwards, the soviet pilot hits a pile of hay on the lawn. The soviet I-16 imediately does somethig as salto with its nose downwards, stalling very strong, but still in the air. The soviet pilot is thrown from the open cannopy, falling on the lawn injured with trauma, but alive. The german pilot of Bf-109 E was not so lucky: Bf-109 E crashes in to the stalled in to the air I-16 and explodes. The german pilot dyes. Soviet troops take the injured pilot and send him in to the hosspital. Thats all I know.

[mauld]

Here is an I-16 from flying legends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_6jZ0YbMz4