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Posted: 12/6/2010 5:47:10 PM EDT
[#1]
I know a WWII veteran that flew SBD's in the Navy, and he told me his favorite plane he ever flew was the Corsair.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 3:58:53 AM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
i'll pass on my father's thoughts ( he was a gunner on an A-20 Havoc from June 1944-VE Day ). He loved being escorted by P-47s; their radial engine and cockpit armor allowed them to dive on AA batteries and destroy them. the P-51s would climb out of the flak and leave the bombers to soak it up, as their watercooled engines wouldn't take the abuse. I believe the term "pussies" was mentioned frequently whenever the subject of the P-51 being so wonderful came up. I sure miss our talks, Dad. Grandpa's memory doesn't appear to match the statistics though. P-51s had twice the loss rate of the P-47. Balancing that, they did have 3x the kill rate of P-47s also. Loss RateKill RateKill/Loss P-39 0.4 0.0 13.1 A-36 0.8 0.4 47.5 P-40 0.8 0.7 87.0 P-47 0.7 0.7 100.2 P-61 0.7 1.6 232.0 P-38 1.4 1.4 100.7 P-51 1.2 2.3 196.4 From Francis Dean's America's 100,000 About 2500 P-51 losses during the war, so I'm not sure I'd call them all pussies. Bad experience at the VFW maybe.... |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:08:57 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-51 was the Apex fighter of that era.  No it wasn't. That title goes to the F8F. It outclassed every prop fighter out there in the dogfighting arena. The F8F never made it into combat in WWII. It was not operational until after the war was over. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:52:30 AM EDT
[#4]
F6F Hellcat.
I don't care if it wasn't the baddest of the bad on paper, it still kicked the crap out of a bunch of Japs, and looked mean as hell doing it. I like simple things. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 5:08:10 AM EDT
[#5]
Gotta love the Tempest!
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Posted: 12/7/2010 5:17:01 AM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
P-38. This - although I love the -51 Mustang, and I have a real soft spot in my heart for the little-known forerunner of the Jug, the P-43 Lancer..... |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 5:21:47 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
What is the difference between the P-39 AeroCobra and the P-63 Super Cobra? At the beginning of the war, 37mm was considered a tank cannon round (albeit light tank), so I consider that the P-39 is the predecessor of the A-10. Either that, or the P-38. The King Cobra is a new aircraft, but the big difference is a laminar flow wing. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 5:27:40 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
Just wondering. How the hell did those ww2 era planes taxi when they had this giant engine pointed straight up into the air in front of them? Very often the crew chief sat on one wing looking ahead and signalling to the pilot how to turn. If not, they made continuous S-turns to see to either side until they got line up for take-off or parking. Also, sometimes, especially with P-39s and other A/C with marginal cooling when on the ground, they were towed by truick or jeep into position. Designing an A/C for high speed with sufficient cooling taxiing on the ground that didn't go into thermal shock engine failure after a hard climb was a difficult problem never fully solved - if you had one fixed, then the other was a problem. A P-38 went in near Stirling OK on or about Jan 14th, 1944 from just this, and the -38 had a pretty sophisticated cooling system. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:28:33 AM EDT
[#9]
F4U Corsair, such a beautiful bird.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:29:20 AM EDT
[#10]
P47
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:42:04 AM EDT
[#11]
another vote for the Corsair... big engine with guns.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:52:22 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-51 was the Apex fighter of that era. I'd have to say the P51 also. The Corsair would be a close second. Or maybe 1A and 1B. Comparing the P51D to the F4U4, the Corsair was faster by about 30 MPH and had a faster rate of climb (considerably) and better guns (could have 4 20mm's). The Mustang had a longer range (with drop tanks) and a higher ceiling (by 400 feet). The Corsair had excellent armour and an air cooled radial engine. The Mustang was water cooled. The Corsair was more survivable. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 7:02:42 AM EDT
[#13]
Corsair for me.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 7:12:09 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Which one do you not like?? I think they were all badass! Look at the youtube video P-51 low pass it gives me goosebumps. Designed and built by folks that may have ridden to school on a wagon, no computers, no 3D animation. People accomplished a lot before the information age. Interesting post. I vote P-51D...and the F-4U Corsair. 
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:04:48 AM EDT
[#15]
while not on my list, the F-4U is not to be disrespected. they were pretty damn good.
and I have family ties to 'em.. two aunts worked the assembly line in CT during the war 
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:21:19 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-38. This - although I love the -51 Mustang, and I have a real soft spot in my heart for the little-known forerunner of the Jug, the P-43 Lancer..... http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSY7Fd4O8IQNFkWLlQyjE2Fseq-D2AGXARHxysxMRWQUZ5AbDpZ If I remember correctly, some Lancers made it to Australia at the beginning of the war. I still hope that some day one will turn up in somebody's barn or something. Very cool plane. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:29:51 AM EDT
[#17]
The F6F.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:34:55 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted: Just wondering. How the hell did those ww2 era planes taxi when they had this giant engine pointed straight up into the air in front of them? With the help of the ground crew.  |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:41:53 AM EDT
[#19]
P51-D
P51 Fly By Gives me the goosebumps to hear that sound. My neighbor flew B-17s in WWII. Went through three planes (crash landings), never lost a man. He and his wife are the nicest people, and they have so much experience to share. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 11:12:51 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-38. This - although I love the -51 Mustang, and I have a real soft spot in my heart for the little-known forerunner of the Jug, the P-43 Lancer..... http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSY7Fd4O8IQNFkWLlQyjE2Fseq-D2AGXARHxysxMRWQUZ5AbDpZ If I remember correctly, some Lancers made it to Australia at the beginning of the war. I still hope that some day one will turn up in somebody's barn or something. Very cool plane. Many went to - and were expended in- China back in the AVG days - and many ended up as advanced trainers/squadron hacks in the US. I know of no survivors, alas... |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 11:21:23 AM EDT
[#21]
F4F4 Wildcat. The plane, combined with guts and skill, that held the line in the Pacific through 1942.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 11:23:37 AM EDT
[#22]
P51.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 11:28:04 AM EDT
[#23]
 Joe Louis
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Posted: 12/7/2010 11:35:31 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
I always had it in for the Corsair.... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/F4U-1_Corsair_in_flight_c1942.jpg Pure sex F4U is certainly my favorite after watching baa baa blacksheep |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 1:02:48 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
I always had it in for the Corsair.... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/F4U-1_Corsair_in_flight_c1942.jpg Pure sex I've been wondering about the Corsair: does the position of the cockpit relative to the wing create a huge blindspot looking down? |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:06:23 PM EDT
[#26]
corsair, p38 lightening or the p51.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:13:47 PM EDT
[#27]
P51D
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:19:01 PM EDT
[#28]
F4U Corsair
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:28:10 PM EDT
[#29]
 Don't believe me? Just watch The Final Countdown  |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:32:25 PM EDT
[#30]
and this 
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:33:09 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
Gotta love the Tempest! http://www.deviantart.com/download/148478200/Hawker_Tempest__3__by_bazze.jpg Testimony shows that the Tempest was beast to handle, but it was damned fast, hit damned hard, and was highly regarded unless you were the pilot. The torque was hell to fight. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:44:28 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-51 was the Apex fighter of that era. Exactly! In the Pacific they were prone to crash in the violent rain storms common in that theatre. Yamamoto Isoroku votes for the P38. (After they added hydraulic boost to the aileron control.) |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:46:41 PM EDT
[#33]
Don't even need any responses in this thread. The P-47 is big iron defined. Awsome airplane. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 2:59:19 PM EDT
[#35]
I like guns. I like planes with lots of guns. I like planes that carried or could carry different guns. I like seeing badguy stuff get blown the fuck up too.
No particular order: P47 Thunderbolt––It has lots of guns(8x.50s) P38 Lightning––It carried different guns(4x.50, 1x20mm) F4U Corsair––It could carry different guns(6x.50s or 4x20mm) That said, because I like seeing badguy shit get fucked up, especially in creative ways, I'll take a jerry rigged B-25 of the 5th Air Force in SWPTO 
So if I was designing a fighter this is what Brian wants: 400+ MPH Bubble canopy Pilot armor, engine armor 4x.50s in the wings(2 in each) 2x20mm in the nose 3 harpoints side by side by side under the body Able to carry rockets on the wings able to use drop tanks able to drop tanks Kill everything that moves with a swastika, a rising sun, or a red star |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 3:00:59 PM EDT
[#36]
The F7F never saw air combat during WW2 as far as I know (and neither did the F8F). They were both completely bad ass, however... My favorite American is the P-38J model My favorite overall is the Bf-109 series for the sheer number of firsts the aircraft achieved...and they were small, highly maneuverable, and had good climb rates for the most part. (Bf-109F4 is my absolutely favorite overall) |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 3:56:35 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
P-51 was the Apex fighter of that era. I'd have to say the P51 also. The Corsair would be a close second. Or maybe 1A and 1B. Comparing the P51D to the F4U4, the Corsair was faster by about 30 MPH and had a faster rate of climb (considerably) and better guns (could have 4 20mm's). The Mustang had a longer range (with drop tanks) and a higher ceiling (by 400 feet). The Corsair had excellent armour and an air cooled radial engine. The Mustang was water cooled. The Corsair was more survivable. Um... only the F4U-C models had the quad 20mm, and there were not that many (less than 100, iirc). The F4U-1,1A,D, and 4 were far more numerous. BTW... most of the US pilots preferred the 6/.50 cals over any other gun set up for reasons of familiarity. They had put enough rounds downrange to know exactly where those .50's were going to hit. Also, it was only the F4U-4 and -5 models that were faster than the P51D, but climb was still comparable. What most people forget to mention about the F4U (for reasons that most do not know), is what help make it such an awesome fighter was its flaps. When fully deployed the F4U could out turn a zeke. Those flaps also allowed it to have a very low stall out speed so in the game of the vertical scissors, at the apex of the chase the F4U could drop flaps, hammer down with WEP on, and float longer at the top forcing the enemy to go nose down first allowing the F4U to mount up and get a gun solution. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:24:21 PM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Gotta love the Tempest! http://www.deviantart.com/download/148478200/Hawker_Tempest__3__by_bazze.jpg Testimony shows that the Tempest was beast to handle, but it was damned fast, hit damned hard, and was highly regarded unless you were the pilot. The torque was hell to fight. It's the look that gets me. To me it has a shark like appearance, the cowling looks similar to the Spitfire, the fuselage was similar to the P-47, the nose and intake look like a P-40. I too have heard about the torque being quite the challenge on take off. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:31:50 PM EDT
[#39]
The F4U was so good that production continued into the 1950s, with close to 13,000 being built. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:33:47 PM EDT
[#40]
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Posted: 12/7/2010 4:47:58 PM EDT
[#41]
All the greats have been mentioned already, and I love them all, but, if I were forced to pick an absolute favorite, it would have to be the P-38 Lightning.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:02:30 PM EDT
[#42]
Interesting note...
The top ten surviving American aces all flew Thunderbolts. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:08:07 PM EDT
[#43]
Read somewhere that at "middle" altitudes, say up to 24kft, the F4U was the better fighter over the Mustang. Above that the Mustang began to pull away. I also read that the Navy and USAAF guys training back home would sometimes mix it up...and the Mustang drivers, having been beaten, would simply point UP^^^ to signal the Navy guy to come on up to where the Mustang played...around 30kft. Corsair wasn't designed for that...different supercharger designs.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:08:48 PM EDT
[#44]
B-25H. I know it's not a fighter, but it has 8 x.50 cal + 75mm canon in the nose.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 6:43:12 PM EDT
[#45]
Damn...this is a great thread...we need to set up an Arfcom squadron for IL-2 Sturmovik and fly these beauties against the punks in Hyperlobby.
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Posted: 12/7/2010 7:10:46 PM EDT
[#46]
Quoted:
Interesting note... The top ten surviving American aces all flew Thunderbolts. nice way to put on slant on a statistic. The top pair of aces were of crouse P38 guys. With the first one being Bong who wound up dying as a test pilot in a P80. McGuire of course ran his into the ground after refusing to jetison his tanks and wanting to splash a zeke. McCampbell a navy Hellcat driver is 3rd with 34, he survived until '96. Like I said a rather interesting way to describe the P47. |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 7:12:42 PM EDT
[#47]
We can argue this back and forth, but there's probably only one man who is entitled to have an opinion on the subject, because he's the only military pilot to have flown the aircraft we're discussing: Eric Brown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Brown_(pilot)#Books.
I also found the following article pretty interesting:http://www.chuckhawks.com/best_fighter_planes.htm |
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:15:29 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted:
P51-D P51 Fly By Gives me the goosebumps to hear that sound. My neighbor flew B-17s in WWII. Went through three planes (crash landings), never lost a man. He and his wife are the nicest people, and they have so much experience to share. How many dead Nazis you wanna bet that was the last sound they heard?? 
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Posted: 12/7/2010 8:37:57 PM EDT
[#49]
I'll say p-38...
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Posted: 12/7/2010 9:25:34 PM EDT
[#50]
Lightning,
Corsair, Flying Fortress 
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