What is your favorite WWII Fighter Plane and Bomber? (1 Viewer)

[Kirk Gunn]

The F-86 (single engine jet fighter in the Korean War), had a top speed of 692 mph and a rate of climb of 12,900 ft/min. Can the Bearcat top that ?

 

[Greg Morse]

The P-80 had a higher rate of climb by about 30% as well. I didn't realize that 2 of them made it to Italy before peace broke out. Neither were used in operations though.

 

[todd s]

F-4 Corsair (fighter)
B-17 (bomber)

 

[Paul McElligott]

Rate of climb isn't everything. One thing to consider is that early jets weren't exactly rabbits right off the blocks. It took them a while to get "wound up" (which is one reason why launching jets off of carriers was such a technical challenge). So, if the record was from a standing start to about 10,000 feet, then I could see a really hot piston aircraft like the Bearcat having an advantage over an earlier single-engined jet.

Again, I can't vouch for the source but I don't think it's completely ridiculous that it took until the early seventies for a single-engined jet to match the standing start speeds of the fastest piston-engined aircraft.

 

[Greg Morse]

Paul

After researching, here's the deal. There seems to be a report that a Bearcat went from brakes off to 10000 feet in 91 seconds and it took an F-16 to beat this. I can't find citing as to when this happened though.

In 1946, we know for a fact a Bearcat went from 0-10000 in 97.8 seconds, which is pretty remarkable.

Within the constraints of 0-10000, you probably are correct Sir.

 

[Paul McElligott]

That's a relief. I knew I wasn't crazy.

 

[Rudi]

It was rocket engine powered. It had a rate of climb of 15000 feet per minute. I am not sure what it would be from a standing start but I would guess it would get up to speed faster than a prop. I saw a video at the Smithsonian of a Komet starting up and then shooting up at a very steep angle. It was out of sight real fast.

 

[Greg Morse]

Sure, but comparing a rocket to a jet (or prop for the sake of this argument), would be like comparing a turboprop to a piston. This would be like saying the ME-209 didn't hold the prop speed record for 30 years, but the TU-114 held/holds it.

 

[Rudi]

Ah but the Tupolev has too many engines . I concede your point, its just that this started by comparing prop to jet.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Very interesting discussion. I'm really not trying to bash the bearcat, but what's the link to the 1946 initial climb to 10k in 97.8 secs ?

I found an Initial Climb Rate for it: 4570 feet per minute (still impressive) at http://www.warbirdalley.com/bearcat.htm

Here's another "old" single engine jet: Lockheed F-104 Starfighter with initial climb rate of 48k feet/min !!! Of course it probably didn't have enough fuel to remain at altitude after a couple minutes of full after-burner...

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...468/ch11-4.htm


"The F-104 was developed as a result of F-86 pilots complaint about the enemy having superior high altitude capablities, and so the Starfighter was designed to climb high very rapidly."

 

[Kirk Gunn]

This forum has some great shots of P-51's and even a pix of a Bearcat !

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/about2595.html

 

[Greg Morse]

http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART06.PDF amongst others

Check out Nov. 20, 1946. According to another forum, the date was really Nov. 22 and there was an issue of conversion between meters and feet. Anyhow, here the link to that discussion http://www.tgplanes.com/Public/snitz...58&whichpage=1


Man, I feel like going out and buying a model now (haven't done that in about 15 years)

 

[John_Kiger]

Whenever I can, I watch "Strategic Air Command", 1955, James Stewart and June Allyson, on AMC. They have great pictures of the B-36 flying. The B-29 was my favorite WWII bomber; the Panther (Korea, carrier based) was my favorite jet. I had models or toys of both.

 

[DaveJJ]

Check this 1946 B-35, the early stealth bomber.

 

[Rudi]

1943 Horten IX/ Gotha 229

 

[Paul McElligott]

As long as we're getting exotic, here's my favorite WWII fighter-that-never-was:

Curtis XP-55 Ascender

 

[Philip Hamm]

How about the woeful Fisher P-75 Eagle?

A plane about 50 years ahead of it's time. The technology to stabilize that plane just didn't exist until the 90s. Also neither it nor the retrofitted XB-49 could carry the nuclear bombs which were the order of the day.

 

[Paul McElligott]

Never heard of that one. Interesting. Sort of Frankenstein's Airplane...

Here's another favorite:



And while the Spitfires got all the glory:



Another plane that never got the credit or glory it deserved was the A-20 Havoc (or Boston):

 

[Paul McElligott]

And can't forget the "Angel of Midway", "Speedy-D", old "Slow But Deadly"

 

[Greg Morse]

I've always been a fan of the P-47. I remember reading a book that a Jug came home once with only 8 of 18 cylinders still firing and another came home after flying so low a pole sliced 4 feet off of one wing. Ugly as sin, but what a great gun platform. Pity it didn't have a longer range.