So, my great granddad passed away a little while ago, and he left me a collection of 20th Centuray Weapons and Warfare encyclopedias, and in them, I ran into a few interesting planes.
First off, an Italian plane, the Falco I, Reggiane Re 2000.
An Italian single seat fighter aircraft. One of the three principal radial-engined Italian fighters of WWII. Its designers, Alessio and Longhi, were strongly influenced by the contemporary US Seversky p-35.
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 7.99 m (26 ft 2.5 in)
Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 20.4 m² (219.59 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,090 kg (4,608 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,850 kg (6,283 lb)
Useful load: 911 kg (2,009 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Piaggio P.XI RC 40, 986 hp (731 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 530 km/h (329 mph)
Range: 1,400 km (870 mi)
Service ceiling 10,500 m (34,450 ft)
Rate of climb: 11 m/s (3,175 ft/min)
Armament
Guns: Two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns.
Next, the Fairey Firefly, a British naval fighter (CV PLANE!!!) First flown on Dec. 22, 1941.
General characteristics
Crew: Two (pilot & observer)
Length: 37 ft 7 in (11.46 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Wing area: 330 ft² (31m²)
Empty weight: 9,460 lb (4,254 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,020 lb (6,359 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,730 hp (1,290 kW)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 316 mph at 14,000 ft (509 km/h at 4,300 m)
Range: 1,070 miles (1,722 km) with auxiliary tanks
Service ceiling 28,000 ft (8,530 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Armament
4 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons
2 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb or 8 × 60 lb (27 kg) rockets
And last, but not least, the Fairey Fulmar (EW/MW plane). It served in no fewer than 14 FAA Squadrons, accounting for more than 100 enemy aircraft and playing a useful role until the appearance of more advanced types such as the Seafire and Firefly.
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 40 ft 2 in (12.25 m)
Wingspan: 46 ft 4¼ in (14.13 m)
Height: 14 ft 0 in (4.27 m)
Wing area: 342 ft² (32 m²)
Empty weight: 7,015 lb (3,182 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,672 lb (4,387 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 10,200 lb (4,627 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 30 liquid-cooled inline V-12, 1,300 hp (970 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 272 mph at 7,250 ft (438 km/h at 2,200 m)
Range: 780 miles (1,255 km)
Service ceiling 27,200 ft (8,300 m)
Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (137 kg/m²)
Armament
8 x 0.303 in Browning machine guns wing-mounted, and occasionally 1 x .303 in Vickers K machine gun in rear cabin
2 x 100 lb (45 kg) or 250 lb (110 kg) bombs
