Originally posted by artik
Not shure that it can be reached in top 5.
First: Firepower - same like Mustang - if you compare with 190D 109g10 Typhoon or La7 all has at least 2 20mm canons and some even more. This is not good firepower. Speed - the top 5 are fast and has good clim ratio. To be surpiotity plane you must be fast - otherway you are on offencive. You can tell that Spit 9 turns good climbs well, has good firepower and easy to control but all the plance in the list outperfom it on its speed. Like 262 outclassed all prop planes Mustang and Dora outclassed Spit 9 and so F6F-5
By the way one more week in F6F very bad rear view 
Six fifties cannot be considered weak. They easily out-range any cannons except the Hispanos. Try HOing a Hellcat with a Dora... If the F6F pilot is smart and opens fire at 1.2k, the Dora dies before he's in effective range. Likewise, the P-38 is extremely deadly even without the single Hispano, because the four fifties are concentrated in a small circle (no convergence issues).
Other things worth mentioning: No single-engine fighter has better dive acceleration than the F6F-5, and only the Tempest equals it.
Speed is a minor consideration. It really makes little difference unless all you do is BnZ and run when things go badly. Climb is important, but zoom climb ability is a better measure and the F6F-6 zooms better than any single-engine fighter except the P-47 and they are about dead equal. If you think you can get away in the vertical from a Co-E Hellcat, think again. In all probability, the Hellcat will close on you over the first 2-3k. So, you had better be well outside gun range when trying that maneuver against the F6F-5.
Understand that the F6F-5 is not the best in any single category. But, it is very, very good in every category. Good enough to be extremely dangerous in any Co-E, Co-alt engagement regardless of what it encounters. It is also a very tough airplane, able to survive hits that would obiterate most fighters. Yeah, the rear view isn't very good, but it's not hard to kick some rudder and have a good look. Countering this is the fact that the view over the nose is probably the best of any fighter.
As to speed, it's every bit as fast as the Fw 190A-5 above 5k. It can reach 402 mph between 20 - 21k.
I agree with Wadke, the best overall, non-perked fighter is the F6F-5 Hellcat. Simply do the comparisons.
Another of my favorites, and easily the most under-rated fighter in the game, is the Ki-61.
My regards,
Widewing
