Exploring P-38 agility

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by Joker312
Excellent post Widewing. Really enjoyed it. I have tried the manual trim option but find it to much of a high workload in a fight. I was wondering, do you manually trim while fighting or not?

Also, I suspect that only elevator and aileron trim would be important. Am I correct in this assumption?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

The only trim you need to adjust is the elevator trim.  Since the P-38 has no torque, there isn't any adjustments needed for the aileron or rudder trim.

Personally, I try to keep my elevator trim in neutral as much as possible.

ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by guttboy
Widewing,

Great post on the 38.  Unfortunately it flies NOTHING like the P38J model from Air Warrior

That's because it's a different model and a different game.  But if you really want to know, the P-38L in AH is far easier to fly than the P-38J we had in AW.  The only thing the P-38J in AW has over the P-38L in AH was the lack of auto-retracting flaps.  Other than that, whatever you were able to do in the P-38J in AW, you can do and more with the P-38L in AH.


ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by OIO
Just skimming the basics Widewing

Now go fly it in the MA exclusively for a month, then come back and tell me what you think about those goddarned flaps autoretracting on you and making you spin.

thats was #1 issue for me cancelling my subscription. every flight, every sortie, I would always end up sciscoring someone (you know, MA you have to face the B&Z and T&Z at the same time coming at you)... and in a good number of those sorties the flaps just pull themselves up the very second they hit the maxspeed, even though it was at that speed for a fraction of a second as one was pulling a high G which bled the speed down to 200mph in less than a second. Flaps retract, plane spins, you lose angles, lose the fight/the angle you had gained.

all thanks to that fairy feature that shouldnt even be in that plane.

And from HiTech's reply to one of my anti-autoretracting flaps posts, I don't think he's inclined to get rid of this hand-holding feature.


ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by Widewing


For me, the discovery that the P-38 can stallfight successfully with Spits, Nikis and Wildcats was a revelation.  

You can add the Hurricane to that list as well.  The stall fighting ability of the P-38 is one of the things I've always boasted about when talking about the P-38.  With it's fantastic low speed handling and no torque, it's amazing a plane with its rather large profile can be so agile.


ack-ack

[Sway]

You meet a decent hurri/spit/n1k pilot coalt and don't boom and zoom it, there is a decent chance you WILL DIE, unless you use the stall fight tactics... which are fun

[Urchin]

You've gotta be kidding me.  Widewing, I want to get with you in the DA and fight P-38 vs Spit/N1k.  I'd have to see this to believe it.

[mos]

Originally posted by Urchin
You've gotta be kidding me.  Widewing, I want to get with you in the DA and fight P-38 vs Spit/N1k.  I'd have to see this to believe it.

Film both sides please.  Win or lose, I always want to learn more about how to fly the Lightning.

[Raptor]

When flying the P38 (which is almost always) my biggest fear is other P38's.

[Sway]

Usually don't have to worry about other 38's, they are mostly dweebs with no experience in it.  There aren't more than a handful of guys in AH that can really fly it.

[Sway]

And I would like to see this film also, Urchin in spit/n1k would be sorta brutal..

[Urchin]

Well, it has been my experience that a P-38 is dogmeat against a spit/nik flown with any kind of skill.  If Widewing has managed to kill a good pilot in that kind of fight then I can learn from him.

[Widewing]

Originally posted by Urchin
Well, it has been my experience that a P-38 is dogmeat against a spit/nik flown with any kind of skill.  If Widewing has managed to kill a good pilot in that kind of fight then I can learn from him.

I'm always game for a scrap. If we run into each other in the MA or DA, we'll go have some fun. The P-38 is great fun for stall fighting, something one rarely gets to do in the MA without some guy jumping in to take advantage of low, slow targets. A few of us were furballing low in the DA the other day, and one tardling after another would dive in guns blazing.... We finally took it to the TA where you can ignore them.

See ya up there.

My regards,

Widewing

[GRUNHERZ]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
You can add the Hurricane to that list as well.  The stall fighting ability of the P-38 is one of the things I've always boasted about when talking about the P-38.  With it's fantastic low speed handling and no torque, it's amazing a plane with its rather large profile can be so agile.
ack-ack

Yea but you cant outturn some NOOB in an La7.

[MOSQ]

I hope ya'll pick a date and time, then post it here. I will be there to see this !

[Sway]

Me also