Whirlwind stats

[arkaler]

Widewing,

I think your performance statistics are in error.

I have a couple of sources that quote the climb rate at or above 3k per minute.

Check out this link

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/BARC/whirlwind.html

Regards,

Arkaler

[HoHun]

Hi Arkaler,

>Check out this link

>http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/BARC/whirlwind.html

That's a good link, I found it very useful, too.

Climb rate should indeed be impressive for the Whirlwind as it was powered by 1770 HP for just 4658 kg of weight.

That's a power-to-weight ratio of 0.38 HP/kg, about equal to that of the Me 109E-3.

Up to its full throttle height, the Whirlwind must have been a very competetive aircraft in 1940! :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[Krusty]

It was plagued with engine problems, so it probably never got the power you're thinking of. And by the time they DID straighten it out, the typh was in production and it was phased out

[HoHun]

Hi Krusty,

>It was plagued with engine problems, so it probably never got the power you're thinking of.

I'm aware of reliability problems, but I'm not aware of any performance problems with the engines. Do you have any details? :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[Angus]

Same here, just read that those engines were prone to failiure, nothing else.
Apart from that their performance was OK, and for 1940 quite OK!

[Scherf]

Probably that old bugbear re: initial climb and sustained climb. The Warbirds Mossie suffers from the same thing - with wep (+18lbs boost), it only climbs at the +9lbs boost rate.

There are a lot of Whirly fans out there - hell, some guys do OK in the P-40 in the MA, can't see why some might not master the Whirly.

Cheers,

Scherf

[arkaler]

Well I started this thread in hopes of getting my argument somewhere. I started it initially as a thread titled WESTLAND WHIRLWIND and asked if anyone had any interest.

I got some responses but the general consensus is that it would be a 'Hangar Queen' because it would get slaughtered in the MA.

I'm kinda worried about AH gradually evolving into an 'UberPlane Furball Fest' where NOONE wants to model a plane that isn't competetive with the real killer planes that are perked.

I'm not talking about an imaginary plane that didn't exist, or a late war design that never saw combat. The Whirlwind is a plane that was manufactured and did see service but a combination of design flaws in an engine, high landing speeds, practical necessity and changing tactical RAF priorities and let's face it, lack of any motivation to correct the problem killed the plane after only 115 or so were made.

Please go see my thread listed above. Again, in AH none of these problems matter. This is the great RAF plane that MIGHT have been if things had worked out differently.

Incidentally, another sim HAS modeled this great bird.

PLEASE go see this other thread in the Aircraft and Vehicles forum.

Thanks,

Arkaler

[arkaler]

Here's some links

The link to the last thread

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=129193


The link to another sim that has the Westland Whirlwind

Again, I'm not plugging this Sim, I just like the pictures

http://secure.simmarket.com/product...products_id=809


Now TELL me you couldn't intercept a bomber in this and hold your own with a fighter?

And just think HoHun, if they model it and it turns out to be a success, they might model the Falke! Now that would be an awesome match up!

Regards,

Arkaler

[Karnak]

arkaler,

The MA has always been a "UberPlane Furball Fest".

The place where planes like the Spitfire Mk Ia, A6M2, Bf110C-4b and P-40b are useful is the CT and scenarios.

In those places the Whirlwind would be fine, but given the small number used there are higher priority holes that need to be filled in the early war planeset.

I do hope that the Whirlwind is added eventually.  It is a neat looking aircraft.

[arkaler]

OK, the second link didn't work.


Try this one:

http://secure.simmarket.com/product_info.php?products_id=809


Cool, huh?


Arkaler

[Angus]

Now there were also people that said the Hurricane would be a hangar queen.
The IIC I thought,,,never.

[HoHun]

Hi Arkaler,

>http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=129193

Well, I'd agree with the expectation that the Whirlwind would see little use in the MA. Though it was a good plane in 1940 (Me 110-style range coupled with Me 109E-style performance! The first escort fighter over the Reich!), the MA is dominated by 1945 aircraft.

The Mosquito and the Beaufighter are not entirely comparable to the Whirlwind because the Whirlwind has superior manoeuvrability and visibility, making it more capable in the fighter role. Still, by 1945 standards, it's slow as a snail. I'd imagine people would only fly it to carry 4 centrally-mounted Hispano cannon into head-on situations :-(


Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[Guppy35]

The Whirlwind's cheif competitor was the Beaufighter which was favored by the Air Ministry.

The fact that it was left with totally unsatisfactory engines speaks volumes to this.  It's the old what if it had been given Merlins instead, etc.

But it wasn't and in essence it's a fairly inconsequential aircraft in the overall scheme of things.  To have it would be a novelty but there would seem to be other's, like the Beaufighter that should be modeled first

It would be a bit like wanting the Hs-129 tankbuster.  Another underpowered aircraft that looks kinda cool and might be kinda fun, but low on the list overall.

Dan/Slack

[HoHun]

Hi Guppy,

>It's the old what if it had been given Merlins instead, etc.

>But it wasn't and in essence it's a fairly inconsequential aircraft in the overall scheme of things.  To have it would be a novelty but there would seem to be other's, like the Beaufighter that should be modeled first

Well, I'd agree Beaufighter before Whirlwind is the way to go for Aces High.

Reengineering the Whirlwind for the Beaufighter was considered, but it proved impossible without a complete redesign (think F-18E/F ;-) so that's a much bigger "What if" than the "reliable Peregrines" idea. You might as well consider a redesign for Vulture engines, which would be sort of logical, too :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[Angus]

I agree that the Beau is a much more logical thing for AH as things are.
The HS-129 has been mentioned before by some people that want it. Surely it could be "useable" in some situations, - i.e. Tankbusting, but it would not be able to fight it's way out of anything.
The Whirlwind is quite another story.
It's faster than the Hurricane, it has quad Hizookas, and it's rather nimble.
Never a total hangar queen...........