Author Topic: P-38 Lightning : Advice & Tips (Read 8809 times)

Citabria · « **Reply #30 on:** April 06, 2000, 03:01:00 AM »

38L outruns a spit9 down low. just dont climb more than a few hundred feet per minute.

550mph? at that speed i always loose ailerons and all my elevator

batdog · « **Reply #31 on:** June 28, 2001, 12:14:00 PM »

bump...so HOW much has changed?

xBAT

Tac · « **Reply #32 on:** June 28, 2001, 09:34:00 PM »

id say... Zilch!

Check back in "2 weeks"

ispar · « **Reply #33 on:** June 29, 2001, 09:34:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Vermillion:
Why is that Citabria? Honest question.

I know the P-38 had a reputation for being a good turning aircraft, but that was in comparison to other American Aircraft.

Your comparing relatively small agile aircraft, versus what is a huge heavy behemoth.

Nothing in the numbers I have ever seen would indicate to me that the P-38 should be turning with Spitfires.

In comparison with other American aircraft? Not at all! The Lightning had a turn rate and radius that were quite close to that of the Spitfire, and an initial turn that was better. Weight has nothing to do with it; the P-38 had one of the best wing loadings in WWII for any fighter aircraft, if not the best. Somewhere around 20 lbs/sq. inch, as I recall. Which, by the way, is better than the Spitfire (27-29 lbs/sq inch, I believe).

It also had a lot more power to keep turns coming, and P-factor helped in the instantaneous turn.

Dux · « **Reply #34 on:** June 29, 2001, 12:29:00 PM »

Slightly OT, but in response to FARIZ...
the writer's full name was Antoine de Saint-Exupery. He disappeared over the English Channel during a (unarmed, I believe) P-38 reconnaissance mission. I had read in Aviation Week a couple of years ago that they located his plane under water, but never heard anything further than that.

My favorite story of his is "Night Flight".

ispar · « **Reply #35 on:** June 29, 2001, 06:18:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Dux:
Slightly OT, but in response to FARIZ...
the writer's full name was Antoine de Saint-Exupery. He disappeared over the English Channel during a (unarmed, I believe) P-38 reconnaissance mission. I had read in Aviation Week a couple of years ago that they located his plane under water, but never heard anything further than that.

My favorite story of his is "Night Flight".

You mean the guy that wrote The Little Prince?

Dux · « **Reply #36 on:** June 29, 2001, 07:27:00 PM »

Yup.

rust · « **Reply #37 on:** July 08, 2001, 11:56:00 PM »

Actually, Saint Exupery died off the coast of Bastia in the Mediterranean Sea. My grandfather, Pierre Siegler, was in his squadron and they were buddies as they were both older than most everyone else in the squad. They flew the unarmed photo recon version of the P-38 called the F-5A. My mother tells me that St. Ex was late for what proved to be his final mission and my grandfather decided to fly the mission in his stead. He was taxiing to the strip when St. Ex came running to the field waving his arms. My grandfather got out, St. Ex got in, and no one ever saw him again.

German logs say that he was shot down by two pre-production FW 190-D9s on July 31, 1944. He was used to open air bi-planes and hated the P-38. He said he felt less like a pilot and more like an accountant sitting down in front of a pile of adding machines- too many switches and knobs and dials to interfere with the flying.

As they flew for the Free French and it is my connection to flying and WWII in general, I have started a Free French squadron here and am trying my damndest to fly the P-38 but I suck at it! This plane is impossible. I do fine with the Yak (flown by the Free French in Russia) and I can even fly the P-47 better than that blasted P-38. But I'm going to stick with it because I HAVE to! Why, oh, why couldn't my grandfather have flown a Spit... or a Yak, or an F-4U, or anything else for that matter?

I'm a little encouraged to hear that the flaps are wrong, or were last year. Anyone know if the modelling is improved now or is it all just my pathetic skills?

Please keep the tips coming!

Thanks,

Rust

The Free French Air Force

P.S. They recently found the wreck but the distant family of St. Exupery do not want it raised. They dislike the idea of concrete evidence of his death. They preferr to imagine him vanishing in the air like his little prince. I hope this silliness gets overridden as many, including me, would be interested in seeing the machine in which he flew and any artifact which serves to sustain the public's interest in WWII and flying is a good one for me.

Seeker · « **Reply #38 on:** July 09, 2001, 02:57:00 AM »

Can any one say what the dive flaps (shift-C) *should* do, compared to what they *do* do?

I routinely engage them when on a dive run (The spit is my preferred A 2 A ride, the P38 my preferred Jabo)and I can't honestly notice any difference.

In AW (where I'm from) the P38 had dive brakes. Was this correct? and should AH introduce it? (not a P38 expert....)

ft · « **Reply #39 on:** July 09, 2001, 04:48:00 AM »

They added flaps on the lower surface of the wing to restore normal airflow over the elevator after encountering shock waves forming on the wing during high speed dives. This eliminated the "tuck-under" problem that could make the 38 impossible to pull out of a dive.

Cheers,
/ft

Naudet · « **Reply #40 on:** July 09, 2001, 05:41:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by ispar:

the P-38 had one of the best wing loadings in WWII for any fighter aircraft, if not the best. Somewhere around 20 lbs/sq. inch, as I recall. Which, by the way, is better than the Spitfire (27-29 lbs/sq inch, I believe).

It also had a lot more power to keep turns coming, and P-factor helped in the instantaneous turn.

LOL sry but that is so funny i cant even believe u really posted that, i have done a wing loading calculation for most late war AH birds at normal loaded conditions and empty weight (tabell is at home, will give exact data when i am back there), but the P38 had the highest wingloading of em all, somewhere over 50lbs/square foot if i remember right.

i personally never thought that wingloading is the number one factor for turning, but the AH community seems to give this factor the major attention when comparing turning circle and speed.

I know from comparative test with and FW190 by the RAF that the P38 was able to outturn the FW190 at 280- Km/h ( flaps 1 deployed) at all speeds above the 190 was the better.

I dont think the P38 turns to bad in AH, when flying it a couple of times last tour, i was estonished how easy u could swing her around and keep E. Also i found the turnrate pretty impressive for a bird of that size.

straffo · « **Reply #41 on:** July 09, 2001, 06:57:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by rust:
P.S. They recently found the wreck but the distant family of St. Exupery do not want it raised. They dislike the idea of concrete evidence of his death. They preferr to imagine him vanishing in the air like his little prince. I hope this silliness gets overridden as many, including me, would be interested in seeing the machine in which he flew and any artifact which serves to sustain the public's interest in WWII and flying is a good one for me.

As a french grown reading st Ex I too dislike this idea.
What about diging grave to expose the remain of Victor Hugo for exemple ? what a bad idea (and a non respect of the poete

)

batdog · « **Reply #42 on:** July 09, 2001, 07:02:00 AM »

The fowlers added wing surface... considerable I think. The twin props backwash gave the wings added stablity at low speeds. The "wash" kept the airflow on the wings for abit longer. The P-38 was an unusal fighter... it was a plane with some strange "abilities" due to its unique design.

xBAT

[ 07-09-2001: Message edited by: batdog ]

Kingonads · « **Reply #43 on:** July 09, 2001, 10:30:00 AM »

I have flown the P38 a bit this tour and I have been REALY disapointed in its performance in AH. I have studied the P38 for most of my life I loved the look of the P38 as a kid and I also loved the A6M5 and Spitfire..... BUT. I have found that the AH modeling of the P38 "lighting" has made it a P38 "Lightfixture" It is anything but a great plane in AH I have had a few good sorties in it and I have had several bad ones.

I.E. I was at around 25K when I happened appon a Seafire 10K below me. I began a gental turn to get me on his high six then began a shallow dive on it... this is where it gets sad The spit took evasive actions I turned once with him with flaps at 1 notch then climbed away I retracted flaps and lined up again. Then when I came down again the spit just started to out run me in a dive, now I know and U know a Seafire can not out dive any P38 I was doing about 350 IAS and accelerating and he just kept out running me I climbed away and let him go. But he out ran me in level flight too. I may have not managed the E properly but I doubt it I let him go because it pissed me off so bad I didnt see a point in it.

As for a atk plane it is super.

Hodo

Dux · « **Reply #44 on:** July 09, 2001, 11:24:00 AM »

Thanks Rust, great story.

As for the P-38 in AH, it's a love/hate thing. I've always loved the plane, and my perception of it's characteristics just don't match the AH "reality".

Of course I have no idea which one is closer to the truth.