all those dang p47's :)

[laz]

hi....  this is bugging the crap outta me and i was just wondering if any... .what are the differences in all the p-47s.  Almost any answere would be helpful.

[Mark Luper]

Hi Laz,
First of all as you know these are not t&b'rs but some do turn better than others. Aside from the obvious external differences here is a little of what I have observed flying these guys.

P-47-D-30: This is my Jabo plane of choice. It can carry up to two 1k bombs under the wings and ten rockets and a single 500lbr under the fuselage. It has the most horspower of the three, it will pull 52" of mp at 100% and 65" mp in wep. It also is the only one of the three with dive brakes. Without ordanance attached to it it is one of the better of the very high altitude flyers. It is in it's element over 25k.

P-47-D-25: This one is a "bubble top" as is the -30. It is a little lighter (300lbs is the figure I understand it to be). It only pulls 49" of mp at 100% and 60" in wep. It can carry almost the same loadout as the -30 with the exception of the rockets. It only carries 6 of those and they are shot out of tubes that stay with the plane after the rockets are shot. It feels a bit lighter to me and used to be my ride of choice for fighter sweeps because it did tend to fly better at the lower alts and seemed to turn a bit better too. It also outclimbed the -30 at full loadout. It is another good one over 25k. Both it and the D-30 use the paddle blade prop and water injection. It gives up a little in climb to the -30 over 20k due to the reduced wep. It's green and it is harder to see down low and if flown with icons turned off and is harder to pick out from the terrain than the D-30. It is painted in the Brasilian "Senta Pua" squadron colors.

P-47-D-11: My current favorite. The lightest of the three though I don't know what the figure is. It is the "Razorback" and the extra side area makes it more stable in low speed turns. It is really a sweet ride. I carries less fuel than the other two and can carry only one 500lb bomb or a external tank on the centerline under the fuselage. It will only pull 49" mp at 100% throttle and 60" at wep like the -25 but it doesn't have the paddle blade prop like the other two. That prop makes a lot of difference in how it climbs. This one gives up over 250 fpm over 20k to the other two. It does turn much better at low altitude than the other two but also gives up some visability due to the canopy frames and the restricted 6 view. It is green like the -25 and colored in the 56FG squadron colors.

I hope this helps. If you want to fighter sweep I prefer the -11, it is really a good ride for that mission right now.

   

[ 06-11-2001: Message edited by: Mark Luper ]

[Betown]

Nice one Mark!
Very good explanation.

[lazs1]

markat... sorry bud but laz or lazer is not me.  I wondered what you were talking about in the arena.   oh.... your explanation is quite good tho.
lazs
 allways been lazs but BB ate my handle so that's why the lazs1

[SpitLead]

Luper (MarkAT),

Based on your description, I can't understand why one would fly the D-11.  It can't climb as fast, can't carry nearly as big a load, visibility is poorer, etc.  I flew both the D-11 and D-30 and for me the D-30 is the plane of choice.  As you know, in a jug you don't want to get down low and slow.  The D-11 turns better on the deck and that's about the ONLY advantage I see to flying the D-11 over the D-25/-30 but you should not be in that position if you can help it. And with red icon labels, a green airplane doesn't help you much at all.  For that matter, you could fly the D-25.  I hate the visibility of the D-11 and my gunnery and SA suffers in that plane. I only fly it for a change of pace and not very often at that.  On the flip side I've run into some smooth flying D-11 pilots who've given me a run for my money turn fighting on the deck.  I've been very surprised at it's agility.  If you're not careful, an unsuspecting pilot can get sucked in thinking they have a big advantage.

[Mark Luper]

First of all as you know these are not t&b'rs but some do turn better than others.  

You bring up a good point there SpitLead. I agree to a point. Yes, you shouldn't get low and slow against a con however, unless I am just going to play it ultra safe all the time (no fun) then you end up down near the deck on occasion.

To me the lack of visibility is not that big a deal, yes it is less but there are only a couple of places in the cockpit that really bother me. Good SA takes care of most of that.

In the medium altitudes and higher it still is a good ride and turns better than the other two. I havn't done that well in it since it's introduction but that is due to other circumstances other than the lack of climb ability and view potential.

It still dives and handles high speeds as well as the other two and has those magnificent 8 guns with up to 3400 rounds of 50 cal available. It is also very tough.

Understand also I am a P-47 nut and I love razorbacks  . Look at my signature.

[laz]

well guys.. i was on vacation for awhile and got back and read this... now it makes sence and i know what one to fly and when.thanx a lot for all the help