Highest alt inteception

[MOIL]

Originally posted by Rolex
His report also indicated that he spotted AKAK approximately 8K above him.

[Grendel]

Excellent story about those Corsairs. Though I don't think they downed a Nick. Its service ceiling was way lower and it wasn't a recon plane.

I bet their real target was this:


Ki-46 Dinah.

In the early stages of the war in the Pacific, the Allies were reduced to improvising vulnerable bombers and transports to the reconnaissance role. The Ki-46, in contrast, could operate with impunity, as it was faster than any fighters the Allies had in the region. Even when improved Allied fighters became available, the Ki-46 proved difficult to catch.

Ki-46 spied successfully even on CV formations and was extremerely hard catch until the end of the war, as the above account shows. Fast and could fly high. Quite possibly the best recon plane of whole WW2.

[SMIDSY]

in AH i have gotten the TA-152 up to about 68k (takes a couple hours) and overflown the HQ much to the shagrin of 163 pilots. it is quite funny cuz nobody can get at you no matter how hard they try because the 163 can only get to about 55k before it runs out of gas.

[FalconSix]

The US ALMV system was tested twice in 1984, firing interceptors but not against targets. Its first and only test against a satellite was performed on 13 October, 1985, when it destroyed an aging Solwind satellite in a 555 km orbit.

[TrueKill]

Originally posted by SMIDSY
in AH i have gotten the TA-152 up to about 68k (takes a couple hours) and overflown the HQ much to the shagrin of 163 pilots. it is quite funny cuz nobody can get at you no matter how hard they try because the 163 can only get to about 55k before it runs out of gas.

you talking about AHI or AH2 cuz if ur talkin bout AH2 I call BS cuz it would run outa fuel before that and iv taking the 163 to 75k+

[CDR1]

Actually I believe the Malta Story, A friend of my father was an "armorer" in North Africa and he has told a story of they stripping down a Spit and leaving only 1 303 in the wing. They removed armor etc. , everything that could be pulled out came out. I do not recall what kind of german plane they were after, however it apparently had a regular schedule and flew very high. The attack he claimed was successful and the unit he was in was " mentioned in dispatches" for their effort.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by BMwilly
Actually I believe the Malta Story, A friend of my father was an "armorer" in North Africa and he has told a story of they stripping down a Spit and leaving only 1 303 in the wing. They removed armor etc. , everything that could be pulled out came out. I do not recall what kind of german plane they were after, however it apparently had a regular schedule and flew very high. The attack he claimed was successful and the unit he was in was " mentioned in dispatches" for their effort.

That's close.  They added a 4 blade prop to the modified Spit Vs, as well as extended wing tips.  The armament was a single .5 machine gun in each wing.  Armor plate, radios and anything non essential was removed to save weight.

They did stop the Ju86P missions.

Dan/CorkyJr

[SMIDSY]

truekill, i did this about a month ago. in my experience in the MA 163s cant get much past 60k.

[TrueKill]

a 152 with even 100% and a DT will not get to 65k it doesnt have fuel to get to that alt.

[joeblogs]

Green's book on German AC of WWII talks about the first inteceptions of the high flying JU86's. They were done by Spits out of Alexandria. 3 fell in a short period and this led to a German effort to push the plane's max alt to the upper 40s. I don't remember if those saw action.

-Blogs

Originally posted by Kev367th
I always thought the highest alt intercaption of WWII was Emmanuel Galitzas interception of a JU86P over England in a modified Spit IX at approx 43,000ft.

Just watched a prog on the History Channel, they are claiming a Spit over the Med (assume Mk V?) intercetped and shot down a JU86P at 49,500ft.

Any ideas?

[Karnak]

Grendel,

That version of the Ki-46 is one of the most beautiful aircraft of WWII, but I'd have to say some late war PR aircraft were better.  Things like the Ar234 (range might be too short) and the Mosquito PR.Mk XVI.

The Ki-46 was definately a great PR aircraft though and a thorn in our side for most of the Pacific War.


Speaking of PR aircraft, I could see them having a real purpose in ToD.  Taking the shots needed for the missions to be planned and then taking before and after shots of the results.  PR Spits, Mossies, F-5s, F-8s, Ki-46s.  Solo flights that when you don't return nobody knows what happened.  The pilots who flew those long range, lonely missions over enemy territory were a breed apart from fighter pilots or bomber pilots.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Karnak
Grendel,

That version of the Ki-46 is one of the most beautiful aircraft of WWII, but I'd have to say some late war PR aircraft were better.  Things like the Ar234 (range might be too short) and the Mosquito PR.Mk XVI.

The Ki-46 was definately a great PR aircraft though and a thorn in our side for most of the Pacific War.


Speaking of PR aircraft, I could see them having a real purpose in ToD.  Taking the shots needed for the missions to be planned and then taking before and after shots of the results.  PR Spits, Mossies, F-5s, F-8s, Ki-46s.  Solo flights that when you don't return nobody knows what happened.  The pilots who flew those long range, lonely missions over enemy territory were a breed apart from fighter pilots or bomber pilots.

We pulled that off in an Airwarrior Scenario.  We had two guys who had the recce unit with the choice of an unarmed Spit IX standing in for an XI (They couldn't shoot back) and a PR Mossie.

They actually had a blast trying not to be found and pulled off the missions well.  They had to get the post strike photos of the targets, and they were on occasion running into Germany from their base in England.

Dan/CorkyJr

[SMIDSY]

turekill. planes use less fuel when at higher alt so you only need 50% and a drop tank. at altitudes like what i fly it at fuel is no issue.

[MrJolly]

My granddad (Burt Woods) was an Raf mechanic he was based in africa in ww2, he didnt talk about the war much at all & was a very humble man (sadly he died recently) & so ive no reason not to believe the following account. When he was based in africa he modified a single spitfire (the only one they had on thier very small base) to gain extra height (he didnt say how much height) to shoot down a high alt german recce plane(he didnt say what type). He told me it involved removing certain bolts from the spitfire (im sure he said the bolts were replaced). He didnt mention striping any machine guns just basic stuff which allowed the spitfire to reach alt & shoot down the recce plane (this i remember he was sure of).

He told me this before id heard of this anywhere else & so it all tallys up, so i think in this case the history channel is correct.

[Reynolds]

Originally posted by Guppy35
Don't believe everything you see on the History Channel
Dan/CorkyJr

Dont beleive ANYTHING you see on the history channel!!!

Oh, and what were Ju-86Ps?