The new 38 is a monster....Have films to prove it

[storch]

Originally posted by Slash27
Challenge accepted at 19:41hrs CST. Still waiting for the response from the AKAK camp.

challenge was accepted a few days ago but who cares?  from my perspective duelling is pointless.  none of what occurs in a duel has any significance in a furball.  it proves nothing.  you want a duel? name a dojo and let's spar a bit.  that is infinitely more gratifying.  in AH duelling irrespective of the outcome the next time he logs on  in the MA (akak) he'll be at 107k hunting guys who have something in the microwave and went to fetch it.  that's how he plays.  not to get chest puffy or anything but it is no feat to go into the MA today, up a midwar plane and go smoke a handful of the unintiated in spit16s.  the MA seems to become lamer with every passing tour.  the only good to come from it is the coffers of HTC are full and that might be funding a more interesting game further on down the road.  there is a chinese saying "one generation plants the seed, another generation benefits from the shade".

[Slash27]

Well there is plenty of "shades" in the MA right now.










Get it . "shades"...

















Anyway, DA or dojo I want to watch.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by jaxxo
im not taking sides at all here but i rarely see a p38 low and slow enuff to use those advantages..mostly that the the 38  is a con magnet and will immediately attract the attention of 5 to 10 spits and niks to come waste it..also the best 38 sticks usually have good sa as well as a few wingmen to clear them..not a judgement just a fact..

I must not be flying where you are Jaxxo

Had me a one in a million, knock down drag out fight in my 38G vs a Spit 16 the other day.  He was at 9K and I was at 6 when he bounced me as a made a pass at a buff group.  Fight turned down to the deck and got slower and slower.  The flaps came out on both our birds and ultimately his clipped wing stalled out before my 38 and he had to level and extend.  I did the same and followed and he quickly turned into me and we ended up in a rolling scissors on the deck.  That last notch of flaps made the difference as I was able to hang with him and he couldn't spit me out one side of the fight.  

I finally took off a wing with a snap shot as he pulled tight in front of me.  The fight lasted exactly 5 minutes.  Yeah I suck and a good 38 stick might have gotten him sooner, but in the pre patch 38, I'd have stalled it into the water.

The most fun 1 v 1 I've had in a while.

Rolling over the top as we battled for position.


The snap shot that took off his wing.

[pigface]

Maybe I'm missing something...

Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Big, twin-engine fighter plane used by Army fliers from 1943 in the Pacific
 
9,200 planes produced, starting in March, 1942.
P-38J specs: 420 MPH, , four 50 caliber machine guns and one 20 mm cannon, all nose-mounted

Why can't I get my 38 to go over 350 without compressing? I can barely get this bird over 300 on level flight. All the above gibbah jabbah on wether this is an accurate model still fall short. Still my fav of fav planes and this FM is really close, I just want to put the Lightening back in P38 Lightening!!

Specification of the P-38L:

14,100 lbs empty, 17,500 lbs combat loaded. Maximum speed was 360 mph at 5000 feet, 390 mph at 15,000 feet, 414 mph at 25,000 feet. An altitude of 20,000 feet could be reached in 7 minutes. Service ceiling was 40,000 feet. Maximum range at sea level was 900 miles. At 30,000 feet, maximum range was 2260 miles (with drop tanks). Dimensions were wingspan 52 feet 0 inches, length 37 feet 10 inches, height 12 feet 10 inches, and wing area 328 square feet Armed with one 20-mm Hispano AN-M2C cannon with 150 rounds and four 0.50-inch Browning machine guns with 500 rounds per gun.

This data and the rest of the 38 specs were found at:

Acepilots.com

http://www.acepilots.com/planes/p38_lightning.html

And here:

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p38_15.html

[Murdr]

420 mph at 26.000 ft
414 mph at 25,000 ft

Compression can be managed, here is a film where I top out at 505 mph diving away from 2 after going bingo ammo bingofun.ahf

[pigface]

Cool flick! Cant believe they followed you into the ack like that. So how did you get it to not compress?

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

It should be noted that buffeting begins before the onset of compression.

I use several tricks (rolling and lateral skids for the most part) in order to not actually compress, but I ride the buffet when necessary for speed.

I do agree that compression appears to be overmodelled here, at least as compared to what actual pilots have told me, as well as what is written in most books.

[38ruk]

I've read in Warren Bodie's book, "The Lockheed P-38 LIGHTNING " , that compressibilty was never encountered with dives starting below 25,000 ft .

In Chapter 7 "The Specters of War and Compressibility " PG:77 Pharagraph 2 SNIP: "For a number of reasons , it was virtually impossible to encounter compressibilty tuck in any P-38 types if the dive was entered at 25,000 feet or less . Numerous test flights confirm this " SNIP

Ive posted this before and never really got a answer either way about why the 38 here is easily compressed below 25k .

[Wilbus]

The P38 had a very low max Mach speed of (if I remember correct in my head) 0.74 meaning that was the max speed it could reach in any dive.

Compare this to a Spitfire of 0.92 and you'll see why it compressed as early as it does.

[38ruk]

At 0.68 the 38 will begin compressibilty that peaks at 0.74 , im not questioning that   . I'm questioning the fact that test pilots and lockheed said that compressabilty wasnt an issue below 25k , but in AH i can get a 38 to compress at 10k .  I'm just saying it should be looked into.

[LEDPIG]

Well geez if nobody else will fight you i will Storchee, sounds like fun, i'm always up for a good tussle:D

[storch]

I don't see what the big deal is.  I get as many planes as I want to die in for $14.95 per month.  The problem might be that some of the players might not have much of a social life and place far too great an emphasis on how they are perceived by other social outcasts within this "community".  I will cheerfully fight you in the DA or The AvA or the MA or this bbs or in any other venue, I just like to fight, it matters little to me what the medium is.  If you beat me I will taunt you some more and fight you again.  ask that idiot tmthng.

[Lazerr]

Ya storch, your singing an old song man...

[Widewing]

Originally posted by Wilbus
The P38 had a very low max Mach speed of (if I remember correct in my head) 0.74 meaning that was the max speed it could reach in any dive.

Compare this to a Spitfire of 0.92 and you'll see why it compressed as early as it does.

Heya Wilbus, Spitfires had a critical Mach well below Mach 0.92, probably closer to Mach 0.78 to 0.80.

The single Spitfire that reportedly attained Mach 0.92 did so missing its prop and without the benefit of instrumentation that could accurately measure airspeeds that high.

I am not aware of any viable test data that shows a speed greater than Mach 0.84 (in a dive) for any WWII aircraft with a propeller attached to its engine.

Critical Mach for the P-38 was Mach 0.68.

My regards,

Widewing

[Tac]

the question is: why do the 38 flaps still auto-retract?


#1 reason why i have not re-subscribed. Nothing more idiotic than a fairy feature making you spin when all it should do is buffet your plane and in prolonged exposure lock the flaps.