Originally posted by Krusty
If you believe some propoganda on it, it's the end-all, be-all of uber fighters.
I've always held the opinion (defended by this and many related refernces) that show the P-39 was an unstable plane.
I hope HTC gets it right, though.
Sometimes I just want to scream
The 39 wasn't a trainer. It wasn't something a new pilot just hopped in and went tearing around in without knowing what he was doing. If you talk to 39 pilots or read what 39 pilots wrote, it was clearly a bird that did more with an experienced pilot at the stick.
Quoting Hugh Dow, a high time 39 pilot with a couple of 109 kills to his credit.
"The P-39 experienced a mission limiting set back early on when the air staff deleted the requirement for a two-stage supercharger. As a result it was forever restricted to lower operating range then the Luftwaffe's fighters. This disadvantage could only be overcome if the opponent chose to give up his ability to make relatively safe diving and climbing attacks from above. Only the inexperienced or cock-sure were likely to forfiet their supierior altitude and thus speed advantage. This diving-climbing tactic was apparently exploited by the Me-109 pilots of JG-77 on March 13, 1943 when they intercepted an 81st Group formation of 12 P-39s over Tunisia on a strafing mission and shot down seven. Probably many fled instead of staying and fighting as pairs. For we know from our own head to head fight tests with the Me-109 that the P-39 held a slight performance edge on that opponent in both speed and turning radius down at low altitude. That advantage was used by pilots of the 350th group a year later, on April 6, 1944, over Italy when they too were jumped at low altitude by a larger force of Me-109s and FW-190s, and shot down five of them without a loss to the P-39s."
Edwards Park, a 35th FG P39 pilot talking about flying it:
"It's controls were extremely delicate. The slightest hint of abruptness on the part of the pilot would be rewarded with a high-speed stall, in which the lifting surfaces were 'burbled' and suddenly fail to lift on one side. Result" a snap roll, which is a violent thing to do when you mean to, and a real buster when you don't.....The only way to make a turn was to think about it. Think left, and around she'd go, nice as pie. Think steep turn and she'd rack around so tightly that your eyeballs would sag."
The point being, it's not going to be a novice's bird in AH either. It won't be a monster for the guy who flies it once in a while. But like any of the birds, the more someone gets to know it, the more lethal they'll be come with it.
These stupid blanket statements about it good or bad, just drive me up the wall!
