Impressions of the 39

[DREDIOCK]

Ok after spending a few days fling the 39 here are some of the impressions I have of it.

This is the Q model and  WITH the wing guns

As someone who enjoys turnfighting I like it.
Nice guns and even the 50s alone do some real damage.
Complimented with the big gun and you can really make things go boom.

Doesnt exactly climb like a rocket and anyone flying it would be wise to resist the temptation to follow zoomers up unless you already have alot of E.
Takes a while for it to get to top speed in level flight and even in a slight climb its speed is reduced dramaticially.
Will go fast quick in a dive but
On the other hand. once it is going fast it seems to take longer for it to slow down as it does to speed up. So be wary of the overshoot and either reduce your throttle sooner or be ready to do something else.

Seems more quick then fast. if that makes sence.
Does turn rather well. You can definately get around on things. but it will become unstable at very slow speeds even with flaps.

Pretty nimble bird though.

Very nice buff killer. At around 10K you can zip past a flight of buffs and turn around to hit on them again almost faster then you want to.

Seems to take a licking and keep on ticking. reminds me of the jug in that regard.
I was rarely brought down by a single burst.

Army air corp training video claims it has "exellent visability in all directions"

I beg to differ.

Front and side views are great. Looking at your dead 6 is "only ok" but anything beyond that and there are several rather large blind spots

Looking behind you in any direction this bird is worse then the forward visability in the 190.
Rearward visability IMO is definately less then exellent LOL.
So remember to roll and jink the plane for SA and in locating that bogy on your 6.

All aroudn though I really like this plane.
should do well in a furball for whomever takes the time to learn it.

Best operating Alt seems to be 2-10 K
Nimble enough to hold its own against any of the turners here as well as to easily dodge the boom & zoomers
And rugged enough to take a few hits without disintegrating.

But thats just my opinion.

[ShrkBite]

if its just me or is it almost ever time i get into a turn fight in the 39, i always feel like im fighting a stall. i thought it would have more power. it takes a crap of a long time to get over to the bish feild in FT. And when you get there, you kill a niki or a spit, lose all your E and then get it back. THE FUEL DOESNT EVEN LAST THAT LONG (with the exception of the DT). For that is my biggest concern on the 39Q. And the poor rear visiblity, which is bad. i have to zoom all the way in to have the biggest field of view through the back. Armlement is great, Speed is Average, SA is Average, and Defense is Great. but its a slow arse plane sometimes. Thats my Take on the 39Q.

                                                                   

[Squire]

I have to say I really like the P-39Q.

The 6 view isnt that bad if you customize it, zoom down, then forward. Corsair rear view is worse.

Its fast, turns well, dives well, climbs good enough, has good E retention, and the firepower even with no gondos is good. Its not for high alt, and its range is like the Yak, LA, Spit, so-so at best.

Its "fun"...thats what it is, Im having a hoot in it.

[MotorOil1]

Yes, I like it as well.  It doesn't do anything well except in the armament department.  That being said, it doesn't do anything really badly.  It's just an average plane when it comes down to performance. 

It's great on slashing attacks against bommbers.  One pass, one kill. 

I've mostly enjoyed flying it offline but managed to get a 5 kill sortie out of it online over the weekend.

[dedalos]

Not sure which P39 you guys are using.  The ones I tried, well, I'd rather be in a P40.  A couple more weeks and we wont be seeing any P39s in the MA skies 

[FiLtH]

Yup I prefer P40E over it.

[2fly]

Not sure which P39 you guys are using.  The ones I tried, well, I'd rather be in a P40.  A couple more weeks and we wont be seeing any P39s in the MA skies 

I think you are absolutely correct.  Given that it is a new plane there really have not been that many of them around.  I played a lot this weekend and only encountered a small handfull of them.  And with the exception of shuffler planting a big 37mm into my face once, didnt have too much trouble with them.  (It wasnt quite a HO Shuff, as I didnt quite have guns on you too, but it did hit me in the face.  Call it a frontal quadrant pick as I was chaseing someone else)

[dedalos]

Like everything else though, its perfect modeling will be changed a few times until it flies like a Spit err F4U err 109 

[BaDkaRmA158Th]

Man, i made tater salad last night over 54 for about 3 hours in my p39.
It can turn on a dime once at 210mph, i soaked up TONS of damage MULTIPLE time's, and was still able to limp home with 2-4 kill on my belt each time i went up.

The 39 is not useless, it is capable, if you know how to fly a plane and use its weapons ..you stand a chance.
One thing to also consider is anyone who is good in a p40 should rightfully so be just as well off in a p39, and vice versa, give or take a few trates from each other.

And that 37mm cant be beat on a dog fighter, nothin' like sliding in behind a temp 800 out and snapping its wing off with one hit.
Yeah the yak's faster and has a way better gun, but the backup weaponry is a joke, nimble as she may be.
And for the punishment, forget about it.


Iron DOG indeed, get in front of my muzzle, ill bite.

[dedalos]

The 39 is not useless, it is capable, if you know how to fly a plane and use its weapons ..you stand a chance.
One thing to also consider is anyone who is good in a p40 should rightfully so be just as well off in a p39, and vice versa, give or take a few trates from each other.

I still learning so what exactly are the P39s weapons?  It cant turn, climb, run, or see behind it 

[Saxman]

The P-39s are fairly nimble in the middle of the speed range. Roll is ok if not spectactular, and she's fairly responsive in mid to high-speed maneuverability. Climb rate isn't remarkable and less-than-stellar acceleration, though she seems to retain E fairly well. The P-39Q actually is somewhat competitive in top airspeed at her optimal altitude range when matched against the other purely Midwar fighters (remember, the Q IS a Midwar ship) at co-alt. The Q has much more power and it shows, though neither aircraft are particularly well-equipped for sustained maneuvering.

The Q has four Browning .50s, which the Ma Deuce in any package should never be taken lightly, and I think she has a superior 37mm over the D's, although not as good as the Yak's. Does anyone know what 20mm the D has in the alternate configuration?

[Shuffler]

Not sure which P39 you guys are using.  The ones I tried, well, I'd rather be in a P40.  A couple more weeks and we wont be seeing any P39s in the MA skies 

I disagree... the 39Q is a nice ride and can be very effective. It is one of the slickest AC in the game now with very low drag. It is most effective up around 12 to 14k. It holds E very well and can run down most planes in the game. Fly it without the extra underwing guns. It turns well and rolls decently.

[crockett]

Yup I prefer P40E over it.

Yea my impression is the p39 feels a lot like the P40, but you just can't see nothing behind you. If you could see behind you, then it would make a hell of a nice little plane IMO. I almost feel defenses in the 39 because of how horrible rear view.

[Bosco123]

I think its an OK plane. I like that at high speed almost nothing can out turn it, but at low speeds, it stalls and is realy hard to handle. It has a great package, if you can land a 30mm on it. It realy has crappy veiw.
Thats MHO.

[Rich46yo]

                        Im not going to say its an uber-plane, or that Im "uber" in it. But Im glad the P-39 was included. Historically the airplane had a large presence in the war and it really deserves to be in the game. <S> to the AH staff for giving it to us.

                      Now the Whirbel I am thrilled with. I absolutely love that GV.