Author Topic: P38 Spins... WTF? (Read 419 times)

Tac · « **on:** February 16, 2001, 07:43:00 PM »

Im fed up with them. Cant reproduce them on purpose, they happen at high speeds, at low speeds, with flaps, without flaps, on low g turns, on high g turns, when heavy, when light, when nearly outta gas and outta ammo, when full gas, full ammo... im fed up enough to ask if this crap really happened in the P-38? Nothing ive read, seen on documentaries, pilot notes etc even mention this.

Widewing? Any light on this? HT? Someone?

Its like the plane at random applies some kind of mega air brake on one wing and makes it spin faster than a FW190 on PMS.

Excuse me now, I'll go beat up the neighbors kid....

Fishu · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2001, 08:21:00 PM »

Every plane spins if you stretch their limits enough..

Is P-38 supposed to be some UFO that im not aware of?

though, only times I've managed to unintentionally spin P-38, has been with one dead engine.

Tac · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2001, 08:37:00 PM »

I would understand that if it was an extreme manouver or at really low speeds and high angles fishu, but this happens seemingly at random in any situation. Read above.

flakbait · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2001, 11:22:00 PM »

I've posted this film before, and here it is again. Power on and off, with and without flaps. This has got to get fixed, along with single engine operation in multi-engine planes.

P-38 Stall/Spin film

-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta 6's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"With all due respect Chaplian, I don't think God wants to hear from me right now.
I'm gonna go out there and remove one of His creations from this universe.
And when I get back I'm gonna drink a bottle of Scotch like it was
Chiggy von Richthofen's blood and celebrate his death."
Col. McQueen, Space: Above and Beyond

Fishu · « **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2001, 05:09:00 AM »

I have to consider myself lucky one when I haven't met any unusual spinnings..
Just hate that I can't take deflection shots well in P-38; I pull the stick to follow target and I get mini stuttering in controls..

probably just stick issue, though, other planes are good

Replicant · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2001, 11:14:00 AM »

I used to fly P38 a fair bit several tours ago and it was about the only plane I would have irrecoverable flat spins....

Nexx

Tac · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2001, 02:32:00 PM »

"along with single engine operation in multi-engine planes"

What does this mean?

Tac · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2001, 06:34:00 PM »

anyone?

flakbait · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2001, 10:17:00 PM »

Tac in real life you can taxi in a P-38 with only one engine. In AH you can't, the plane stays in place and spins in circles. Both the B-26 and P-38 have this problem, and it's FAR from realistic. That's why I said it needs to be fixed along with the P-38.

-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta 6's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"For yay did the sky darken, and split open and spew forth fire, and
through the smoke rode the Four Wurgers of the Apocalypse.
And on their canopies was tattooed the number of the Beast, and the
number was 190." Jedi, Verse Five, Capter Two, The Book of Dweeb

Tac · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2001, 11:42:00 PM »

Cc, I hate that too. But the spins bother me more than single engine taxiing.... a lot, lot more.

flakbait · « **Reply #10 on:** February 18, 2001, 06:06:00 AM »

Hmm, no word from the Boss-man yet. Odd. Anyhoo this is getting to be a pain in the ***. If I sound pissed, I don't mean to; honestly. This is getting nuts, a P-38 with flaps could easily hold 100mph. How to I know? Zeno's training film shows a P-38 [Foxtrot prolly] at 100mph with an army spotter plane. Combine this with F4UDOA's proof that flaps are way off and you get an idea of the problem. Seems Pyro's test version is the version we should be using; it works perfectly.

-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta 6's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"With all due respect Chaplian, I don't think God wants to hear from me right now.
I'm gonna go out there and remove one of His creations from this universe.
And when I get back I'm gonna drink a bottle of Scotch like it was
Chiggy von Richthofen's blood and celebrate his death."
Col. McQueen, Space: Above and Beyond

Tac · « **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2001, 12:54:00 PM »

Dead Man Flying · « **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2001, 02:51:00 PM »

I dueled the 38 in H2H a number of times last night for kicks. At no point did I notice unexpected or unusual spins; in fact, the 38 struck me as a very stable gun platform.

However, I think observations about single engine behavior in the 38 are spot on. Something's definitely wrong when I'm flying straight on one engine at 150ias and torque flips me into the dirt. That doesn't seem quite right.

-- Todd/DMF

rosco- · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2001, 03:50:00 PM »

I cant say much about the unrecoverable spins as i have never gotten the P38 into a spin, and I fly it quite bit. It may be porked or it may not be, Ive never flown a real one and am not qualified to comment, but its far from the underdog everyone seems to make it out to be. You can take a lot of ord and if need be drop it and dogfight with almost anything. I like it!

I agree on the 1 engine waltz though, its annoying and even though im probably not qualified to comment on it either...its not right.

Tac · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2001, 04:42:00 PM »

"At no point did I notice unexpected or unusual spins; in fact, the 38 struck me as a very stable gun platform."

Its supposed to be. And it is as long as that bs spin doesnt show up.

"However, I think observations about single engine behavior in the 38 are spot on. Something's definitely wrong when I'm flying straight on one engine at 150ias and torque flips me into the dirt"

Single-Engine P-38 will give you a nasty pull, the engine is not in the middle of the aircraft and you have a dead engine creating drag on the other side, that flip will happen when you are slow and on one engine.. thats why I dont get slow until i get near my landing spot and then cut engine and glide land.

Waiting for some explanation for this or some evidence that this did happen in the RL 38. The system is muting me for 10 minutes a lot lately. =P