Originally posted by Karnak:
miko2D,
Actually, no, that is not what it was like in real life.
Airforces did not give their best aircraft to just their best pilots.
It is a fact that in Luftwaffe only the best pilots (trainees) were given a chance to fly 262. Crashing one in training got you removed from the jet training program according to the memoirs I've read. Even though the forced landing could have been caused by a flight of P51s showing up diring a practice session...
But that is not what I ment. The best aces flew the same model of the aircraft that the rest of the squadron.
They just got the most expert mechanics and armament techs spending more time on their planes - fixing, tuning, etc. They got the new planes and spare parts first. If someone was flying with an engine at 120% of it's resourse it was not likely to be a top ace. they had parts replaced rather then mended.
If some part of an airplane developed a persistent problem (engine vibration, gunsite jitter, gun jams, noisy radio, engine overheating after 5 rather then 10 minutes of WEP, etc.) the ace was less likely to be told to bear with it.
If you do not know the difference in performance of top-notch served machinery and the regular one, especially in the time of shortages, you have never served in the army...
The documented difference in top speed of the same Spitfire with all the seals adjusted and painted more thoughroughly with a better paint was about 10 mph compared to the regular one.
If the regular plane had a few holes hastily patched and a few panels bent that was even worse.
Why do you think there are huge discrepancies (up to 25 mph) when it comes to reporting the speeds? The same planes really flew very differently depending on their conditions.
Of course in russian airforce an ace also had an escort of a squadron or two specifically charged with protecting his 6 (and failure to do so was punished most severely).
miko