Guys, the fact that one aircraft has a radial engine, whilst the other has an inline does not necessarily mean that the latter is more aerodynamically 'clean' than the former.
In my younger years I used to hang around ships a lot.
Big ships.
REALLY big ships!
Ever seen a supertanker? Bloody big bulbous nose on those suckers which you would think would cause enormous drag, just like a radial engine.
But you know what, it's actually a very low-drag design! That bulbous nose (and the radial nose) displaces the water or air in front of it, creating a region of lower pressure on the trailing hull or fuselage.
Ever seen some of the designs for 'supercavitating' vessels? Blunt nose, yet are theorised to be able to travel supersonic under the water!
Nice pointy inline engine causes the whole fuselage to generate skin drag ... bulbous radial nose partially eliminates that drag.
Funked, wells, where are those aerodynamic experts when I need 'em
Oh, the Nik still dives too well and retains the E from that dive unbelievably well
I've been run down at 550 mph by a Nik coming off a dive. Never even knew the sucker would hold together at that speed!
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Jekyll
9./JG 54 "Grünherz"
Aces High Training Corps
