P38J at alt

[BaldEagl]

i still have that one question though?

will practicing at those altitudes help improve low alt performance of the loose nut behind the controls?

If you don't already know the edges of the flight envelope then yes it will help.  I never look at my instrument panal during any fight at any alt in any plane.  I go strictly by sound (wind noise, stall buzzer, etc.), feel (buffeting, control stiffness, etc.) and need relative to what my opponent's doing.

[TequilaChaser]

i still have that one question though?

will practicing at those altitudes help improve low alt performance of the loose nut behind the controls?

Yes in the way that you will gain a more finese control over your controller inputs and your flying performance should become more smoother fluid like

[Murdr]

Here is the dive placard for the P-38L (for the purposes of AH, the figures also apply to earlier models)


If you'll notice the TAS figures, there is not a wide variance.  That's why in an engagement at high altitude I suggest glancing at your TAS when contemplating a diving maneuver.  It is a simple way to avoid trying to dive 3,000ft and end up recovering 10,000 feet later.

By the way, the source for that image, and a number of other historical documents are availble from their respective AHWiki aircraft pages.  I uploaded a few hundred MBs of documents earlier this year.

[Murdr]

In my experience in the 38's it seemed to me that those twin thrusters gave it a vertical advantage at higher alts particularily against the 109's and 190's, which get pretty feable at anything much over 20K, but you fly them a lot more than I do so I could be wrong.

I do fly 109's and 190's quite a bit and in a 109 I'd want that fight in the 15-17K range or lower.  I'd only want it in a 190 if I could maintain a speed advantage regardless of alt although a 190 could safely dive out at any time.

If I had to be nailed down on a figure for P-38J/L vs 109F I'd have to go with 23k because that's were the 38s power advantage starts to become definitive, but there is wiggle room there depending on pilot skill and who still has WEP.  I can't count the number of times I've dragged an enemey plane up with my 38 to a specific altitude for that model so I could out power them and dance on their head

[CaptainFokker]

Freaking Mach number is not on your instrument panel.  Cap can glance at his TAS and say "crap, I better be careful, I'm doing 420 TAS at 22K", or he can pull out his clipboard................clic k E6B...........figure out how close he is to Mach .68...that is if he knows that's the number for the P-38 (if not, remeber it), and by that time it doesn't matter, because it does not take a P-38 all that long to hit critical mach at altitude.

Isn't that what the ACCEL(eration) guage is...?

[CAP1]

Freaking Mach number is not on your instrument panel.  Cap can glance at his TAS and say "crap, I better be careful, I'm doing 420 TAS at 22K", or he can pull out his clipboard................clic k E6B...........figure out how close he is to Mach .68...that is if he knows that's the number for the P-38 (if not, remeber it), and by that time it doesn't matter, because it does not take a P-38 all that long to hit critical mach at altitude.

see...that may have been part of my problem too. i very rarely look inside if there's any badguy near me. i try to go by sound, and the feel of the controls.

 
 i definitly appreciate all of your guys input, and think i'm gonna hit the ta and launch from those 20k fields.....because i don;t really know the limits of my aircraft...and what better place to practice, than in a practice areana?

[Murdr]

i very rarely look inside if there's any badguy near me. i try to go by sound, and the feel of the controls.

That's a very good practice.  But at high altitude, it just takes is a glance at the airspeed indicator to help figure out your options...And really that is part of SA also.

[CAP1]

That's a very good practice.  But at high altitude, it just takes is a glance at the airspeed indicator to help figure out your options...And really that is part of SA also.

I WILL be adding that.......as although i really like the low fights, this is kind of like a new challenge........

[Murdr]

Isn't that what the ACCEL(eration) guage is...?

You mean accelerometer?  That tells you the G load you are pulling.

[CaptainFokker]

You mean accelerometer?  That tells you the G load you are pulling.

Yeah, I noticed that only after I had already posted and played the game a little afterward - just didn't feel like editing the post.

My mistake.

[HighGTrn]

All 109's should be able to outturn a p38...but if the 38 stick is good its a differnt story

Huh?  I'm by far not an excellent 38 Stick but I have no trouble out turning 109's with the exception of the E and F.  G's and K's are no problem.

[CAP1]

Huh?  I'm by far not an excellent 38 Stick but I have no trouble out turning 109's with the exception of the E and F.  G's and K's are no problem.

I MANAGED  to out turn a 109g in a hellkitty.....but haven't managed to out turn any of the 109's in my 38 as yet......

[Murdr]

Cap1, I clipped together some P-38J vs different MW 109 films for you (the last clip I just threw on b/c it was fun)
vs109s.ahf

Given equal conditions the 109 has the turn radius advantage on the P-38, but the 38 is very close, and in the case of the K, on par for rate of turn.  The advantage is not so great that different loadouts and pilot skills can't even up the fight.

[Qrsu]

After watching that film, I need to reassess my throttle work in the 38... Thanks Murdr.

[CAP1]

Cap1, I clipped together some P-38J vs different MW 109 films for you (the last clip I just threw on b/c it was fun)
vs109s.ahf

Given equal conditions the 109 has the turn radius advantage on the P-38, but the 38 is very close, and in the case of the K, on par for rate of turn.  The advantage is not so great that different loadouts and pilot skills can't even up the fight.

ggrrrr........filmviewer won't open on m work computer......i'll have to look at it tonight.

 after last nights performance though..........i was nothing more than a target drone for the most part. got a couple kills, but nothing really notable.....except for parts of my 38 scattered between a1 and a-19.
 
 was doing decent against a zeek, till help arived in the form of a hurri, and corsair......neither of which had enough speed to run me down as i egressed towards a friendly, to make it a 2-3, rather than a 1-3. funny thing though....the zeek dude was trying to shoot from 1k out. whoever you were.....it doesn't work. then i got ho'd by the corsair as i was trying to merge the hurri. 

 pangea was there, and being very quiet.......but i had a number of fights against him. they were FUN. really good pile-it, and always a clean fight from him.

<<S>>