It's a hard knock life for the Lightning pilot

[Citabria]

you know I love this plane, but the way it is now it is about the same as when it was first released except now it has no e retention at all.

It can't turn.
It stalls even worse than before.
It can't climb. (only the f4u is worse)
Acceleration is lousy.
It can't dive after a con. (dive flaps keep speed at 300)
It dosn't zoom climb well.
It has poor vertical capability.

I guess this is how the real plane was though. a real lemon. However being the only plane with compressability dosn't help things.

now if "using it right" means climbing high above the enemy or dying in a fiery conflageration, well it's not as much fun that way but I guess thats the way it is.

[Duckwing6]

The HOG certainly compresses too .. controlls lock up, nose pitches down against all inputs (mach tuck?) ..

yea i guess Propdrag must hurt a TWIN engine fighter even more than the singles .. (noticed a sharp reduction in E retention since it was included ..)

[-=Silo=-]

CITABRIA you old 38 dog!   I shudder to think what you are saying is true! I have not tried the 38L since 1.03 but I cannot imagine a 38L that you describe. I always thought the 38L was supposed to be the muscle car of the USAAF. Despite being a bit chilly at higher altitudes, i was under the inpression that it was the best climbers in US service... even rivaling the 109s. I also thought the low speed handling was second to none... especially against other US rigs.

The only problem real 38s (before L and J-LO series) had was dive speed. I thought the modifications made to the L changed the air flow so more air passed over the elevator and alleviated the early compression problems(pardon me as I am at work and dont hve my books ready, so i may be wrong).

The 38L by all accounts i have read should be king! Almost as fast as the Pony, with better roll,climb,turn (really low stall speed) and comparable dive with a dump truck load of ammo.

I guess ill be in 38s tonight to see if indeed your alligations are true!  

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-=Silo=-
AVG "Flying Tigers"
**WoOF!**

[This message has been edited by -=Silo=- (edited 06-23-2000).]

[Minotaur]

Citabria;

I feel your frustration bud.  I posted up some comments a short time ago regarding.  

For myself this disapointment started more or less soon after the P-38 came out.  Clearly I thought the P-38 tended to have low to medium ability.  As it did not stand out nor have any distingisable strength that I could utilize to any great extent.  

This disapointment was my own fault.  I mean by this that I placed more importance on a particular plane type than the importance of a mission role type the plane can accomplish or my success in general.  The MA just does not support such ideas and weeds out the weak very quickly.    

IMO to be most successful in the MA you must fly a proven more successful aircraft.  Plain and simple, the numbers have proven this to me over and over.  Sadly the P-38 gets lots of use, but still goes into the MA play non-success catagories similiar to the La-5FN, 109G-2, etc...

The 190A-5 is an exciting ride, fly it for awhile.  No real faults that I can find and it has good guns.  I find it refreshing and lots of fun!  

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Mino
The Wrecking Crew

"Though some art vets, all art dweebish"
Jedi

[Westy]

Odd. I like the P-38 even MORE now that it has the speed brake. But I'm ditching it liek a used dish rag when the 47 arrives anyway.  

-Westy

[Sharky]

Cit,

I'm obviously not the Lightning expert that you and Mino are, but over the last couple of tours, I've really fallen in love with the P-38.

I've found it to be an excellent fighter plane.  IMHO it turns very well for a plane of it's size, weight and speed.  It climbs well and I have nothing but good things to say about it straight up vertical performance.

Now admittedly I've only flown a few sorties with the new version and one time I thought the stall horn came on just a little quick going over the top of a big loop, but other wise found it very much the same P-38 that I've started to fall in Love with.  I'm having some of the best sorties in it I've ever had.

Now like I said, I'm not the P-38 expert you are and as such maybe missing the suttle changes you see.

Sharky

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Playboy Leader
307th FS/31st FG
You can run but ya just die tired