A36 Apache!

[Krusty]

Dive brakes in the wings gave the A-36A greater stability in a dive; however, a myth has arisen that they were they were useless due to malfunctions or because of the danger of deploying them and that they should be wired closed.[14] Capt. Charles E. Dills, 27th Fighter Bomber Group, 522nd Squadron, XIIth Air Force emphatically stated in a postwar interview: "I flew the A-36 for 39 of my 94 missions, from 11/43 to 3/44. They were never wired shut in Italy in combat. This 'wired shut' story apparently came from the training group at Harding Field, Baton Rouge, LA."

sorry ny bad. <S>

You copied that from the wiki article, but the article self-contradicts itself several times and lower on the page it also mentions wiring the dive flaps shut, limiting dive angles to 70 degrees, and other things.

Oh, as an aside: Chalenge, I've never heard a story of a P-51 ripping its wings off, to date. This was the first I'd heard of it, with the A-36 story.

[Ack-Ack]

However, in practice it wasn't very reliable. The dive flaps (top/bottom of wings' center spar) were unreliable and sometimes wired shut in the field so they didn't pop out at the wrong time (so I've read).

Myth.


ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

Oh, and from what I've read the A-36 may have been used for ground attack, but WITH the flaps wired shut. They did normal dive bombing, without the dive flaps.

They weren't wired shut.


ack-ack

[Hajo]

Wiki-pedias = unreliable

[Krusty]

Wiki-pedias = unreliable

QFT

[glock89]

Wiki-pedias = unreliable

True.

[Chalenge]

I think when a squadron records kills with a plane that has a mission role that does not include air combat that it (the squadron and its airplanes) can be considered successful. The A36 carried two 500 pounders and its primary role was ground attack for which it was very successful. Yes like every aircraft it experienced difficulties and this led to the urban legends/rumors we have today. Sometime you should check out the accident rate of B26s in training and yet we dont call it a failure. In the short time the A36 served it claimed enough kills to be considered a success especially considering that the vast majority of A36 pilots never saw a luftwaffe aircraft.

One aspect of the A36 would not translate well to AHII though and thats the sound it made in a dive because that aspect of flight isnt modelled which is a shame.

[glock89]

I think when a squadron records kills with a plane that has a mission role that does not include air combat that it (the squadron and its airplanes) can be considered successful. The A36 carried two 500 pounders and its primary role was ground attack for which it was very successful. Yes like every aircraft it experienced difficulties and this led to the urban legends/rumors we have today. Sometime you should check out the accident rate of B26s in training and yet we dont call it a failure. In the short time the A36 served it claimed enough kills to be considered a success especially considering that the vast majority of A36 pilots never saw a luftwaffe aircraft.

One aspect of the A36 would not translate well to AHII though and thats the sound it made in a dive because that aspect of flight isnt modelled which is a shame.

Still don't want it.

[Karnak]

Oh, as an aside: Chalenge, I've never heard a story of a P-51 ripping its wings off, to date. This was the first I'd heard of it, with the A-36 story.

There are actually quite a few stories of P-51Ds popping their wings off, sometimes in level flight.

[uptown]

Rather then start a new topic I bumped this one. I really would like to see this in the plane set. 

[321BAR]

Rather then start a new topic I bumped this one. I really would like to see this in the plane set. 

Ahh... the A-36... wouldnt mind seeing it either but rather...




The M-18



But seriously. the A-36 was an ok plane. why not shove it in here?

[Skulls22]

Ahh... the A-36... wouldnt mind seeing it either but rather...




The M-18



But seriously. the A-36 was an ok plane. why not shove it in here?

M-18