A-26

[Stoney]

I was wondering when we'd see one of these again...  Its been, what, a week since the last one?

[Karnak]

Why not let them have the A-26?  You get to repeatedly shoot them out of the sky when they try to fly it like a fighter.

I have no say in whether they get it or not, and they will get it eventually, which I have no problems with.  I do think that many other things should be added first, but I would support the A-26 being added before something like the B7A 'Grace' or Ki-102.

I am just warning those of them who base their expectations on their memories of AW that they will not get what they think they'll get.  Anybody trying to use it as an air superiority fighter is in for a rude shock.

[guncrasher]

If I can turn fite a fiter in my b26, I shouldnt have no problem with the a26.  but we mostly want to use it as bomber/town killer.

semp

[cobia38]

Why not let them have the A-26?  You get to repeatedly shoot them out of the sky when they try to fly it like a fighter.

   
 who said anything about flying it as a fighter ? we just want it because its cute/sexy/fast/carrys bombs/has guns   
   

[Volron]

I have no say in whether they get it or not, and they will get it eventually, which I have no problems with.  I do think that many other things should be added first, but I would support the A-26 being added before something like the B7A 'Grace' or Ki-102.

I am just warning those of them who base their expectations on their memories of AW that they will not get what they think they'll get.  Anybody trying to use it as an air superiority fighter is in for a rude shock.

I agree that other things should come first.  If the A-26 made it's way in though, I'd fly it.

   
 who said anything about flying it as a fighter ? we just want it because its cute/sexy/fast/carrys bombs/has guns   
   

Well, I didn't mean EVERYONE would try to fly it like a fighter.


Makes me want to ask, if you could choose just ONE plane to be added next and it was between the A26 and Beaufighter, which would make the cut?

[Dichotomy]

If I can turn fite a fiter in my b26, I shouldnt have no problem with the a26.  but we mostly want to use it as bomber/town killer.

semp

And put fires out with it



 

[Ping]

And put fires out with it

So use it to put the hanger fires out so hangers re-up faster

[minke]

Didn't the engine nacelles give it poor visibility? Iirc wasnt it a pig to fly?

[Karnak]

If I can turn fite a fiter in my b26

Any fighter should win this fight.  The fights you win doing it are not testimony to your skill, they are testimony to the lack of skill on the part of your opponent.

While wing loading isn't everything, it is a crude measure and the A-26's wing loading is very high.

Didn't the engine nacelles give it poor visibility? Iirc wasnt it a pig to fly?

I don't know about it being a pig to fly, but yes, the engine nacelles to block the visibility to the sides.  That is, if I understand correctly, the reason it was rejected for service in the Pacific Theater in favor of keeping the A-20s in service.

[guncrasher]

Any fighter should win this fight.  The fights you win doing it are not testimony to your skill, they are testimony to the lack of skill on the part of your opponent.

While wing loading isn't everything, it is a crude measure and the A-26's wing loading is very high.
I don't know about it being a pig to fly, but yes, the engine nacelles to block the visibility to the sides.  That is, if I understand correctly, the reason it was rejected for service in the Pacific Theater in favor of keeping the A-20s in service.

2 of them were rated top 20.  It's not lack of skill on their part.  had I been some guy that flies that a20, you wouldnt question skill.  but that's life.  btw it helps that i can type 80 wpm, so i can switch from gunner position to pilot back to gunner faster than you can turn.

semp

[Soulyss]

Didn't the engine nacelles give it poor visibility? Iirc wasnt it a pig to fly?

While wing loading isn't everything, it is a crude measure and the A-26's wing loading is very high.
I don't know about it being a pig to fly, but yes, the engine nacelles to block the visibility to the sides.  That is, if I understand correctly, the reason it was rejected for service in the Pacific Theater in favor of keeping the A-20s in service.

That was a large part of it.  The A-26's were very poorly suited to the mission profiles being flown in the Pacific, the 3rd Bomb Group was asked to fly some combat missions and report back on the performance of the new plane and they didn't have a lot of good things to say about it.  

Henebry talks about it in his book.

The low keyed missions did give us the opportunity to focus on the plane.  Although we agree the flying characteristics of the plane were excellent - good range, good bomb load, good engines - our overall reactions as low level bomber pilots were negative.

The cockpit arrangements were inefficient. Pilot visibility was hampered, making the minimum altitude formation flying so necessary to our bombing and strafing attacks awkward.  Both engines extended far forward of the pilots position, at a level with his line of sight to the left, to the right, and to the rear.  It was like flying in a slit trench.  Couldn't see down; couldn't see level.  All you could see was up.  That put pilots flying formation witha  lead flying minimum altitude hanging on coconut trees or ship masts, or riding up his tail.

Inside a very wide cockpit, too wide for a single pilot airplane, was the seat and one control column placed on the left side, further disabling the pilot's right visibility, the bomb bay doors were activated by a lever located forward to the right of the pilot seat forcing him to bend down and forward to each it, again inhibiting his ability to see.

In all his pilots composed a list of 32 grievances which he took all the way up to General Kenney, who told him to take them straight to the Pentagon. He was told, "You go on home and tell them why we don't need it or want it! We'll stay with our B-25's, A-20's, and B-24's."

[moot]

Semp the B26 is nowhere near competitive with any fighter in the set, including the worse turners.  I'd be surprised if even the 262 or 190A8 can't do more than equal the 26's turns not just on paper but in practice, i.e. oblique sustained.

[guncrasher]

Semp the B26 is nowhere near competitive with any fighter in the set, including the worse turners.  I'd be surprised if even the 262 or 190A8 can't do more than equal the 26's turns not just on paper but in practice, i.e. oblique sustained.

It's not the turning, it's the gunners that will kill you, like i said while you are busy trying to get a shot, i am already shooting at you from any angle you are coming at me.  like I said, i can type fast and sure as heck can switch from gunner to pilot and back faster than you can say, he cheated .

semp

[Karnak]

It's not the turning, it's the gunners that will kill you, like i said while you are busy trying to get a shot, i am already shooting at you from any angle you are coming at me.  like I said, i can type fast and sure as heck can switch from gunner to pilot and back faster than you can say, he cheated .

semp

Which has precisely nothing to do with your earlier claim of turn fighting top 20 fighter drivers in AH.  The A-26 does not have the tools to do what you describe.

[guncrasher]

Which has precisely nothing to do with your earlier claim of turn fighting top 20 fighter drivers in AH.  The A-26 does not have the tools to do what you describe.

we'll see when it gets here.  I never said i could out turn all fighters, some i can and use the main gun, for those that i cant, I'll use the gunner positions.  either way it's turn fighting. 

semp