Ki61 can't reach it's operational altitude?

[icepac]

I'm having trouble getting the ki61 over 30k but it's service ceiling is known to be in excess of 35,000 feet.

Was there an earlier release of the ki61 that was too uber and the plane was dumbed down?

I'm pretty new here so not sure about flight model history but this plane does not fly like the high altitude interceptor is was known to be.

[hlbly]

My book says 32080 feet .

[Lusche]

That's the first time I have ever heard the Ki-61-I being " known as a high altitude interceptor. "  

[Shane]

maybe confused with tojo or jack?   

[MachFly]

I'm having trouble getting the ki61 over 30k but it's service ceiling is known to be in excess of 35,000 feet.

Was there an earlier release of the ki61 that was too uber and the plane was dumbed down?

I'm pretty new here so not sure about flight model history but this plane does not fly like the high altitude interceptor is was known to be.

I'm surprised you were able to get it over 20K.

How long did it take you to get it to 30K?

[Drano]

Last night in FSO we had the Tony and got it to 29K and I remember sarcastically noting it was still climbing at 500fpm. WooHoo! Mind you it took what seemed like an eternity to get there. Had to be like 40 mins into the frame. A big change from that A6M3 that was still going strong at 2Kfpm at 34K for me in frame1. (that A6M3 is a beast--don't tell anyone! Shhhhh)

In my Ki-61 I took off with 100% +2DTs. At the time I still had both the DTs on and was shifting through my internal tanks. I don't remember how much I had left but off the top of my head I'd burned the aux tank down to 1/4, both wing tanks down to between 5/8 and 1/2 and was working on the center tank when we got vectored in to an attack. I ditched the drop tanks and went on auto.

So it'll get there but just don't be in a hurry about it. It looks kinda like a 109 but a 109 it ain't. I think all the internal fuel (weight) has a lot to do with it. Wing prolly a lot different than the 109 too on top of it.

[gyrene81]

we have the ki-61-i early production model...service ceiling 32,800. i'm no pilot but what i've found in testing performance documents, it seems that when a plane reaches a climb rate of ~100ft/min it has reached its service ceiling. so even though you may think it's struggling to climb (which i'm sure is a common thought) if it's still climbing faster than 100ft/min with full power in a clean configuration (no externals), then you haven't reached the service ceiling yet.

[Krusty]

I think ours is a combination of -I and -II.... I think we have the -II speeds and weights, but other aspects don't fully line up.

It's been a while since I compared all that stuff, but I do recall getting the impression it was no single plane's specs.

[Widewing]

we have the ki-61-i early production model...service ceiling 32,800. i'm no pilot but what i've found in testing performance documents, it seems that when a plane reaches a climb rate of ~100ft/min it has reached its service ceiling. so even though you may think it's struggling to climb (which i'm sure is a common thought) if it's still climbing faster than 100ft/min with full power in a clean configuration (no externals), then you haven't reached the service ceiling yet.

The best I managed was 32,900 feet without using the level-zoom-level-zoom method. Max speed is 303 mph up there. You can dive it from that high, reaching a terminal velocity of Mach .81, and recover easily with trim...

[SPKmes]

I'm not sure of the reason for going up that high...the only thing it is really good for up there is to dive down on lower bombers or fighters.....to fight at that alt is hard,laboured and touchy...most other aircraft you would encounter up there would have a big advantage and the dive would be the only saving grace......till you got down a little lower and get some engine power back...it is limited as it is and up at that height near non existant..

that is just from my observations...

I have fought up at that alt before but really was lucky more than anything. It was more the fact that the fight went down hill due to my not being able to gain in the up so as each merge came and went I was forced to go down to keep speed... we got down to...I think it was about 20K I had a small amount of extra E to fight and then we progressed further down to just under the 15k and it was on for real.....

[Butcher]

I'm not sure of the reason for going up that high...the only thing it is really good for up there is to dive down on lower bombers or fighters.....to fight at that alt is hard,laboured and touchy...most other aircraft you would encounter up there would have a big advantage and the dive would be the only saving grace......till you got down a little lower and get some engine power back...it is limited as it is and up at that height near non existant..

that is just from my observations...

I have fought up at that alt before but really was lucky more than anything. It was more the fact that the fight went down hill due to my not being able to gain in the up so as each merge came and went I was forced to go down to keep speed... we got down to...I think it was about 20K I had a small amount of extra E to fight and then we progressed further down to just under the 15k and it was on for real.....

During the FSO I've flown the Ki61 3 times and ended up fighting P40s and B24's over 25k, best I could get the bird was around 28/29k.
Just imagine, I seen A6m3's and P40s higher then me at 29k.

[SmokinLoon]

During the FSO I've flown the Ki61 3 times and ended up fighting P40s and B24's over 25k, best I could get the bird was around 28/29k.
Just imagine, I seen A6m3's and P40s higher then me at 29k.

Which is about as realistic to the real deal as the Germans attacking Pearl Harbor.  If FSO's are supposed to replicate historical scenarios, I wish the FSO admin would get serious about altitude limits.  There is no friggin way zekes were patrolling, hunting, defending, etc at 30k in WWII.  Same goes for P40's.  Same goes for tonys.  ESPECIALLY in 1943-1944.

I can read multiple pilot briefings that my grandfather (read my sig) sat through and it speecifically mentioned in more than one of those briefings that "Japanese fighter patrols have been reported at 8000 to 13000 feet", and others mention "there is no threat of Japanese interdiction above 15000 feet"  Going from memory, I think his highest bombing run was 13000ft vs static defensives positions.  While mainland S/SE Asia is not the "slot", I doubt Japanese SOP was much different there.

[Widewing]

Which is about as realistic to the real deal as the Germans attacking Pearl Harbor.  If FSO's are supposed to replicate historical scenarios, I wish the FSO admin would get serious about altitude limits. 

I flew a Snapshot the other day... Supposed to be a re-enactment of Bodenplatte. There was a 5k ceiling for all fighters prior to actually engaging. I flew with the Luftwaffe. Almost everyone was at 5k, with a few not paying close attention, wandering up to about 6k. Good enough. However, when we arrived at the target field, the P-47s were well above us, between 10k and 15k. So much for altitude limits...

CMs should be using CM eye, and ejecting those who blatantly ignore the rules. To keep them at reasonable altitudes, there always the option to program a high-speed mph crosswind beginning at, say, 10k. I've used a high velocity downdraft to pancake the entire TA when things got out of hand.

Those who get ejected should placed be on probation. Violate the rules the next time and go on a no-fly list for the next week's event.

[Karnak]

Bombers flying at full throttle is another thing that should be controlled.  B-29's are really hard to deal with for the Japanese plane set.  B-29s at full throttle are almost impossible to deal with, even in the Ki-84, and probably impossible to get more than a head on pass in anything else Japanese in AH.

[Slade]

This would intercept the B-29s just fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB_J7W