P47 Which one as a pure fighter

[Randy1]

I have been looking over the specs for the P47s trying to decide which one would be the best choice to use as a pure fighter. The D11 looks good to me but I thought I would ask for other opinions.  I use to think the M would be the best but I always get caught slowed down and need a real good turning plane in the 47 lineup.

12K and down most of the time.  Like a good furbal. 

[bozon]

M is the best fighter - by a large margin over the Ds and a narrow one over the N.

D11 is the coolest.

D25 if you want to fight wearing a pretty skin.

D40 and the N are single engine medium bombers for the common people.

[uptown]

The M model is the pure dogfighter but I think the N model is better, especially low and slow due to wing design.

Some guys in my squad will tell you the D11 is the best dogfighter because it turns the best.

[Slash27]

The M model is the pure dogfighter but I think the N model is better, especially low and slow due to wing design.

Some guys in my squad will tell you the D11 is the best dogfighter because it turns the best.

Roll rate better?

[waystin2]

I have been using the D40 medium to low altitude and the Nancy for medium to high altitude work.

[Debrody]

I think the M is the best turnfighter. Even if its a bit heavyer than the D11, the engine power is more than compensating for it. Neither of them are pure turnes though, but all of them are capable to surprise most of the opponents with some overshoot attempts - at least the M has more power to recower if you dont succeed.

The N is good enough though, as long as you have wep and light on fuel.

[Fulcrum]

The N is good enough though, as long as you have wep and light on fuel.

I've always been partial to the N.  Agree it's a pretty capable fighter as long as you don't overload it with fuel.  The N's roll rate feels slightly better than the M ...tho' it's hard to tell given the roll rate for any 47 is outstanding.

[-ammo-]

I have a lot of time in all of them (Not so much the N), and I think the M is the most capable fighter of them all for MA fighting - simply due to that engine.  The D11 is my favorite though.  Nothing technical to support my bias - I just feel comfortable in it.  YMMV

[SirNuke]

The N can feel more stable in the stall due IMO to the added weight in the wings, but its heavier and the guns separation is even greater than the standard jug, so I tend to prefer the M for fighter work.

I used to grab the d25 from time to time to enjoy the great french skins on it

[Wiley]

The M is the most forgiving, particularly when it's lower on fuel.  I'm with Ammo though, I just find the D-11 works for me.  Plus it farms perks very well.

The N seems odd to me.  I generally don't notice when planes have a reputation as stable or unstable, I just fly them.  For some reason though, the N jug just feels like it's on rails when you're lining up a shot.

Wiley.

[Latrobe]

D11 is actually slightly faster than the D25 and D40 and significantly faster than the N on MIL power. It's still faster than the D25 on WEP as well as matching the D40! I hear people saying they don't like the D11 because it's so slow, yet it's the 2nd fastest Jug on MIL power! 


I think the M is the easiest to get in and dogfight with. Great engine power, good climbing ability and the exceptional diving ability, and a respectable turn rate that can be helped with a little flap work as well. All of the Jugs are actually pretty ok in a stall fight as well as long as the fight doesn't go vertical for too long.

D11 I say is the next best dogfighter. It's the lightest of them all, 2nd fastest on MIL power, ok climb rate, it's a jug so it dives like no other (I caught a P-38L in this plane the other day!), and it's got a superb turning ability that not many know of. The D11 is very stable in a stall fight and can give spitfires trouble sometimes! The only thing that makes this thing a bit tougher to use than the M is the canopy framework and razorback design. I personally don't mind it but some people seem to hate it.

D25 and D40 are virtually the same plane as far as I can ever tell. They weigh the same, seem to turn the same, climb the same, and have the same speed. The difference is the WEP. The D40 has better WEP than the D25. These two planes may have an upgraded engine from the D11, but they are heavier too and that's what makes them slower on MIL power. The D40 has to use WEP to match the D11 and the D25 doesn't even have the WEP to do that. The one thing these planes can do is out dive the D11 with that extra weight. They're still very capable dogfighters but the extra weight can make it bit more challenging than the D11 or M.

The N I haven't flow a whole lot in dogfights but I have found it to be the hardest to use. It's really heavy! It's the slowest on MIL power but it's WEP is what makes this plane a beast! If you can keep this plane light then it can really give a lot of planes difficulties. If you can't out climb them and you can't out turn them, then you can without a doubt out dive them with all that weight, and all that weight makes for some nice zoom climbing.

[Randy1]

Super replies.  I felt the pleasure y'all experience in each one of the different models of P47s.  I was a bit surprised by the good words on the N so it will diffidently get more time out of the hanger.

I have spent some time in the M but I think I always relied too much on the power and not enough on the planes other attributes.

From y'all's post,  I think I will start with the D11 and learn how to fly the 47 without the extra power then take the M back out.  To compliment that, I will use the N for an attack plane to give it some stick time.

Real good opinions from all.

Thanks again.

[jeffdn]

Another thing to note: the N was designed for longer-range escorting capabilities, and thus was given more fuel tank capacity in the wings. This was accomplished by extending the wings a bit, so the guns are about a meter further apart than they are in the earlier P47s.

[SirNuke]

Another thing to note: the N was designed for longer-range escorting capabilities, and thus was given more fuel tank capacity in the wings. This was accomplished by extending the wings a bit, so the guns are about a meter further apart than they are in the earlier P47s.

yes, and that annoys me, especially at close range

[FLS]

yes, and that annoys me, especially at close range

With 4 guns in each wing you don't need convergence.