Fscott, do you have the Gordon & Khazanov book?
If you do, look at the performance tables in the back of the book. You will notice that almost every aircraft has two sets of data for it, which they term "prototype" and "production".
"Production" flight testing, as its termed in this book, was actually done for quality control purposes, on random production line aircraft. So that they could find problems in their production lines, and fix them. Lately I have been told a more precise translation of of the original russian term that they call "production" would be called "control".
So what happens is that you have two sets/type of data for Russian aircraft in comparison to the typical one set for Allied aircraft. Remember its important to know how and why a set of data is collected to understand the data itself.
Pyro has been using the lower set of data for Aces High, called the "production" data. Thats why I and others say we will see the 408mph number, which is the "production" data set, instead of the "prototype" data set number of 423mph.
I'm hoping to soon recieve some original russian documents that talk about how the two different data sets were compiled (the methodologies), so that I can compare them to the Allied methodologies, to see which is actually the correct data set too use.
Its an old arguement among us VVS fans. Prototype or so called Production data.
OH and if your looking in the Gordon & Khazanov book for the La7 prototype, its listed as the La5FN** 1944 Standard, which was later named La7.
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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure
