The fastest planes at 30k

[Brooke]

I was looking at speeds of aircraft at 30k altitude.  The aircraft order (with WEP on) is, not too surprisingly:

P-47M, 465
P-47N, 465
Ta 152, 455
Spit 14, 440
P-51B, 440
F4U-4, 440
Bf 109K-4, 430
P-47-D11, 430
P-47-D40, 429
P-47-D25, 428
P-51D, 420
FW 190D-9, 408
P-38L, 405
Spit IX, 403

Well, actually, I was surprised by the Spit IX, the size of the difference between the P-51B and D, and the speed up high of the F4U-4.

By comparison, the fastest Japanese fighter at 30k is the Ki-84 at 350 mph, and the fastest Soviet fighter at 30k is Yak-9U at 385.  An F4U-1D is 380, and a Tempest is 385.

[Brooke]

Of the above, production of Ta 152's was miniscule, and there were only about 550 Spit 14's made that weren't recon models.

[Butcher]

that might be the top speed, but I never achieved any of those numbers, once in Aces.

[Ack-Ack]

I was looking at speeds of aircraft at 30k altitude.  The aircraft order (with WEP on) is, not too surprisingly:

P-47M, 465
P-47N, 465
Ta 152, 455
Spit 14, 440
P-51B, 440
F4U-4, 440
Bf 109K-4, 430
P-47-D11, 430
P-47-D40, 429
P-47-D25, 428
P-51D, 420
FW 190D-9, 408
P-38L, 405
Spit IX, 403

Well, actually, I was surprised by the Spit IX, the size of the difference between the P-51B and D, and the speed up high of the F4U-4.

By comparison, the fastest Japanese fighter at 30k is the Ki-84 at 350 mph, and the fastest Soviet fighter at 30k is Yak-9U at 385.  An F4U-1D is 380, and a Tempest is 385.

Speed recorded as TAS?


ack-ack

[Brooke]

that might be the top speed, but I never achieved any of those numbers, once in Aces.

There are many scenarios were planes are cruising around at top speed at 30k for the first stages of the fights, but you'd have to be nuts to be at 30k in the MA, of course. 

DGS II


BOG


The Final Battle


Fire Over Malta

[Brooke]

Speed recorded as TAS?

ack-ack

I was just going by the charts from the HTC web page giving the speed vs. altitude for the various planes.  Those were the TAS numbers given (to within a couple miles per hour) on the charts at 30k.  Even though the numbers are +/- a couple mph, the relative ranking is correct according to the charts.

[Lusche]

but you'd have to be nuts to be at 30k in the MA, of course. 

Especially since the strats were upgraded, I made several hundreds of kills at 30k and above. My highest actual dogfighting kill was at 36K (fighting the P-47escorts of a B-29 mission) 


By the way, at that altitude any kind of action/combat (unless you are just engaging a fighter which immediately drops to the deck) tends do be much more drawn aout and time consuming and WEP capacity becomes a cruical feature. A typical scenario while attacking a strat raid is P-47M & N escorts (5/10 minutes) significanlty loosing power while my Ta-152 can still zip around at full WEP (10/5 minutes). Also cruical when hunting down B-29s 

And the Spitfires have only a 5/15 minute WEP cycle...

[Scherf]

I haven't played for a bit - are there still Mossie 16s over the strats, or have the standing patrols made that a no-go?

[Lusche]

I haven't played for a bit - are there still Mossie 16s over the strats, or have the standing patrols made that a no-go?

Rarely, and if, mostly on large maps (using them myself every now & then). But then "standing patrols" over the strats are extremely rare as well.

[BnZs]

Especially since the strats were upgraded, I made several hundreds of kills at 30k and above. My highest actual dogfighting kill was at 36K (fighting the P-47escorts of a B-29 mission) 

This. This is the kind of play I used to think AH needed more of.

[Zoney]

 

[Randy1]

. . . I made several hundreds of kills at 30k and above. My highest actual dogfighting kill was at 36K (fighting the P-47escorts of a B-29 mission) 

Ya  . . .   I was one of those.  Pretty sure I said a bad word.  Maybe two.
 

I had a hard time just keeping the 47M from stalling and you were tossing yours around like a Brewster on the deck.

[BaldEagl]

The Spit IX is excellent at anything above 21K.  It's built for alt.

I ran into Agent360 one night in a Ta-152 somewhere between 20-30K and I don't think he ever had a chance against my IX.

[artik]

262... anybody 

[Scherf]

Rarely, and if, mostly on large maps (using them myself every now & then). But then "standing patrols" over the strats are extremely rare as well.

Cheers, when last I flew if the interceptors weren't at altitude before I broke into the open I could at least get to the strats, getting home could be a different matter, but the 16's a joy when light. (All assuming a flak ping in the port wing didn't PW me...)