OK...so who flies the LA-7?

[bozon]

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(Image removed from quote.)

The La-7 is ENY 5
The La-5FN is ENY 30

The La-5 is 20 mph slower than the La7 at nearly all altitudes... but then you read the numbers on the X-axis and realize that this is still nearly 360 mph on the deck for the La5FN! That still makes it a fast plane, it has cannons and ENY of 30. I think it may be crowned the king of perk harvesters.

La-7 does not have "better power" than the La-5FN. Same engine, same power output. They cleaned up the La-5FN's aerodynamics, and made some parts out of metal instead of wood to make the La-7 lighter.

They got +20 mph deck speed just by cleaning the aerodynamics?! What did they do? removed the banner the La5 was towing and took the ski rack off the roof? 

[Wmaker]

What you "feel" is often very subjective and rarely holds up to to the hard facts of reality, but yes the La-7 is about 400 lbs lighter, which I will amend, is not insignificant in a stall fight.

The weights are identical in game with the same loadouts (7385lbs). According to Gordon & Khazanov, 1945 production La-7 weighed 7308lbs and La-5FN 7323lbs. No 400lbs differences anywhere.

[glzsqd]

LA5's cannons are soooo bad. Low rate of fire terrible ballistics, and to top it all off, they don't hit very hard. Got into a prolonged knife fight with joker recently and got a good angle on him. Hit sprite from nose to tail as he pulls up into me. I level out waiting to hear the explosion and get the kill message, but instead I look back to see an angry Dhog d200 on my six with a bloody nose and guns blazing.


I do however think the la5 should at most have an ENy of 25. Its a performance monster

[GScholz]

They got +20 mph deck speed just by cleaning the aerodynamics?! What did they do? removed the banner the La5 was towing and took the ski rack off the roof?  

Yup... Cowling design is critical for radial engined fighters. They tightened and sealed the cowling, moved the supercharger intake from top of the engine to the wing roots, moved the oil cooler inside the wing as well, wing fillets were improved, improved exhaust piping, new propeller and other minor modifications.

[mechanic]

[snip] improved exhaust piping, new propeller [/snip]

Ahhh, very interesting. Then I was correct in saying 'more power'. Improved exhaust piping alone can boost horse power. A new prop? Creating more thrust? So therefore...more power?

[GScholz]

The prop was probably designed to be more efficient at the higher top speed. That might actually have made it less effective at low speed. I don't know. The improved exhaust piping primarily allowed the cowling to be tighter. The engine does not produce more hp in the La-7 than in the La-5FN. Parasitic drag is the primary factor in determining top speed. Climb rate is directly proportional to acceleration and power to weight. The difference between the 5 and 7 is almost negligible.

[GScholz]

The weights are identical in game with the same loadouts (7385lbs). According to Gordon & Khazanov, 1945 production La-7 weighed 7308lbs and La-5FN 7323lbs. No 400lbs differences anywhere.

Strange. I thought the whole point of designing a new aluminum wing spar was to save weight over the old wooden spar. Perhaps the weight savings were eaten up by the other modifications.

[mechanic]

The prop was probably designed to be more efficient at the higher top speed. That might actually have made it less effective at low speed. I don't know. The improved exhaust piping primarily allowed the cowling to be tighter. The engine does not produce more hp in the La-7 than in the La-5FN. Parasitic drag is the primary factor in determining top speed. Climb rate is directly proportional to acceleration and power to weight. The difference between the 5 and 7 is almost negligible.

And yet the difference between them in the game we play is very noticeable to those who push the virtual aircraft to the edge of their envelopes.

[GScholz]

Unless you can quantify that in some sort of useful numbers it will remain a subjective "feeling". The La-7 has a better climb rate of about 100 fpm at sea level, and that tiny gap quickly closes with altitude. If you "feel" it has more than that then I simply don't have anything to say to that, except perhaps "prove it".

[mechanic]

I will put some more time into proving it later when it's not nearly 03:00

Until then, I'm pretty sure this quick test is unarguable proof that the La7 is best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ekoXq6_jSY

[Lusche]

Until then, I'm pretty sure this quick test is unarguable proof that the La7 is best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ekoXq6_jSY

"This video is private"

Very impressive.

[mechanic]

fixed 

[GScholz]

Umm...

[glzsqd]

LVT can do that too. And it has a better climb rate

[Rich46yo]

Its quite a handsome bird. One must say.