KI61 info page

[whels1]

 http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/IJARG/ki61.html

whels

[Kieran]

I suspect the climb data is way off... what is the source of this data?

[AG Sachsenberg]

No it just wasn't a great climber.

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[This message has been edited by AG Sachsenberg (edited 04-30-2001).]

[flakbait]

Looks like several things are off on that page. IJARG lists the max speed as 348 mph, yet Joe Baugher says 368 mph at 16,000 feet. IJARG says range is close to 1,000 miles, but Baugher's page lists 373 normal, 684 max. I doubt the difference between the Ki-61-Ia and the Ki-61-I-KAIc was THAT big.

Baugher's Page on the Ki-61

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Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"With all due respect Chaplian, I don't think God wants to hear from me right now.
I'm gonna go out there and remove one of His creations from this universe.
And when I get back I'm gonna drink a bottle of Scotch like it was Chiggy von
Richthofen's blood and celebrate his death."
Col. McQueen, Space: Above and Beyond
 

[Kieran]

It may not have climbed as well as other Japanese aircraft, but I don't think the weight and horsepower reflect a 2,200 fpm climb, not in any version. This seems to be way off to me.

[combat23]

Book by Richard Bueschel called Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien in Japanese army air force service, gives max speed as 379 at 19,685 ft. and climb at 2734ft/min.

If I did the math any where close to correct. Climb is listed as 5,000 meters in 6 min.

Later, Chris

[Zigrat]

seems off to me as well. from my calculations, with maximum power it should climb 2700 fpm initial climb at sea level. (Ki-61 I)

the Ki-61 II measures up with a 3100 FPM initial climb..

(about a 100 fpm margin of error cuz i dont know much about these birds)

the fact is that they were just sorely under powered for their weight

[AG Sachsenberg]

Flak I wouldn't consider that very reliable info as well.  The info on the 152 D9 and HE-162 are a bit off as well.

 

Because of the general chaos, no fighter squadron was able to get itself sufficiently well-organized to send any He 162s into actual combat. It is possible that a few Allied pilots might have actually seen an He 162 in flight, but there is no confirmed account of any Allied aircraft ever encountering one in actual combat.

This is untrue there were combat flights there were confirmed kills, and there were fighter squadrons one being at lecht field.

[This message has been edited by AG Sachsenberg (edited 04-30-2001).]

[juzz]

At least Baugher gives his sources:

Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1979.
Famous Fighters of the Second World War, William Green, Doubleday, 1967.
Aircraft in Profile: The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien, Rene J. Francillon, 1966.
War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume 3, William Green, Doubleday, 1964.

 

Book by Richard Bueschel called Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien in Japanese army air force service, gives max speed as 379 at 19,685 ft. and climb at 2734ft/min.
If I did the math any where close to correct. Climb is listed as 5,000 meters in 6 min.

That's the data for the later Ki-61-II.  

Not like it matters, I suspect the plane as it will fly in AH won't quite match any of these numbers.  

[Mitsu]

This page is wrong at some points.

-Mitsu