Let's not turn this into one of those threads with the "Luftwobble" accusations. I think they are wrong, but I see no need to start that crap.
Sholz, the only Luftwaffe fighter that actually outclassed the P-38 was the Me 262, and well, as a jet, it should have. And it outclassed the rest of the prop fighters as well, so that is not an apples to apples comparison.
Auto retract is a problem, and I don't like it. Is it a show stopper? No. Is it wrong, annoying, and bothersome? YES. Should it be changed? I think so.
My contention regarding compression is that it is significantly more of a problem below 20K than actual combat pilots said it was, in the P-38L. Further, regarding the effects of compression at high altitude affecting maneuvers in excess of 1G, I really have not heard any complaints by actual pilots who flew it in combat. Possibly because the majority of them used the dive flaps even when they were not diving. A lot of pilots used them to get up or around a little quicker in a fight when they weren't diving. I would never suggest, nor would I want the P-38 to be able to dive at 600MPH from 30K, that is absurd. The plane had a fairly serious vice, and I want it to have that vice here. I most certainly would NOT want it any other way. I despise "easy mode", "uber planes", and "over modeled planes". I would be very unhappy if that were to happen to the P-38. A great measure of respect is lost when a plane turns into something beyond the realm of reality. I'd hate for the P-38 to turn into a dweeb ride. part of what makes it cool is not everyone can fly it. Evidently at times I can't fly it either.
I think the tail section is too soft and too easy to hit. However, I think the softness is a hiccup built in to the AH I damage model. The ease with which it is damaged and knocked off by shots fired from any direction, especially head on, is far outside what happened in real life. I don't think I can cite more than MAYBE one instance where combat damage took the entire tail off of a P-38 in combat from gunfire. It will literally bend 30 degrees or more from G forces exceeding 9 G in a dive and not come off, it would be VERY difficult to blow it off with guns. Also, the tail booms present a very small target area with a significant distance between them compared to a single engine single fuselage fighter. I think the easy hits on the tail booms is a problem with the hit profile, possibly because it may model the tail section as being one solid piece. I am pretty sure the tail coming off is just due to the limits built into the AH I damage model.
I'm sure the P-38L is too slow, but that is because the USAAC never actually recorded data for performance at War Emergency Power for the significantly more powerful engines in the P-38L. All data I've seen shows the tests to have been done at 100% Military power, and the speed to be the same as the P-38J-5-Lo at War Emergency Power. The P-38L-5-Lo had in excess of 600HP more than the P-38J-5-Lo at War Emergency Power. To think this would not increase speed at all altitudes is a rather bizarre assumption. A 20% increase in horsepower would result in a significant increase in speed. However, I really do not hold HTC to be at fault here because the USAAC did not test and record at that power level. Other sources have, and state the top speed of the P-38L-5-Lo to be 442MPH at around 29,000 feet. I think Widewing has this data, and I also believe it was in Bodie's book on the P-38, which is considered to be by far the most accurate on the subject. Verification for the power ratings can be found in both "Vee's for Victory" and "Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II". Even without the top speed at high altitude, the horsepower increase that is not modeled would result in significant improvement in both climb and acceleration, and speeds at low altitude. Again, I doubt it will be changed, and I don't really think HTC is at fault, but rather the USAAC is because they did not do the testing and as such did not record any data. However, the data for the horsepower increase over the P-38J is readily available, as is speed and climb testing at War Emergency Power for the P-38J.
I don't whine about this, I don't think I've ever even started a thread about how it is modeled, although I may have several years ago, but I will freely admit that I often drop in on threads others have started and state the information I've repeated here. I do not expect to see any changes regarding what I've posted, even though I do plan to submit some of the factual recorded data to HTC when I have my books replaced and I can actually redo my old research myself. I certainly don't expect any changes to be made on the basis of anecdotal evidence from the experience of combat pilots, I just state it in many cases to make the point of what real P-38 combat pilots shared as their experiences. After all, that is the point of AH for me. I've had the wonderful blessing of getting to know some remarkable men who flew the planes in combat, and my desire to experience what they did, as close as a computer will get me, is my driving force.
Oh, and by the way Sholz, I did experience a death spiral last night and get it on film.
It is however on a film that lasts over 1.5 hours, and I have not had time to watch it and analyze it. I will watch it, and if I find out I did something wrong, I'll tell you EXACTLY how I screwed up. I may have. If I did not, I'll edit it down to the last part of the film with a couple of minutes before the stall, and the resulting death spiral and crash.
I'll tell you what I think happened as I remember it without seeing the film. I was climbing up really hard after an La 7 trying to get the shot. My speed bled down to about 110 knots as I headed straight up, I think I had both the dive flaps out and the Fowler flaps fully deployed. As I reached the stall at about 110 pulled straight up, it nosed/rolled over, and I could not get the counterclockwise spin stopped and spun in. It was not a flat spin, but rather nose down. I don'tthink I cut the throttles, but again, with zero torque throttle setting should not add to or detract from a spin in the P-38.
Like I said, if I see where I screwed up, I'll tell you that, if I don't see where I screwed up, I'll send you the last couple of minutes if you want it.
