Requesting info on P-38L. (The most beautiful machine ever built, damnit)

[Animal]

Ok this is not a whining post.
I was wondering if the real life P-38 had the same loss of control above 400mph we get in AH.
This is not a killer issue to me, as I already know how to avoid it, and get out of it, but its annoying nonetheless. Dive flaps dont help much, they do the same job as opening the cockpit and sticking your arms out to cause drag.

Somebody got info on this? thanks.

The rest of the plane I have no complains at all, not even gunnery.

I strongly believe those who do not like the P-38, look like this:

   


Thats all for now.
Oh and I'd be pleased if someone posted pages with info on the plane and pictures. I'm looking for a good P38 wallpaper to celebrate my place in the Top 100.

Ciao.

-=Animal -=THE P-38L KING OF AH=-
 (Citabria: you get to be the jester   )


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THE P-38L IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WWII WARPLANE EVER BUILT
THOSE who dont agree are:
a.) Tired and confused.
b.) Blind.
c.) On drugs.
d.) Just a troll trying to piss me off.

[This message has been edited by Animal (edited 09-24-2000).]

[Animal]

I realize this post belongs to the planes forum or whatever, but my browser hangs when I go there for some unknown  reason.

Thanks and sorry.

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THE P-38L IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WWII WARPLANE EVER BUILT
THOSE who dont agree are:
a.) Tired and confused.
b.) Blind.
c.) On drugs.
d.) Just a troll trying to piss me off.

[wells]

Uploaded a page from the manual
 http://www.iaw.com/~general6/p38dive.jpg

[Dago]

Hey Animal, thought you might find this interesting, its part of an email I sent out just last night to the squad I am in.
Dago

P38 Flyers - Last week I was in Detroit, and at my hotel was a reunion of the 82 Fighter Group from WWII.  These guys were stationed in Italy (and Africa I think) in the big war. I had the chance to meet many of them, and these guys were a riot.   Funny as hell, with good stories they were glad to share.
I think they were excited to have someone who was interested in them and what they did.  They flew  P38s and told me of air combat, strafing ground targets and enemy airfields. I didnt stop smiling for 2 days.
Some interesting things they said:

They not only did HO's, they said they specialized in them.
 
They never tried to turn a P38 with anything, said it turned way to slow and could be outturned by 109s and 190s.

Said when they took 16 P38s to attack an enemy airfield, they expected to lose 2 aircraft each time.

Told me when they tried flying P47s, they really sucked, couldnt turn for crap.

[Animal]

Wells - Thanks for the information. I see HT has done a good job in the modelling.

Dago - WOW! I wish I could've been there. As far as I know P-38 groups (or any USA fighter group) ever tried to turn unless on a situation they were forced to.
All they did was 'football' tactics of outsmarting their enemies.
As for the HO thing, well, they never had to fight F4U-C's  
I bet they were a jolly group of people, they had the chance to fight in the most romantic machine ever built.

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THE P-38L IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WWII WARPLANE EVER BUILT
THOSE who dont agree are:
a.) Tired and confused.
b.) Blind.
c.) On drugs.
d.) Just a troll trying to piss me off.

[This message has been edited by Animal (edited 09-24-2000).]

[Dago]

No, they didnt have to deal with the F4U, but they told me about the 262.  They were quick to admit it had better guns.  Imagine HO'ing that thing.
Dago

[Tac]

I sent an e-mail to Lockheed Martin asking about the P-38 and they sent me a video on the P38 for free  

Awesome footage in it! There's one whole section where they show a P38 shooting the crap *BLEEP! You have been MUTED for 10 minutes   * out of a pair of BF109's. Its amazing to see that with a short burst both 109's would go down in flames (one actually had its wing cut off). Something you do NOT see in AH of course, I really wish they look into the P-38's guns in AH soon.. they reek of dead fish and crawling maggots.

Interviews with pilots did say about the compression problem.. they would avoid it by deploying the dive flaps and cutting engine down to 20% before diving.

Also of note, it also has footage of a fw190 trying to shoot down a P-38.. all the 38 had to do was to ZOOM straight up and the 190 had to dive and exit the fight. Interviews with german pilots said they would never try to climb with a P38.. those who did died at the hands of their intended victims. They said the only times they could shoot down a 38 was when they dove on them (rare occasions) or when they cought a P38 turning or when it was below 12,000 feet.

I dont see that reflected in AH either.. a 300 mph 190 can zoom climb after a 450 mph P38 and kill it. How? Those $#@$@#$ laser ranging icons!!!

[Minotaur]

I did some links once.

Here

Here

Some of the links might have died.

Good Luck!  

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Mino
The Wrecking Crew

"Ass, ass, ass. I said it and im glad."
Easymo

[Vermillion]

Tac, go read Wells thread on E-Retention
 http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum1/HTML/005416.html

In controlled testing in AH, the P38 ranks third best of the planes he has tested so far, behind the Spit IX and N1K2, and is easily better than the 109's or 190's.

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Vermillion
**MOL**, Men of Leisure

[Tac]

Umm.. when did I say the P-38 didnt retain E?

All I said is that the P-38's main advantage, its zoom climb is severely cut off because a slower, not as capable plane to zoom climb (read: ZERO) can easily pull the nose up and shoot the crap out of the P-38 at long ranges (which no real pilot wouldve even attempted!) because those fricken icons laser range-find the distance.

Try it.. get a Zero, fly straight at 300 mph, have a P-38 dive on you, tell him to not fire but to just get to 450 and zoom climb in front or just before he overshoots. When he does that, pull that zeke's nose up, see the nice icon telling you d400... d500.. d600.. shoot at the 38... you will get a kill most of the times (or shoot out an engine on the P-38...which makes it an easy lunch if you follow it when it tries to run away).