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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: J318 on April 08, 2004, 03:17:41 PM

Title: 37000ft
Post by: J318 on April 08, 2004, 03:17:41 PM
Now I don't mean to moan but in real life a prop will stop working around 30,000ft because the air is so thin, but I was able to climb to 37,000ft in a Zero????

Was I wrong or the game??
Title: 37000ft
Post by: humble on April 08, 2004, 03:23:58 PM
Engine: One 1130-hp Nakajima NK1C Sakae 21 radial piston engine.
        Weight: Empty 4175 lbs., Max Takeoff 6504 lbs.
        Wing Span: 36ft. 1in.
        Length: 29ft. 9in.
        Height: 11ft. 5.75in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 346mph
            Ceiling: 35,100 ft.
            Range: 1118 miles with internal fuel.
        Armament: Two 20-mm cannon and two 7.7-mm machine guns.


May be a little high but many planes had service ceilings of 38,000 ft+
Title: 37000ft
Post by: humble on April 08, 2004, 03:25:40 PM
example P-63 (i want i want i want)

Engine: One 1,325-hp Allison V-1710-93 inline piston engine
        Weight: Empty 6,375 lbs., Max Takeoff 10,500 lbs.
        Wing Span: 38ft. 4in.
        Length: 32ft. 8in.
        Height: 12ft. 7in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed at 25,000 ft: 410 mph
            Cruising Speed: 378 mph
            Ceiling: 43,000 ft.
            Range: 450 miles (2,200 miles in ferry configuration)
        Armament:
            One 37-mm M4 cannon
            Two nose-mounted 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns
            Up to three 522-pound bombs
Title: 37000ft
Post by: humble on April 08, 2004, 03:27:34 PM
Specifications (Bf-109G-6):
        Engine: 1800-hp Daimler-Benz DB-605 inverted V-12 piston engine
        Weight: Empty 5,893 lbs., Max Takeoff 6,945 lbs.
        Wing Span: 32ft. 6.5in.
        Length: 29ft. 7in.
        Height: 11ft. 2in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed at at 23,000 ft: 385mph
            Ceiling: 38,500 ft
            Range: 450 miles
        Armament:
            Two 13mm (0.51-inch) MG131 machine guns
            Three 20mm MG151 cannon

http://www.warbirdalley.com/bf109.htm

All above from same site
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Morpheus on April 08, 2004, 10:12:28 PM
I have to ask...

What in the world are you doing at 37K????
Title: 37000ft
Post by: XtrmeJ on April 08, 2004, 10:14:44 PM
So you were that strato zeke I saw. If I remember correctly you augerd shortly after
Title: 37000ft
Post by: lasersailor184 on April 09, 2004, 08:20:46 AM
I still have to do that sometime.  I was wondering how fast I could get a P51 or something going straight down.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Wilbus on April 09, 2004, 09:13:47 AM
Many planes in AH seem to be a bit too good at high altitude. Take Spits for example, read combat reports from Spit pilots (spit Mk1 in this case) who said that when they were flying at 30k they had to have an extreemly high angle of attack to maintain altitude, this is something that doesn't exist in AH, all planes have a fairly low AoA even at extreem altitudes.

Quote
Now I don't mean to moan but in real life a prop will stop working around 30,000ft because the air is so thin, but I was able to climb to 37,000ft in a Zero????     Was I wrong or the game??


You were wrong. Props does in no way stop to work at or about 30,000 feet. The Ta152 and the P47's are good and nice proof of this.

The Ta152 had a cealing of just above 50,000 feet and it had its best speed (using GM1 boost) at 41,000 feet, that's 11k above your stated "max" altitude.

The P47 was also a terrific high alt plane with a cealing well above 30k.

The problem with high altitudes and prop planes is not the prop, it's the engine. At such extreem altitudes the air pressure is lower and thus the engine won't get as much air as should. This is where different boost systems come in, GM1 in the case of the Ta152.

The P47 had a ramjet effect that increased speed aswell I believe.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Karnak on April 09, 2004, 03:23:32 PM
Wilbuz,

Keep in mind that a Spit I or Spit V is a totally different concern at altitude that a Spit IX or Spit XIV.

Many people in AH whine that the Spit IX performs too well at altitude because "everyone" knows that the Spitfire was a low altitude fighter.  The fact is that the Merlin 61 powered Spitfire F.Mk IX had too high a critical altitude for it's high blower and comparitive tests against a captured Fw190A led directly to the creation of the Merlin 66 powered Spitfire LF.Mk IX with a lower critical altitude for it's high blower.  The Merlin 61 Spit IX, the one in AH, has a critical altitude of about 27,000ft and coupled with it's relatively large wing area makes it one of the best high altitude fighters in AH.

The Griffon 65 powered Spitfire Mk XIV is simply, in game terms, a Merlin 61 Spitfire F.Mk IX on steroids.

Both of those fighters had service ceilings of 43,000ft.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Karnak on April 09, 2004, 03:25:43 PM
One other note, the RAF defined service ceilings as the altitude ad which climb rate dropped below 500ft/minute.  I don't know how other services defined it, but a service ceiling is not the same as an absolute ceiling.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Wilbus on April 09, 2004, 07:14:00 PM
Karnak, I know very well that a Spit I can't be compared to a IX.

The post I made above was from what I read in (I believe it was this book anyway) JG 26 diary. They had a small snip from what shot down Spitfire MK I pilot said, he was flying at 30k, VERY high AoA to keep the alt when he was shot down. He tought the attack came from behind but he later found out it was a Head on attack by a 109. He did not see the 109 because the nose attitude was so high.

And with that post I compare what the Spitfire Mk I in AH at 30k. Not the 9's or 14's, where ever did you get that idea? :)

Simple fact is that the Mk I in AH (or any other plane for that matter) does not have a high AoA even at max alt of what the plane is capable of reaching. It's fairly straight at the horizon slightly higher AoA, but in no ways the extreem AoA the spitfire pilots talked about.

I never said anything about the 9 or the 14.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Karnak on April 09, 2004, 09:01:58 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Wilbus
...Take Spits for example...

Right there is where I got the idea.  In AH "Spits" pretty much means the Mk IX primarily, and the others as well.

Sorry that I misread you.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Wilbus on April 10, 2004, 03:38:59 AM
Oh Dang! You're right, must have been a typo on my side, I really ment Spit Mk I's, not spits in general, sorry mate and thanks for correcting :)
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Pei on April 11, 2004, 01:34:57 AM
Haven't tried it lately but you used to be able to get C47s and some other a/c to ridiculous alts (50-60k).
Title: 37000ft
Post by: J318 on April 12, 2004, 06:50:32 AM
Well thanks for clearing that up for me guys. And the reason why I was that high up was i was looking for trouble in a H2H arena trying to get someone else up by flying around but no came and i'd all ready climbed to 17,000ft so thought I'd see how high i could get
Title: 37000ft
Post by: T1loady on April 19, 2004, 01:52:43 PM
In real life I have been to 36k in a C-130.  We were on O2 but the plane made it, o yea it has props...

Skip
Title: 37000ft
Post by: hitech on April 21, 2004, 08:39:04 AM
Wilbus, you are just plane wrong.

If the top speed is correct for at given alt , so is the AOA, they realy can't be wrong.

So exatly what does Fairly high meen? A simple mesure of what AOA for level flight you would have is just compairing stall speed to current IAS.

Using 16 deg for max aoa, and stall speed of 100 and current ias of 130.

16 / ((130 / 100) ^ 2) = 9.5 degrees AOA, this is exatly the same for all aircraft just plug in there numbers.

I know there are a few effects im not using in this caculation, but they are very small for this discusion.


HiTech
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Heretik on April 26, 2004, 01:18:52 AM
Quote
Originally posted by MoRphEuS
I have to ask...

What in the world are you doing at 37K????


He's looking for Ack-Ack, silly.;)
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Angus on April 27, 2004, 07:26:02 AM
Some WW2 prop planes made close to 50K
Hell, I even met a Spit driver who made it to 49K. It was a Mk VIII or IX HF, not sure...
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Rasker on April 27, 2004, 12:41:57 PM
a post in another thread mentioned that one of those high alt Spits shot down a Ju-86 recon bomber over the Med at close to 50k alt, highest shoot down of the war, 'twas said.
Title: 37000ft
Post by: Overlag on May 05, 2004, 06:31:18 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Karnak
One other note, the RAF defined service ceilings as the altitude ad which climb rate dropped below 500ft/minute.  I don't know how other services defined it, but a service ceiling is not the same as an absolute ceiling.


wow, in that case the lancaster ceiling would be 4000feet :rofl

hehe
Title: 37000ft
Post by: BenDover on May 05, 2004, 12:49:25 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Rasker
a post in another thread mentioned that one of those high alt Spits shot down a Ju-86 recon bomber over the Med at close to 50k alt, highest shoot down of the war, 'twas said.

That'll teach that alt monkey! :lol