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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Widewing on January 26, 2008, 10:48:00 AM

Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Widewing on January 26, 2008, 10:48:00 AM
With the P-39 about to be introduced, I think HiTech now has the option to abandon the tired, old sleigh on Christmas eve for a faster ride.....

(http://home.att.net/~historyzone/SantaBell.jpg)

My regards,

Widewing
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: John Curnutte on January 26, 2008, 10:53:32 AM
What a great pictrure that is widewing a classic really :aok
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: AquaShrimp on January 26, 2008, 11:02:45 AM
Somebody forgot to tell Santa that all they wanted for Christmas was a supercharger.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Widewing on January 26, 2008, 11:11:44 AM
Quote
Originally posted by AquaShrimp
Somebody forgot to tell Santa that all they wanted for Christmas was a supercharger.


Indeed, the Grinch at NACA swiped the B5 Turbosupercharger, relegating the P-39 to a low altitude fighter.

However, there is a general misunderstanding, which fosters belief that the Allison used in the P-39 and P-40 didn't have a supercharger. It was supercharged. Every Allison installed in these fighters was fitted with a single stage, single speed supercharger. This allowed for good power up to between 12,000 and 16,000 feet (depending on the dash number Allison engine). Above this, power fell off rather quickly.

My regards,

Widewing
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: sunfan1121 on January 26, 2008, 06:59:33 PM
lol nice
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: SgtPappy on January 26, 2008, 07:58:13 PM
Did the P-63 Kingcobra, however, not have a turbo?
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Bronk on January 26, 2008, 08:03:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by SgtPappy
Did the P-63 Kingcobra, however, not have a turbo?

The P-63 did not have a turbosupercharger.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: WWhiskey on January 27, 2008, 10:03:14 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Widewing
Indeed, the Grinch at NACA swiped the B5 Turbosupercharger, relegating the P-39 to a low altitude fighter.

However, there is a general misunderstanding, which fosters belief that the Allison used in the P-39 and P-40 didn't have a supercharger. It was supercharged. Every Allison installed in these fighters was fitted with a single stage, single speed supercharger. This allowed for good power up to between 12,000 and 16,000 feet (depending on the dash number Allison engine). Above this, power fell off rather quickly.

My regards,

Widewing

When i was young we had a pickup(tractor puller) With a v-12 allison out of the left wing of a p-38 set up like the p-39 motor with the gear drive supercharger on it and the three barrel carb (each barrel was the size of a quart can)! dont be mistaken they will make alot of horses, our truck made well over 2400hp at 2800 rpm.
we broke a mag drive once(allison has one on each side),the truck coughed and spit all the drivelines out at the same time,twisting the tubes  like pretzels! i think we were in L.A. when that happened,along way from texas, and our spare parts bin!
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Tilt on January 27, 2008, 10:09:16 AM
I knew the P39 had a "car door"  but from the above picture its seems to have a wind down window too................
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Xasthur on January 27, 2008, 10:19:25 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Tilt
I knew the P39 had a "car door"  but from the above picture its seems to have a wind down window too................



Perk the power windows?

:lol

I wonder, it looks as though that door opens like a normal car door (opens toward the front of the vehicle)... if this is the case how would one manage to open the bloody thing at anything less than a very low airspeed to bail out?

It seems to me that a 'suicide' style door would have made more sense.... if the door was opened in flight the air flow would simply crush the door back and open allowing the pilot to 'step outside' the aircraft.

As interesting as the P-39 will be to fly in the game it has to be one of the most rediculous aircraft of the era.

I can't help but laugh when I look at it.

:lol
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Widewing on January 27, 2008, 10:31:10 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Tilt
I knew the P39 had a "car door"  but from the above picture its seems to have a wind down window too................


It did wind down, with a hand crank. Just like a car's windows. Came in handy when ferrying the P-39s to Alaska with those pesky Canadian toll booths.

My regards,

Widewing
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: crockett on January 27, 2008, 10:44:38 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Tilt
I knew the P39 had a "car door"  but from the above picture its seems to have a wind down window too................


Kinda makes you wonder if it was possible to actually bail out of the plane in a fight. At speed I bet it would be hell to open that door. Then trying to play dodge the tail feathers would be real fun..
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Motherland on January 27, 2008, 10:52:37 AM
Quote
Originally posted by crockett
Kinda makes you wonder if it was possible to actually bail out of the plane in a fight. At speed I bet it would be hell to open that door. Then trying to play dodge the tail feathers would be real fun..

So was getting over the vertical stab it a regular layout (open over top). That's how Hans-Joachim Marseilles died (hitting the vertical stabilizer after bailing out due to engine trouble in his 109)
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: clerick on January 27, 2008, 11:00:17 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Widewing
It did wind down, with a hand crank. Just like a car's windows. Came in handy when ferrying the P-39s to Alaska with those pesky Canadian toll booths.

My regards,

Widewing


For some reason this made me think of the toll booth scene in Blazing Saddles...
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Megalodon on January 27, 2008, 11:15:40 AM
Quote
Originally posted by crockett
Kinda makes you wonder if it was possible to actually bail out of the plane in a fight. At speed I bet it would be hell to open that door. Then trying to play dodge the tail feathers would be real fun..



The door jettisoned.

Interesting:
"Re the P-39:  It was put into production before all the bugs were worked
out.  And, yes, it certainly should have retained the turbo-supercharger it
was originally equipped with (which gave it a top speed of 390 mph at
20,000 ft when it was first flown in 1939, making it much faster than any
European fighter of that era). The P-63 was the aircraft the P-39 should
have been.  The early versions of the P-39 were underpowered.  The Q
version was actually quite good, performance-wise, but still suffered from
over-sensitive controls and the rearward movement of the center of gravity
once the nose ammo was expended.  This made the plane susceptible to flat
spins.  Experienced pilots could handle it.  But most service pilots first
got their hands on a P-39 with less than 300 hours in their logbooks.
It was an easy plane to bail out of:  merely jetison the door and roll
out.  It was actually easier to bail out of that most other fighters.
That's not really saying very much.  The chances of a successful bailout
averaged between one in four and one in two, regardless of aircraft type.
The chances of successful bailout varied based on the reason you had to
bail out, the attitude of the aircraft and its motion, and what the
altitude was.  P-39s were notorious for killing their pilots because they
used an unreliable electric propeller that often ran wild.  At altitude, no
problem.  The pilot merely exited and floated to safety.  But if it
happened at low altitude--and it seemed to happen most often when pilots
were practicing touch-and-goes in the landing pattern--the pilot usually
died.  This was because the pilot tried to do something to bring the prop
under control, all the while losing altitude and airspeed.  He often stayed
with the plane until it stalled and then it was too late.  Veteran P-39
pilots got the hell out at the first sign of a runaway prop."

http://www.yarchive.net/mil/p39.html
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: AquaShrimp on January 27, 2008, 11:42:25 AM
Chuck Yeager and his buddies used to fly P-39s in training stateside.  They would mock dogfight all day long. That is one of the reasons they were so good when they went overseas to combat.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: crockett on January 27, 2008, 06:22:32 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Motherland
So was getting over the vertical stab it a regular layout (open over top). That's how Hans-Joachim Marseilles died (hitting the vertical stabilizer after bailing out due to engine trouble in his 109)


Yea but at least they could invert and fall out via the open canopy giving a good push against the seat.

With a side door, even if they can pop the door off, they still would have to climb out of the aircraft and then try to leap from the wing somehow avoiding the tail.  I read what Megalodon posted but I dunno just looks harder to get out of IMO.
Title: Re: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: DaddyAck on January 27, 2008, 06:45:06 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Widewing
With the P-39 about to be introduced, I think HiTech now has the option to abandon the tired, old sleigh on Christmas eve for a faster ride.....
Widewing


What? faster ride???? 2 Christmas eves ago HT hit the trottle and left us all behind.  All this while going straight verticle! His sled already out speeds a jet. :rofl

(Im just pickin' wit ya Wide, nice picture though.)
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Xasthur on January 27, 2008, 08:31:25 PM
Quote
Originally posted by crockett
Yea but at least they could invert and fall out via the open canopy giving a good push against the seat.

With a side door, even if they can pop the door off, they still would have to climb out of the aircraft and then try to leap from the wing somehow avoiding the tail.  


That's exactly how Marseilles died, he rolled his 109 and 'fell' out.

As motherland said, he was blown back into the tail section and never opened his chute.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: MajIssue on January 29, 2008, 10:38:23 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Tilt
I knew the P39 had a "car door"  but from the above picture its seems to have a wind down window too................


Both true...

"Please don't give me a P-39
 The one with the engine shoved in behind..."
     ---from a WW2 flight training barracks ditty

Personally I welcome the 39Q, It will be fun to have a new ride! Thanks for the update on the homepage HTC!!!
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Harp00n on January 29, 2008, 04:14:18 PM
CHORUS

Don't give me a P-39; the engine is mounted behind
She'll tumble and roll, and she'll bore a deep hole
Don't give me a P-39

CHORUS

Time to play my Oscar Brand CD again...:D
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: VERTEX on January 29, 2008, 04:55:57 PM
Looks like its going to be a b17ch to see out of.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Bronk on January 29, 2008, 04:57:35 PM
Quote
Originally posted by VERTEX
Looks like its going to be a b17ch to see out of.
:huh :huh (http://www1.hitechcreations.com/news/images/p39/p39q1.jpg)
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: VERTEX on January 29, 2008, 05:11:49 PM
From the santa picture it looks like the door frame is rather thick, views to the left might be not so good, but forward looks ok.
Title: HiTech's new Christmas Sleigh
Post by: Capt.Joe on January 29, 2008, 06:36:51 PM
Is 30 rounds all we get out of the cannon or was there some target practice with it before the pic?