Best turning speed...

[AirFlyer]

What is the best turning speed for the Zero, I know it's low, but I've never been able to find an exact number to try and keep my zero at when turning.

[Gooss]

It's helpful to know corner speed.

Sometime ago, Hitech said that you can find the approximate corner speed for your plane by getting fast then pulling a flat turn into an almost blackout where the tunnel is almost closed.  Ride this turn staying in the blackout tunnel into the stall buzzer and when the plane finally stalls, look at the speed.  That's your corner speed.

I try to keep my hog around 250.  I'm guessing your zeke will turn best around 200 maybe even a little slower.  

I set my elevator trim at that speed in a fight so that the plane tends to be at corner speed.  I'll drop flaps to turn tighter, then when I bring the flaps up, the plane wants to get back to corner speed.  In the hog, corner speed gives me enough speed to work vertical, too.

HONK!
Gooss

[Agent360]

You will hardly ever find yourself flying at corner speed for more than an instant. What you really want to know is "how to take the tightest turn" and sustain that for at least 2 orbits. The tightest turn is not done at corner speed.

Corner speed is only useful when "entering" the engagement and when re merging thereafter. If we "engage" (the term engage is not the same as "merge") meaning we see each other at some odd angle usually with one above the other or a pure six persuit then I will want to reach corner speed or faster before we merge. I will need to be at corner speed if we are close but I will need to be faster if we are seperated.

If you engage me at corner speed and hold that speed in your turns I will simple slow down and turn inside you.

Corner speed is useful when you have a bandit on your six after some turning and he won that part. Now you have to get seperation so you can turn back into him and re merge. You would drop out of your flat turn and dive to obtain at least corner speed and then use that speed to climb vertically and turn or make a really seperated flat turn. This should give you enough energy to make enough of a turn to come back in at some better angle.

IF you gain angles at corner speed then this usually means the defender is going too fast compared to you. However I can easily slow down and initiate a rolling scissor. If you stay at corner speed you will over shoot.

The KEY is to learn how to turn your plane at its stall speed without flopping about like a mullet. You want the stall horn/beffet going hard and use a tad bit of top rudder to keep the nose high. If you black out you are going to fast but still hold the turn until that stops and keep turning.

A good drill is to take off fly around your field to about 2k.  Dive into a spiral turn and then make the turn completly flat. Pull that turn hard until you get to stall, drops flaps, turn tighter, turn until you are about to drop out of the sky. Use flaps and top rudder to keep your plane level and turning. After a few turns at stall speed tighten the turn even more by reversing rudder to full bottom rudder (make nose go down) and slew the nose around even more into a shallow dive. Straiten out and dive shallow to reach corner speed again. Pull strait up, climb to stall, wingover, dive back into the spiral dive and do it again. Keep the whole drill under 2k. You need the ground as a reference to see how you plane is flying. If you get good at this you can do it at 20k.

You may be thinking "If I got to stall speed then the attacker will have E over me and just climb out". This may or may not be true. It doesnt really matter. If he goes for E and alt then you simply shallow dive away for seperation, turn and put your nose on him. He cant shoot you up there anyway. Fly large E conserving circles until he commits by coming down. Then use you turning to get behind him. If he goes back up either persue with a shallow climb and wait for him to wingover or dive away again.

The only time I look at my gauges or worry about speed is when I am diving away. This is when I want to be at or just over corner speed. Corner speed at any other time is usually too fast.

The old term "speed is life" is very true. But what most don't realize about this concept is that it includes SLOW speed as well. Speed is the key. But you must learn to LOOSE it as well as GET it. Everybody knows how to get speed. Learn to LOOSE speed and you see a huge difference in getting kills.

[TequilaChaser]

Originally posted by AirFlyer
What is the best turning speed for the Zero, I know it's low, but I've never been able to find an exact number to try and keep my zero at when turning.

AirFlyer

there are actually 2 speeds you will want to know for turning the Zero

#1 = Instantaneous Turn Rate/speed ( Usually bested at Corner Speed/velocity )

This is simply the best speed to make the tightest/quckiest turn usually no more than 180 to max 270 degrees of turn......

the other and usually the speed most people would want to know and use is

#2 = Sustained Turn Speed/Rate
This turn rate/speed is most times dependent of riding the stall horn right before or near the buffet of the stall......wehter you use flaps or not..but most times flaps will be used.....

search these boards for testing methods or Flight Testing  Techniques  etc..

there have been alot of people who test but only a few I would hold their credentials worthy of their testing

Badboy, Widewing, MOSQ and a few others......

also search for EM Diagram charts.......Badboy did one which included the Zero's vs the F4F's for one of the scenario's a while back.which showed the flight envelope of each plane......

also learn how to read and understand an EM Chart ( Energy Management Chart )

[Badboy]

Corner speed for the A6M5b with 50% fuel is 196mph

Badboy

[Badboy]

These are old comparisons from AH1 for the A6M2 and unlikely they still apply, but they probably still give you an idea of the ball park figures.







Hope that helps.

Badboy

[AirFlyer]

Wow, great info guys. Got a lot more out of this then I thought I would. Thanks.