Originally posted by fabkebab
Is there a comparison chart that ranks the planes in terms of turn rate?
Also, my main question - does a planes turn rate differ in a righthand turn vs. a lefthand turn?
There have been charts comparing turn rates of different planes. Search this board for posts by Badboy. His EM diagrams are the best IMO. He hasn't made charts for every plane in the game, nor are they for every configuration but they'll give you an idea of what's happening.
Keep in mind his charts are only good for one plane at a given altitude and configuration(ord loadout, fuel load, flaps). Reason being turn rate is affected by load, drag and alt. A plane that performs well down low may not be able to generate the same turn rate higher up as its engine and prop can't provide the same speed in the thin air. Add to that a wing will generate better lift in the lower denser air than up high. A plane with less fuel will out turn a similar plane that has more as its lighter--less load. Planes with bombs have more drag and are heavier, therefore will turn less well than those without. Flaps help. On some planes. In a certain speed range--that's different for each one and again depends on its configuration!
It goes on and on and on. So many factors. It'll make your head spin!
As to your second question:
In RL some planes will turn better in one direction than another due to torque and something called P-factor given off by the engine and airflow of the rotating prop respectively. Depends which way the engine spins as to which way a plane turns best. Planes like the P-38 don't have this problem as the twin engines rotate in opposite directions and those factors offset each other. I'm really unsure as to how accurately this is modelled in the current version of AH. It does seem to be there tho.
Drano
