Originally posted by Hazzer
Bell were outraged by what NACA and the AAF did to their aeroplane at wright field,but on the verge of financial collapse,their was nothing the company could do,they needed the Orders.
The prototype climbed to 20k,in 5 min's!
due too NACA's obsession with streamlining - due largley to underpowered radial engined Aircraft,they were used to dealing with-the P39 became a missed opportunity,or the Iron "DOG"
While NACA provided the drag data and the streamlining data, it was the USAAC that decided the turbo inlet scoop probably caused more drag than the turbo made up for in horsepower. POSSIBLY at altitudes BELOW 12,000 feet, that was true, or at least close to a toss up. Now, ABOVE 15,000 feet things were VERY different. But remember, it wasn't until the original P-39 orders were taken that it was discovered that a lot of fighting was starting to happen ABOVE 15,000 feet.
Also, it must be stated that turbochargers were in short supply, and between the P-38 and the P-47, and other planes using them, it was all GE could do to make enough of them. Further, as power went up later in the war, even the P-38 had to be modified to make room for a big enough intercooler to make the turbocharger effective and reliable at higher power levels. By 1943, they'd have been looking for a place to put a much bigger intercooler on the P-39.
At altitudes of 12,000 or less, the P-39 isn't so much of a dog as many would believe.
