P51D

[Steve]

that looked easy enough

Classic huh? Did you see how high he came from?

[evenhaim]

A good 51 stick can fly circles around most airframes.

[angelsandair]

A good 51 stick can fly circles around most airframes.

An average 51 stick can turn around a whole lot.

Last week, I was in a P-51D and I went up against CorkyJr in his P-38G. It was a really fun fight that lasted about 3 or 4 minutes (which you almost never find in the MA) till another 38 jumped in. It was if neither of us could get a good shot off on eachother.

[Rebel]

It's the final P47 model of the war, it did nothing important and less were built than the Me163.

Yeah.  Except shoot down jets and buzz bombs.  and go 473mph at 30,000ft.  And have just about double the number of operational a/c when compared to the Ta-152 we have in here. 

[Wingnutt]

It's the final P47 model of the war, it did nothing important and less were built than the Me163.

an entire squadron was outfitted with it.

it was the end all be all of jugs.  If introduced it would need to carry a perk value simular to the F4U-4.. or higher.

[angelsandair]

an entire squadron was outfitted with it.

it was the end all be all of jugs.  If introduced it would need to carry a perk value simular to the F4U-4.. or higher.

Heck yea!

[Motherland]

an entire squadron was outfitted with it.

How much combat did it see against other, piloted aircraft?

[angelsandair]

How much combat did it see against other, piloted aircraft?

It was better than the Me-163 by performance and there were more of those than the Ta-152. I think they shot down a few German 190s/109s... the norm. Why should it matter though?

1/3 of the time, an Me-163 would explode on the runway.

[Motherland]

The Me163 and the Ta152 shot at piloted aircraft.

[angelsandair]

The Me163 and the Ta152 shot at piloted aircraft.

So did the P-47M. But the P-47M didn't explode 1/3 of the time on Take off.

[Motherland]

So did the P-47M.

Are you sure? I haven't seen anything to suggest the P47M shot at anything beside target drones and V1s.

[Wingnutt]

Are you sure? I haven't seen anything to suggest the P47M shot at anything beside target drones and V1s.

130 P-47Ms were delivered to the 56th Fighter Group, and were responsible for all four of that group's jet shoot-downs.

P-47D-27-RE airframes (serials 42-27385/27388) were taken off the production line at Farmingdale and fitted with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57© engine equipped with a larger CH-5 turbosupercharger. This new engine offered a war emergency power of 2800 hp at 32,500 feet with water injection. Air brakes were fitted underneath the wings to aid in deceleration during dives.



The new engine installation was ordered into production in September 1944 for the last 130 P-47D-30-RE aircraft delivered by Farmingdale, the aircraft being subsequently redesignated P-47M-1-RE. The serial numbers of the 130 P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolts built were 44-21108/21237

The first P-47M was delivered in December 1944, and they were rushed to the 56th Fighter Group in Europe. However, engine problems delayed their use until the last few weeks of the war in Europe. Underwing racks were not fitted, as the P-47M was meant to be operated strictly as a fighter. interesting

Performance of the P-47M-1-RE included a maximum speed of 400 mph at 10,000 feet, 453 mph at at 25,000 feet, and 470 mph at 30,000 feet. Initial climb rate was 3500 feet per minute at 5000 feet and 2650 feet per minute at 20,000 feet. Range (clean) was 560 miles at 10,000 feet. Armament was six or eight 0.50-inch machine guns with 267 or 425 rpg. Weights were 10,432 pounds empty, 13,275 pounds normal loaded, and 15,500 pounds maximum. Dimension were wingspan 40 feet 9 3/8 inches, length 36 feet 4 inches, height 14 feet 7 inches, and wing area 308 square feet.

Sources:

1. American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Enlarged Edition, Doubleday, 1982.

2. The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion Books, 1987.

3. War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume Four, William Green, Doubleday 1964.

4. United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

5. The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Aircraft in Profile, Edward Shacklady, Doubleday, 1969.

6. Famous Fighters of the Second World War, Volume I, William Green, 1967.

7. Thunderbolt: A Documentary History of the Republic P-47, Roger Freeman, Motorbooks, 1992.

[Rebel]

Are you sure? I haven't seen anything to suggest the P47M shot at anything beside target drones and V1s.

Yup.  The unit scored something to the tune of 5 ME-262's, 3 Me-163's, and an assortment of other a/c including buzz bombs during initial testing.

[uptown]

From what I just read in a P-47 link, some crew chiefs with the 56th were tweeking the engines to get 500mph in level flight..awesome! But by then the war was winding down and the pony had better range and was getting the job done.
It's a good looking aircraft.It's a shame we couldn't get them out a couple years sooner.

[Motherland]

Like I said, the P51 is a greatly underestimated aircraft in a 1v1 environment. This is a fight I had just now in the DA. Now, I am not a good pony stick. I fly it very rarely in the DA when I feel like flying something I don't normally, normally being 109's and 190's (and by normally I mean almost always). I basically fly the P51 like a retarded 109.

Drack38, my opponent in the film, is normally a 38 stick, I would find out later that he is practicing the Kurfuerst because it is assigned to him for FSO tomorrow.

So, we have an 'above average 109 pilot' for 1945 vs. an average P51 for the time period (I say this because we both are probably just as or more familiar with the practice of ACM than the pilots of the time period).

http://www.mediafire.com/?xlh9wxslw1t
That was a really fun fight.