Best Heavy Fighter

[GScholz]

I would like to test that theory with you.

I'm sure you would.

[BaldEagl]

For me it's the F6F-5.  

It's one of the most stable dive platforms and suffers no compression or control stiffness at virtually any speed although you have to be carefull not to break a wing pulling out at very high speeds, especially if you've dropped only one of two 1000 lb bombs.  

It carries enough ord to drop a single hanger or get 5 GV kills in a typical sortie although you have to target Panzers or weaker with the rockets (salvo 2 for Panzers and flaks, salvo 1 for less armored GV's) and it's a great fighter once the ord is gone.

In fact it's such a good fighter I've scored kills in turn fights while fully loaded with ord and if I do have to drop my bombs to defend myself I almost never release the rockets.  IMO dropping my ord before I get to use it wastes my mission so I've learned to fight with it as much as possible.

The downsides are that it's kind of slow, doesn't like to climb without E and has poor rear views but if you let someone slip onto your dead six then you made your mistake much earlier.

Besides all that you can fly it from a carrier, it was by the Grumman Ironworks and who could possibly argue with it's war record.  

Hellcat FTW!

[Debrody]

Actually, below 5k (where ground support fights are fought) the 190F outperforms the P-47-D40. Especially if you consider the 190 has twice the WEP duration.

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I think its some eager expectation. Youre bringing up a very marginal difference in the engine power while in almost every other factor is pretty much at the jugs favour.
This is coming from one who isnt flying anything, but 190s, and maybe isnt the worst one doing (trying?) it.

[save]

I Tried the F8 in fighter mode for a month in August.
I killed 189 and got killed 19 times in it.
Reason for flying the F8 was to see if a single player can change the total k/d by selecting another plane.
I wanted the F8 to get 1:1 k/d during the month.

It compares much with the A8

However compared with the A8:

It cannot turn sh*t even compared with the A8.
Can typically withstand 4-6 auto-ack hits without going down (compared 3-4 hits on the A8).
Only 2*20mm against buffs.
Much less prone to get engine oiled.
Since its a much more stable platform, its hard to out-scissor opponents.
Accelerates slower.

Correctly flown, the F8 have small problems with spit16/ k4's, and much more problems with the 51D and the 190dora and the La-7
If I disected those 19 deaths :

Spit16s got me 3 times ( compared with numbers flown quite low)
Dora 2
Wirby 2


However, 51d and la7 and k4 run you down and force you to turn making you primary target for slower planes.
one 262 got me as well.

[save]

double post

[GScholz]

 

[Getback]

My first thought was the corsair but then I haven't flown the 109f or at least in a long while.

[LilMak]

For all around balance, nothing beats the P-47D-40. I'll load 3x500 and the rockets for ground work. That's enough ord to take out 4 pieces of armor. Then you have 3400 rounds of ammo for light GVs or aircraft.

 With the 1k bombs you can take out a hangar, wipe the town clean of Auto guns,  still have an egg left over to bomb a heavy piece of armor or a cluster of buildings, and (after all that) it still has ammo in the wings to fight air contacts when you're done which, unlike the F8, the jug can do well.

If your goal is to get in, drop, and get out... I see your F8 and raise you a P-47N which is not only faster but a more capable dog fighter when that LA-7 finally runs you down.

[Randy1]

P-47s don't carry their ordnance well compared to any twin engined fighter, or even the P-51D.

If I am traveling with a mustang, I leave off the extra 500 pound'er and use WEP for climb out.  No Problem.

Another advantage of the P38.  No Oiled Canopy!

[GScholz]

Another advantage of the P38.  No Oiled Canopy!

Just a bloody mess instead

[Saxman]

Still wishing we could get that center rack and 2000lb'er option for the F4U-1D/C.

The weird thing is if you look at the skins, it looks like the mesh for the rack is still there.

[save]

While I agree the 47 do a better job of out-turning an La-7, its very seldom la-7 get you, you are forced to turn into the conga-line of Zeke's, Niki's and Spit16s, Yak3s waiting in double digit numbers to get you.

Also, the 47s wings fall off suspiciously easy, and are impossible to miss whereas the little 190F8 snirk around at 400mph after a short dive in between trees with 10 min wep, mostly because it does not have the option to do anything else.

Nothing, including a Me262, can dive with a F8/A8s at top dive speed without their wings trembling.

[SirNuke]

Good try but the P38 is the obvious choice there. And the horde seems to agree

[GScholz]

Survivability of the P-38 against ground ack and defenders is not very good. It's a big aluminum cloud and the pilot is especially vulnerable.

[LilMak]

Since the damage model update (thank you HT) the 47 absorbs a tremendous amount if punishment. It'll shrug off ack hits absorb 20mm strikes and is more like its legendary reputation. A few months ago, in a single sortie, I took out the ord at 1 medium, and two small bases. I took no less than 10 hits from auto ack, and survived a slashing pass  from a picking pony. I also killed that pony, a spit16, and a Dora. What finally brought me down was the Dora caught up with me as I was RTB at reduced power to conserve fuel. He came in and set up a ZnB never got a shot on me but made me burn up my fuel in the fight. He fell to the 7 .50s I had left (only damage i took was a single .50) about 15 seconds before I ran out of gas.

I don't think a 38 or a FW or a F4U could've made that run. The 38 would've been crippled by the auto guns and the FW would've fallen to one of the fighters and the Corsair would've run out of fuel before reaching the third base.

The D-40 is simply the most versatile. It doesn't do anything great but does everything really well.