But also much slower. I really don't like F6F, it feels too heavy to me and has horrible rear view.
Yes, the F6F is slower. Two reasons for that. Unlike the F4U, Grumman didn't design the F6F with direct ram air. Grumman was rightly concerned with carburetor icing. So, at low altitude the F4U was about 20 mph faster. However, as altitude went up, the low altitude advantage gradually vanished. In tests by Grumman and TAIC show, by full throttle height, the F4U-1D and F6F-5 have virtually identical speeds (409 mph for the Hellcat). In Aces High, we have an F6F-5 modeled with F6F-3 performance. I was hoping it would be corrected when the F6F received the revised graphic update, but it wasn't. This speed equality has been confirmed by my friend, Chris Fahey (a retired F-16 driver), who flies both for Steve Hinton's Planes of Fame. Above 15,000 feet, there is little to no difference in speed at normal power. Chris also flies their P-38J, MiG-15, F-86F, P-51D and just about everything else airworthy.
As it is, the F6F-5 in game easily out-turns all F4Us clean. The best turning Corsair version, the F4U-1, needs two notches of flaps to match a clean F6F-5. However, the added drag still makes it uneven, as the F6F-5 turns the same size circle at a significantly faster rate of turn. As a fight slows down, all F4Us gain a slight to almost no edge with full flaps, from 32 feet (F4U-1) to just 2 feet (F4U-1C) in radius. However, the drag of those flaps is such that the F6F-5 still has a faster turn rate, offsetting the F4U's slightly tighter turn radius.
In game, the F6F-5, at full flaps, will turn a slightly smaller circle, at a slightly higher turn rate, than a flaps-out Spitfire Mk.IX. My testing shows this to be true, as does that done by Mosq in his sustained turn data. Other later vintage Spits, like the Mk.VIII and MK.XVI must avoid flaps, and keep the fight fast enough to use their superior vertical performance. Otherwise, the F6F-5 can beat them in a flat or nearly flat turning contest. Of course, all of the above presumes that the F6F pilot is highly skilled in the aircraft.
In Aces High, very few who fly the Hellcat do so as anything but a carrier borne bomb truck. There are only a handful of F6F "experten". This surprises me, as the Hellcat is a relatively easy fighter to master, and has outstanding combat attributes. I believe the truly poor rear view is a big contributor, along with its mediocre low altitude speed and acceleration. For many players, when the option of running away is off the table, so is the Hellcat.
That said, the F6F-5 is one of the best aircraft for dive speed and control. With combat trim on, it will pull out, hands off, from Mach .80 dives. 604 mph, hands off pull-out at 3g. Nothing else in this game can match this (film available for disbelievers). Not very long ago, in the MA, I'm at 15k and spot a dot on dar. I climb towards the dot. It turned out to be a P-47M, flown by our friend (and amazing banjo player), BBAW. We merged, him coming down, me going up. Probably about 18k high. I did a max rate reversal, ending up about 1.5k behind. BBAW dives away to gain some separation to reverse into a second merge. However, the distance didn't increase. Instead, my F6F was not losing ground. To gain some distance, BBAW increases his dive angle. The F6F is still there. 550 mph, and I'm gaining. Leveling off at wave height, I had closed the distance to 600 yards. Eventually, the P-47M will pull away as the Hellcat slows below 370 mph. But, not before I put my last 200 rounds into the Jug. BBAW was somewhat incredulous. How the heck did the Hellcat outdive the P-47M? Well, the Jug has a lower critical Mach (.73 to the F6F's .75). In short, it attains a higher speed, because of the more rapid drag rise of the Jug. Dive acceleration above 500 mph TAS favors the Hellcat. As we went below 2,000 feet, the film showed the P-47M at 520 mph, the F6F-5 at 550 mph.
Chris' actual flying analysis is that the F4U-1A is faster at low altitude. It has much better ailerons than the F6F-5. Views from the 3/9 line on aft are better. Advantages for the F6F-5 include a much better view over the nose. A far superior cockpit design and layout. Better climb rate for any given power setting. A more effective, albeit heavier rudder (again, unlike the game model). Less trim change over the whole speed envelope, and finally, vastly better low speed handling and stability. His comment was that if you went from the SNJ Advanced Trainer (Navy version of the T-6) to the F6F, you'll find the Hellcat easier to fly.
In combat, the F6F-5 proved to survive battle damage better than the F4U. Grumman truly over-designed the airframe in terms of strength. F6Fs survived, without airframe damage, g excursions up to 13g (as did the stout little F4F). The biggest reason the Navy preferred the F6F was it was simply a better aircraft around the boat. Far lower accident rate. Initially, the F4U had issues with bouncing over the arresting wires. The main gear oleo struts were simply too stiff, with little damping. The Navy contracted with Grumman to fix the F4U's gear problem. Corwin (Corky) Meyer was assigned as the test pilot, and a pair of F4Us were delivered to Grumman. They quickly discovered and fixed the specific design issues, and successfully demonstrated it to the Navy. Engineering drawings were delivered to Vought and Goodyear, with the changes being incorporated on the landing gear production lines. The F4U was now up the Navy's high standard for carrier duty.
So, in the game, how good is the F6F? Plenty good. If the pilot takes the time to master it, and has good SA and ACM skills, he need fear nothing. Co-E, the F6F can go toe to toe with just about anything. Not the best in most categories, it's good enough in all categories to be one of the most balanced fighters in the game. Over recent years, I've maintained a nearly 50/1 kill to loss ratio in the F6F. It's my most successful ride, by far. However, this tour, I statistically lost two to software lock-ups (requiring a reboot). I suggest that F6F pilots fly it aggressively. It hides its E state better than most. It's big and heavy, and zoom climbs better than most fighters. Use rudder to speed up roll response. S turn once in a while to check your 6. Don't be in too much of a hurry to get to a fight. Get some altitude under you that can be traded for speed when needed. The F6F is a top tier GV killer, with lots of ordnance and great low speed precision, along with excellent vision over the nose. Decent gun package, lots of ammo and very stable gun platform. If HTC updates (corrects) the speed model, it'll be even better at medium altitudes.
Link to dive and turn performance film (50% fuel):
http://www.mediafire.com/download/hnbuv8856jpk7q2/film41.ahf
