Me 309

[Shortround6]

RLM funded only four Me-309 prototypes. How many prototypes were typical for development of P-47, P-51, F4U etc. ?

P-47 needed O prototypes (or a bunch) as it was ordered off the drawing board.A few of the first P-47Bs acting as prototypes although the P-47Cs were ordered well before the first P-47B flew.

The P-51 had one or two prototypes, One flew before British placed large order.

F4U had ONE prototype before large order for production version was placed.

Each type did have more "prototypes" built to test new engines and other features but NOT before getting production orders.

 

[spicmart]

Then again this thing looks just killer! One of my absolute favorites. It's the embodiment of the word "mean" or "badass". In the russian animated series "Bomber" a 309 can be seen attacking Pe-2s. Looks pretty cool in-flight, too.

 

[stona]

RLM funded only four Me-309 prototypes. How many prototypes were typical for development of P-47, P-51, F4U etc. ?

There was only ever one Spitfire prototype, and that crashed.

Cheers

Steve

 

[davebender]

US Warplanes
XP-47
XP-47A
XP-47B 1941.

171 P-47B ordered during 1941.
.....Officially these weren't prototypes but they might as well have been since this batch contained numerous engineering changes and "one off" variants for test purposes. For instance the 5th production P-47B crashed 26 March 1942 when tail surfaces ruptured.

Even early model P-47Cs still had significant engineering flaws. Beginning with P-47C #58 the aircraft had a 13" fuselage extension to correct a center of gravity problem.

P-47 and Me-210 are extreme examples of requiring many prototypes (even if not officially designated as such) before major engineering flaws were fixed. However aircraft that fly perfectly after only four prototypes are few.

IMO Me-309 never had a proper development period so we will never know how good the production aircraft might have been.

 

[Shortround6]

US Warplanes
XP-47
XP-47A
XP-47B 1941.

171 P-47B ordered during 1941.
.....Officially these weren't prototypes but they might as well have been since this batch contained numerous engineering changes and "one off" variants for test purposes. For instance the 5th production P-47B crashed 26 March 1942 when tail surfaces ruptured.

Even early model P-47Cs still had significant engineering flaws. Beginning with P-47C #58 the aircraft had a 13" fuselage extension to correct a center of gravity problem.

P-47 and Me-210 are extreme examples of requiring many prototypes (even if not officially designated as such) before major engineering flaws were fixed. However aircraft that fly perfectly after only four prototypes are few.

IMO Me-309 never had a proper development period so we will never know how good the production aircraft might have been.

The P-47 may have had problems that needed to be fixed as it went along but the history you have presented is as bogus as a 3 dollar bill.

The XP-47 and XP-47A were small planes that were to be powered by the V-12 Allison engine. The ONLY thing carried over to the P-47B was one serial number. A funding trick if you will.
The P-47Bs were NOT ordered in 1941 but in 1940.

Try using Joe Baugher's website instead of looking for websites with poor information that support your "theories" or your seemingly irrational hatred of the P-47.

"The USAAC was sufficiently impressed with the proposal that on September 6, 1940 ordered a prototype under the designation XP-47B. This designation was sort of unusual at the time, namely, using the same P-number for what was in effect a totally new design. All work on the XP-47 and the XP-47A was cancelled, and the serial number of the abortive XP-47 was transferred to the XP-47B."

"One week later, on September 13, 1940, 773 production examples of the new fighter were ordered by the USAAC, 171 to be delivered as P-47Bs and 602 as P-47Cs. At the same time, the Army contract placed back in 1939 for 80 P-44 Rockets was cancelled. The contract was replaced with an order for a similar quantity of P-43 Lancers which would keep the Farmingdale production lines occupied pending the introduction of the new fighter."

Changes to the P-47 were actually rather minor. The wing being unchanged in shape or airfoil until the "N" model,Changing the elevators and ailerons to metal covered instead of fabric covered and putting blunt noses on them solved a lot of problems without changing their shape or area. Of course a number of other aircraft using fabric covered control surfaces found they needed to change them too as speeds approached and exceeded 400mph. Changing the vertical stabilizer (fin) to be stronger and putting a metal covering on the rudder pretty much cover the "aerodynamic" changes on the P-47. yes it ran into compress-ability problems but so were most other high-speed fighters of the time.

If anything the British and Americans tended to order too few prototypes at the very beginning of a program.

The Germans sometimes ordered too many in the sense that they often did not order 3-6 prototypes the same in order to sort things out quicker but some airframes differed from the others in engine installations, weapons fit or intended mission. Sort of a throw it against the wall and see what sticks approach. Instead of one "program" they were running 2-4 overlapping programs.

 

[maxmwill]

What would it take to make the Me 309 a competitive fighter plane?

A DB-021 turboprop engine of some 3,000(I think) hp?