Dog fights on the History channel

Njaco · 07-16-2007, 07:10 PM

According to "Last Flight of the Luftwaffe" by Adrian Weir, the Bf 109s were stripped to gain speed. Pg. 67 "The total weight saving which could be gained by fully stripping a Bf 109 could have been as much as 440lb (200kg), endowing the converted fighters with a maximum 24 mph (39kph) additional airspeed at their operational altitude."

AAA_leadsled · 07-18-2007, 08:30 PM

Holy Crap! I just realized that the Laffey is sitting right here in Charleston, SC harbour, right next to the Yorktown!

I hadn't visited it in about 15 years, I didn't realize until davparlr's post that it was the same Laffy! (the ole brain don't work like it used to!)

Wow, guess I need to take a ride down there and visit the ole girl!

Njaco · 07-19-2007, 07:06 AM

Get some pics and post'em. Love to see some.

AAA_leadsled · 07-19-2007, 08:40 PM

It maybe a few weeks till I have time to get down there, but I'll have to do that!

ccheese · 07-21-2007, 03:37 PM

The episode about the Rammkommando Elbe was on last night, (20th) on the
History Channel. It's the 2nd time it's been on that I know of.

Charles

comiso90 · 07-24-2007, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lesofprimus

The gunner was trying to stay conscious throughout the battle...

I just took these with my phone aboard the USS Midway in beautiful San Diego....

Here's to u Swede!

Erich · 07-24-2007, 06:02 PM

sys it depened on whether the kommando was made up of the lightened 109's or not. Jg 300 brought in their own equipment as well as two other units. sometimes there were 2 13mm left on not just one over the cowling.

interesting thoughts on the mission from friend F. Marktscheffel. I want to get his opinion further later on the episode once he has had chance to view it from Germany. he will probably be disappointed like he was when German TV tried to portray him and his fellow pilots

timshatz · 07-25-2007, 08:14 AM

I would love to fly the SBD. It looks like an easy and good flyer. No bad habits kind of plane. Has the right details to it to. The early war aircraft (Zero, SBD, Spitfire, ect) had reputations as being easy flyers whereas the late war birds were brutes.

The SBD looks like a fun ride.

ccheese · 07-25-2007, 08:32 PM

Tim:
Never flew in the SBD, but did fly in the TBF in the radioman's hole under the
rear gunner. I've heard pilots say you had to fly the TBF all the time or
it tended to corkscrew to the left. Ditto with the TBM, but that didn't have
the radioman's hole.

Charles

timshatz · 07-26-2007, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccheese

Tim:
Never flew in the SBD, but did fly in the TBF in the radioman's hole under the
rear gunner. I've heard pilots say you had to fly the TBF all the time or
it tended to corkscrew to the left. Ditto with the TBM, but that didn't have
the radioman's hole.

Charles

Pulls to the left? You would figure it would torque right. Did they have rudder trim on those things? I imagine if you trimmed it out for level flight, it would be ok. I've flow aircraft without trim on all the surfaces and it can be a pain in the ass. Especially when you change the power settings.

How was the flight? I've seen pics of that position and it looks somewhat roomy (for a single engined bomber). Is the view constricted?

ccheese · 07-26-2007, 12:18 PM

Yea.... Seems I remember several pilots say "to the left". The TBF's I flew
in were in a Composite Squadron (VC-62). All the guns, armor and the old
radios were removed. We had a "GRC-something" for a radio, which did both
voice and CW. The view was fine...... aft only ! You could stand and talk
to the pilot, but couldn't see out the windshield. You could look out the
rear gunner's bubble if you stood up. The rear gunner position had been
removed. We did mock attacks on the ships for the NorVa Fleet Training
Center. We also did a lot a VIP transport with our PB-1W's (B-17) and our
PBJ-1's (B-25). I guess it had rudder trim, most aircraft do (or did).

Charles

Erich · 07-27-2007, 01:05 PM

anyone been able to confirm the date of # 14 yet ?

Soundbreaker Welch? · 08-28-2007, 04:22 AM

I'm looking forward for the Alden Rigby one. Unfortunetly it won't be until December I bet!

Read his story last year, and I was wondering if he would be among the Blue Nose pilots on Dogfights.

drgondog · 08-28-2007, 11:04 AM

[quote=timshatz;265095]Pulls to the left? You would figure it would torque right. Did they have rudder trim on those things? I imagine if you trimmed it out for level flight, it would be ok. I've flow aircraft without trim on all the surfaces and it can be a pain in the ass. Especially when you change the power settings.

[quote]

Any ship (US) with big iron, like a 51 or TBF or AD, etc if left untrimmed and feet off the rudder on take off is going to end up in the left field bleachers or on your back.

I never flew anything other than the 51 but heard a hilarious story from a squid AD driver (Marshall Knox-two tours in Nam and Navy Cross) - when they 'swapped' ships with a A4 squadron on a bet. None of the jet jocks were killed or wounded but it was close.

IIRC the 51 was about 6 degrees trim and a firm right leg, but the AD might have been 12 degrees (or more-18??) rudder trim

PS - there are many cases where the illustrators get the control inpust wrong in DogFights - check out the occsional right roll with left aileron 'up' and right aileron 'down'

FLYBOYJ · 08-28-2007, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgondog

PS - there are many cases where the illustrators get the control inpust wrong in DogFights - check out the occsional right roll with left aileron 'up' and right aileron 'down'

Saw that - kind of funny.....