Recent content by AV8

Graeme, I am chastised and YOU are right. Spank me. As for the XF-11, it was wicked FAST at altitude and quite maneuverable. Of course, with R-4360s and low drag, it SHOULD have been ...

In the first post, the bottom plane is the XF-11. Falcon from Sweden's first post is also the XF-11. The D-2 had a much lower aspect-ratio wing than the XF-11, and this is shown in the first drawing. The problem with the first drawing is that the D-2 had a solid nose, not one with wondows in...

Hey Adler, I have an Excel spreadsheet with all aerial victories from the first up thropugh about 1994 or so. If you are interested in a copy, PM me and I'll send you a copy on CD. WAY too big to email ... Unfortunately, it does NOT list the missions flown to achieve the victories ...

I notice everyone who posts about kill ratios posts the German or Japanese ratios but seems to never post the UK or USA or Soviet kill ratios. In Adler's post above, he states the German ratios quite well. They match the ratios I've seen on the web elsewhere but have never verified myself...

Most private collectors use a glossy finish because they want their warbird to look GREAT. After all, unless they are FILTHY rich, they only have ONE. A museum is different. Many have static restorations and matte finish is fine indoors. Most, but not all, museum aircraft that are flyable are...

Glacier Girl is a P-38F that is kept immaculate by the owner. There isn't a speck of dirt and won't be. If an airshow wants to have her there, it's part of the agreement --- hangar in the event of bad weather. Steve Hinton has flown Glacier Girl every time she has flown since restoration, but...

As stated above, not the best landing followed by too much power at too low a speed for the attempted go-around ... torque roll. That assessment is from pilot-qualified witnesses.

The pilot was McKittrick. Apparently, he bounced a landing, applied too much power, and torque-rolled it (local assessment). Tragic, and he had just recorded several perfect landings with an instructor in the plane; it had dual-controls, and did just fine. If you are an instructor, have a...

The P-38 has a lot of strengths if you only USE them. Some pilots did. Bong and McGuire come to mind immediately. The same can be said for ALL fighters. The AVG racked up a positive kill ratio with the P-40, the Hellcat had the best kill ratio of ANY fighter until the F-15, and a LOT more...

I think the Midway class COULD oeprate F-14s. But, a Midway class could not both launch and recover at the same time ... and obviously could not carry many F-14s. The takeoff and landing areas would overlap, but it could be done. The question is, why would anyone DO it? Larger carriers...

The Allison V-1710-75 had Water / Alcohol ADI fluid. It made 1425 hp in the P-38K. The Allison V-1710-89 WER rating of 2300 hp in the P-38H/J with trubosupercharger, 115/145 fuel, and ADI (water / Alcohol). the -143 Allison made 2250 hp with Bendix fuel injection and ADI in the P-82E/F on...

The carrier was built but not completed, spent a large amount of time tied up in a river, and was eventually towed to sea and sunk near the end of the war off Stettin, now Szczecin off Poland on 25 April 1945. She was refloated by the Russians and was used as a floating storage warehouse until...

The D-9 at the former Champlin Fighter Museum was a complete unit. The only "bits and pieces" part about it was that Champlin's plane had the wings from the one in the Smithsonian and vice versa. When Champlin sold his museum to the Museum of Flight, they discovered the discrepancey and...

I have to repsond to something Soren said above. He claims that 85% of all German forces were preoccupied on the Russian front. Not true. See below. Percent of German Forces on Russian Front by Year Unit 1941 1942 1943 1944 Divisions 67% 75% 60% 57% Troops 84% 74% 72% 40% Aircraft...

Signed - Greg, Irvine, CA, U.S.A.