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| | #151 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 584
| Yeah, but the NF Mosquito was really a case of simplicity, this role began early in it's combat career and they weren't retired until the NF Mk.38's were replaced in 1951 by NF Vampires, and two years later NF Venoms joined the Vampires....That's a bloody remarkable combat career for a 'wooden' aircraft, legendary in fact, compared to any NF service performed by the P-38..... I realise that at War's end, aircraft get scrapped, but if the P-38 was SO good, why did it's overall service career finish at the end of the War ??...Why did the Corsair and P/F-51 continue on into Postwar service, the latter through into the early '70's ???...It wasn't just the 'Jet-age', and as Lanc pointed-out about the Skyraider, which was one of the most powerful piston-jobs built, or the Sea Fury, or the Mosquito's hot-rod sister, the DH-103 Hornet, or the Latter Mk.'s of Spitfire...... The P-38 seemed to have alot of development potential, it was indeed effective at it's various roles, but there seems to be no satisfactory reason why it didn't seriously continue Postwar, even to be sold to Foreign AF's, as alot of the rest were....or had it really reached it's zenith by then ???...... |
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| | #152 | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 1,175
| Quote:
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| | #153 |
| Senior Member | I fail to see how the P-38 being the first aircraft to land in Japan makes it any better. If you're going into that, the Mosquito was the first to bomb Berlin in daylight. The Mosquito did everything, and it did it all very well or good enough. It served in Europe and the Pacific (where the Americans ruined the paint job).
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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| | #154 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 584
| Thanks wmaxt, it's always puzzled me why it was discontinued.....bloody shame to scrap such fine aircraft as they did, if only they had known that 50-60 years on, they'd be worth a million or two, restored.... |
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| | #155 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,512
| There were some intial plans to leave the P-38s to the South Korean air force following WWII but Washington and the State Department nixed that idea. It makes for a very interesting "what if." Plan_D, the Mossie didn't do it all. As an obvious example, it never served as a pure day fighter. It never flew a fighter sweep, intercept, or escort mission in daylight. The day fighter role was a huge mission in the war years and the Mossie never fulfilled it. And it's service around the glode doesn't even begin to compare to the P-38.
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| | #156 |
| Senior Member | No, wait right there...before we get dragged into this ALL over again...I'm stepping out of it. We had this in the Mosquito Vs. Lightning thread donkeys years ago.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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| | #157 |
| Senior Member | So what, its worth getting into again to prove a simple point... |
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| | #158 | |
| "Shooter" ![]() | Quote:
"Every Lightning in the European theater had at least one set of engines changed during it’s service life. The Allisons were problematic, but the redundancy of 2 engines helped to bring back many aircraft. The problem with the Allison engines were not entirely due to the design of the engines. The cooling system that was initially installed was not adequate and the lack of cowl flaps exasperated the problem. The original intercooler system led the airflow from the turbosuperchargers to the wingtip and back, which was a less than ideal situation. Later models resolved this problem. Temperatures at high altitudes above Europe were often 40 degrees below zero, which did not allow the engines to warm properly for correct oil cooling. Additionally, at the fuel octane and lead separated at that temperature, causing valve failures and backfires that would fire through the intercooler ducts, sometimes warping the leading edge of the wing. Engine fires were also experienced due to broken connecting rods. These problems were corrected for the most part in later models with the changes made to the intercoolers and the addition of the rear ducts." The P-38 also had no cockpit heating or cooling, which meant the pilot froze or fried, depending on the climate and altitude. Don't get me wrong, I love the P-38 and it did a great job in many roles. But I am not so sure that it would have been a great post-war airplane. I also have an affection for the Mosquito, so I couldn't pick a "Which one is better" side. They both were superb airplanes that did a great job.
__________________ ![]() http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci | |
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| | #159 |
| Senior Member | Really, if you want to start it again we'll just copy and paste the whole Lighting - Mossie thread.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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| | #160 |
| Senior Member | Nah, members like wmaxt need a chance to have their say. |
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| | #161 |
| Senior Member | True but I'm sure LG can safely hold up the Lightning. Gemhorse holds up the Mosquito, and all the new members can be added in somewhere like...something that's add in, to the bigger picture.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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| | #162 |
| Senior Member | But wmaxt is the 3rd of the "3 lightning muskateers" If I may call him that |
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| | #163 |
| Senior Member | A bit behind aren't you? Civilisation has moved far on from muskets...
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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| | #164 |
| Senior Member | now we're on to the heavy stuff, like air rifles
__________________ ![]() "Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." |
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| | #165 |
| Senior Member | Exactly and elastic bands with pencils.
__________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 |
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