Re: Military Channel: "Great Planes - P39."

On Aug 20, 9:56 pm, bob matthews <tsama...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
David E. Powell wrote:
OK I just saw this today. Here's the review.

Good points - Plenty of footage I hadn't seen before, including a lot
of color stuff of the prototype and of the "Airacuda" twin engine
fighter that was Bell's first Army fighter. Color footage of target
practice with the 37mm nose cannon and then the combined machine gun
power. Color footage of three Cobras flying side by side, nearly nose
on (The cameraman was staying off at an angle) with at least one of
the three firing _Der Uberkanone_. Coverage of New Guinea campaign in
1942 and Guadalcanal usage. Color footage of the engine and powertrain
from Bell, laid out separately from the rest of the plane so one could
see how it was set up, in brilliant bright new metal.

Errata - One museum guy said that the plane was popular with the
Russians because the cannon was the same caliber as a tank cannon and
could punch through the side of a German tank turret. Of course this
leads to visions of Cobras blithely flying over the Eastern Front,
plinking Porsche-turreted King Tigers at leisure. However, no worry as
later on the host explains that the Russians used it as a fighter
under 15,000 feet and the conditions played to the plane's strengths
against German planes like the Bf 109 under that altitude, and talked
about it being used in combat against 109s, the Focke Wulf 190, etc.
They also mentioned the Russian tendency to remove wing guns and
improve roll rate. So that worked out. They also mentioned that
several Russian aces who scored 30 victories or more were the highest
scoring pilots flying American made planes during the war.

Overall - A decent history. It also states in a roundabout way that
the Russians made the plane work roughtly by using it as the design
intended, as a fighter and under 15,000 feet, using the strengths of
the plane's performance envelope.

The P-39 was designed as a high altitude point defense interceptor.  You
can look it up.

Yes, hence the cannon. However, the "urban legend" is that the USSR
used it as a tank buster. The use as a fighter is "in the original
role" or air to air fighter. They intercepted bombers (Heinkels and
Junkers) as well as flying cover for their own attack planes.

The high altitude thing, you have a great point on. One would have
thought the Air Corps would have been really big on altitude
performance.

  Also the wing gun removal helped the

roll rate - the prototype was said to have all guns nose mounted in
the beginning.

New details - Explained that a Supercharger explosion during a test
flight caused the army to not go with it for the Cobra. (The "Great
Planes - P40 Warhawk" show I caught the other week said that the
Warhawk too had been denied a Supecharger.

All V-1710 P-39s and P-40s had superchargers.  I agree that they did not
have "Supechargers."

  I guess only the P-38's

Allison engines got it.)

The P-38's had turbosuperchargers.  This is a significant distinction.

OK. My bad. I still wonder why the other fighters didn't get them for
their Allisons - Especially after 1940 when the data from the British
should have clued Army Procurement folks about German high altitude
performance. Even the Brits' review of the Cobra said it was good
against the 109 under a certain altitude but the lack of the turbo
hurt it above that. With the P-38 in service and working out the
turbos it would seem something worth note to the Army.

Thanks for the heads up on the difference.

Plenty of footage, including color footage,

that I had never seen before anywhere. A look at the P-39 and P-63 and
some of the differences. It didn't mention Russian cooperation and
assistance in improving and tailoring the P-63 but given the time
available I don't knock this. Also, they said that the plane got a
nickname in the Pacific for her attack capabilities: "The Baby B-17."

Overall - A fair look at a plane that started out as an interceptor
and found use in Guadalcanal as a fighter and attack plane, and in New
Guinea went blow for blow with the nimble Zero before being replaced
in front line duties in US service. A look at how the British saw the
P-400 expert

Hmm.  The export version was "expert?"

Oops - LOL! I guess that depended on the pilot!

version of the Airacobra, and how the Russians came to

embrace the plane, plus the use in the post-1943 Italian air force to
fight the Germans there.

My opinion - It's worth a watch, especially if you are a plane head.
Worse ways to spend an hour for sure.

You are a genius worthy of at least a dozen Wikipedia articles!

Thank you :D

And thanks for the info!

Cheers

==bob-

Dave
.

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