GregP
21st June 2004, 02:44
I notice a few people quoting aircraft top speed. Mostly, they are correct and in line with the published numbers at the time. However, I wish to bring these numbers into reality.
Stating that one aircraft can make 437 mph versus 414 mph for another is a bit misleading. Allow me to explain.
If you are a private pilot and happen to fly a Cessna 172, then you have a pilots operating handbook. It states the Cessna 172 can take off in so many feet in standard conditions. If it is YOUR rear end in the pilot's seat, you have to remember some things.
1) Conditions are not always standard. In fact, I have had a pilot's license for almost 20 years and have yet to fly in standard conditions.
2) The aircraft used to generate the numbers was brand new and flown by a pilot whose sole job is to demonstrate the best numbers possible. He had a well-tuned engine, a brand new propeller, and perfect technique.
The same goes for the P-51 and the P-63. The quoted numbers were the best the plane could do when using a new P-51 that was clean (had not been rained on and left out to sit in it), had a new propeller, and probably had been waxed. The speed was also quoted at the P-51's best altitude.
Mostly, fighters flew at 250 - 300 mph in a combat zone and accelerated when they initiated combat, after dropping any external fuel tanks. The advantage usually went to the side that saw the other side first or the side that was at a higher altitude. Top speeds had little to do with aerial victories.
Also, the top speed was almost always generated using the manufacturer's recommended power settings. In combat, they often ignored these settings and simply cobbed the throttle past the maximum boost in whatever supercharger gear they happened to be in at the time.
I have often seen one performance comparison in which a Spitfire was allowed to climb at one Merlin power setting while the competing P-51 was restricted to a lower power setting.
Therefore, I offer the following opinion, sure to be disputed.
The Spitfire, the P-51, the Bf-109, the Fw-190, and the Yak-3 were all outstanding aircraft. Each had a suite of "best characteristics." In any particular combat, the winner would heavily depend primarily on the pilot, but were also affected to a huge degree by starting tactical position, altitude difference, absolute altitude at the time, and the quality of thefuel in the tanks. English fuel in Russian Yak tanks would have been a delight to the Soviet pilots.
So, take top speed witha grain of salt. Assuming enough top speed to start with, good eyes, maneuverability, firepower, fuel, and the pilot's abilities were WAY more important.
Stating that one aircraft can make 437 mph versus 414 mph for another is a bit misleading. Allow me to explain.
If you are a private pilot and happen to fly a Cessna 172, then you have a pilots operating handbook. It states the Cessna 172 can take off in so many feet in standard conditions. If it is YOUR rear end in the pilot's seat, you have to remember some things.
1) Conditions are not always standard. In fact, I have had a pilot's license for almost 20 years and have yet to fly in standard conditions.
2) The aircraft used to generate the numbers was brand new and flown by a pilot whose sole job is to demonstrate the best numbers possible. He had a well-tuned engine, a brand new propeller, and perfect technique.
The same goes for the P-51 and the P-63. The quoted numbers were the best the plane could do when using a new P-51 that was clean (had not been rained on and left out to sit in it), had a new propeller, and probably had been waxed. The speed was also quoted at the P-51's best altitude.
Mostly, fighters flew at 250 - 300 mph in a combat zone and accelerated when they initiated combat, after dropping any external fuel tanks. The advantage usually went to the side that saw the other side first or the side that was at a higher altitude. Top speeds had little to do with aerial victories.
Also, the top speed was almost always generated using the manufacturer's recommended power settings. In combat, they often ignored these settings and simply cobbed the throttle past the maximum boost in whatever supercharger gear they happened to be in at the time.
I have often seen one performance comparison in which a Spitfire was allowed to climb at one Merlin power setting while the competing P-51 was restricted to a lower power setting.
Therefore, I offer the following opinion, sure to be disputed.
The Spitfire, the P-51, the Bf-109, the Fw-190, and the Yak-3 were all outstanding aircraft. Each had a suite of "best characteristics." In any particular combat, the winner would heavily depend primarily on the pilot, but were also affected to a huge degree by starting tactical position, altitude difference, absolute altitude at the time, and the quality of thefuel in the tanks. English fuel in Russian Yak tanks would have been a delight to the Soviet pilots.
So, take top speed witha grain of salt. Assuming enough top speed to start with, good eyes, maneuverability, firepower, fuel, and the pilot's abilities were WAY more important.