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P-63

Discussion in 'Aircraft' started by GunSlinger86, Jan 1, 2017.

  1. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    It was developed as an improved version of the P-39. The fuselage design is aerodynamically sleek, it had a better roll rate than the P-47 and P-51, it reached speeds of over 400 mph, like all American fighters it was rugged. The Soviets had success with it. I understand it was developed during in the war, and at that point the P-51 was considered superior and more favored by the AAF, but it seemed to have solid qualities, and with success in the Soviet front against the Germans, why not equip some squadrons with them to add depth to their materiel. They also made a swept-wing version of this plane.
     
  2. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    It also had laminar flow wings and improved superchargers, though I don't believe it had a turbo.
     
  3. Gromit801

    Gromit801 Member

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    The Sovs had success because they used it at lower levels, where they fought their war. The P-63 wouldn't have survived in the high altitude Western European air war. There was no logic for the Army to field too many different designs, which is why proven all around designs were maintained.
     
  4. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

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    To expand on what Gromit has already posted, The US produced a considerable variety of fighter aircraft for their own service and another that did not offer enough difference in performance was of limited use and only complicated logistics. A P-47 was extremely rugged, A P-51 was a nimble and long ranged, high altitude escort, a P-38 offered the security of a second engine for long over water flights as well as range. Add the P-40 which flew in US service till late 1944 in various roles.

    The Navy had three designs they favored F6F, F4U, F4F (and FM variants) that filled their needs, so having a design in the P-39/P-63 that Russians actually liked and wanted meant you could fulfill Lend-Lease without compromising US needs overly.
     
  5. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    They could have kept it on the backburner in reserve for the USAAF in case there were heavy losses while they were shipping them to Russia, because they seemed to have been a marked improvement from the P-63, maybe plugging them into the P-40 roles as fighter/bomber in the secondary role. That's probably a moot point though.
     
  6. Poppy

    Poppy grasshopper

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    It was an odd bird...Never understood the car door access. How could a pilot abandon ship if there was a slipstream that prevented pilot from opening door to eject?...maybe there was an emergency hatch
     
  7. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    The door was jettisoned, not opened. It took very little effort. Then the pilot just rolled out.
     
  8. Poppy

    Poppy grasshopper

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    Ahh. Thanks... Would worry about the left tail after jumping...lots of stories of pilots getting hung up.
     
  9. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    They were not shipped to the USSR, they were flown on the Alaska-Siberian Air Route.
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    If you roll out, you are already under the horizontal stabilizer.

    Of course, there are a lot of other factors for a successful bailout.
     
  11. Poppy

    Poppy grasshopper

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    #9- One of the reasons we called Edmonton- The Gateway To The North.
     
  12. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    It seemed like a plane that could have performed on par with the other main-line fighters, good rate of climb, speed, and other attributes are solid.
     
  13. Terry D

    Terry D Well-Known Member

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    Edmontogorsk!
     
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  14. GunSlinger86

    GunSlinger86 Well-Known Member

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    Could most of the lend-lease goods shipped by the US have gone the Bering Strait way?
     
  15. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    The breakdown was roughly...
    route, Amount shipped, Arrived/lost
    North Russia, 3,964,000 tons, 93%/7%
    Persian Gulf, 4,160,000 tons, 96%/4%
    Black Sea, 681,000 tons, 99%/1%
    Far East, 8,244,000 tons, 99%/1%
    Soviet Artic, 452,000 tons 100%/0%

    Various breakdowns of L-L shipments to Russia can be found here:
    http://www.o5m6.de/Routes.html
     

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