Iconic Aircraft Aviation Forum

by **Pujgnie** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:33 pm

Stumbled across this little lot.. (like you do)

No10

No 9

No 8

No 7

No 6

No 5

No 4

No 3

No 2

No 1

by **Saracenman** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:36 pm

Spitfire beaten by Mustang?

all a matter of opinion anyway =))

sm

by **Jigsaw** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:38 pm

I could not agree more SM :))

by **Dan4th** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:29 pm

Well, in MY opinion, humble though it may
be, the Spit and the Mustang are in a dead
heat in all areas but one: The ONLY thing
that noses-out the P-51 when you add up
the columns is what the Spitfire ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!!!

Dan4th

by **Xplumberlives** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:43 pm

Surely range should also enter in to the equation!

by **Bubbles** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 10:09 pm

The F-117 was'nt a fighter!! it had absoloutly no air to air capability at all. a pure bomber it were. Bloody yanks!

by **Dan4th** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:54 pm

It's a British-Made Documentary, Mister Bubbs..........

Don't Blame ME!

Bloody Murkin

by **Pujgnie** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:00 am

Don't blame me either... I only posted it out of aviation interest...

by **320psi** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:58 pm

No Lightnings :-o

by **IcH** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:34 pm

No Phantoms? Dear oh dear

by **Xplumberlives** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:45 pm

I suppose every list is purely personal and entirely subjective, BUT must we really go down the Murkin route and call any aeroplane that is designed to be aggressive in the air a FIGHTER!

From the published list above only SEVEN are true Fighters, the F117 Nighthawk, Bae Systems Harrier and the F18 Super Hornet are primarily BOMBERS! :-o

I am sure we could build a better list within this Forum. :ymapplause:

I shall nominate the following fighters for OUR I.A. Listing;

Spitfire
Hurricane
Mustang
F15C Eagle
Typhoon
Lightning

Please add your nominations below!

by **Dan4th** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:59 pm

I will add (tentatively):

Starfighter
Sabre
Corsair

More to follow.....

And Don't Forget that was a British-Made Documentary!

D.

by **Xplumberlives** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:01 pm

Dan4th wrote:I will add (tentatively):
Starfighter
Sabre
Corsair
More to follow.....
And Don't Forget that was a British-Made Documentary!
D.

Indeed, dissapointing isn't it?

by **Dan4th** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:09 pm

Oh, and let me quickly add the Phantom
before IcH beats me to it.....

D.

by **Xplumberlives** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:11 pm

Dan4th wrote:Oh, and let me quickly add the Phantom
before IcH beats me to it.....
D.

Which Model Mr W?

by **Saracenman** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:13 pm

the only GOOD Phantom is a SCRAPPED Phantom :ymdevil:

by **Dan4th** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:40 pm

Xplumberlives wrote:
Dan4th wrote:Oh, and let me quickly add the Phantom
before IcH beats me to it.....
D.

Which Model Mr W?

What? Is this becoming a "Yours/Ours" process???

ALL of 'em!

D.

by **Xplumberlives** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:42 pm

Dan4th wrote:
Xplumberlives wrote:
Dan4th wrote:Oh, and let me quickly add the Phantom
before IcH beats me to it.....
D.

Which Model Mr W?

What? Is this becoming a "Yours/Ours" process???
ALL of 'em!
D.

Well, some were BOMBERS and others were designed as FIGHTERS!

by **Dan4th** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:46 pm

Just goes to show what an ADAPTABLE
aircraft it was! It was designed to have
guns originally but DoD said Just Missiles!
Cannons added in "The Nam".

D.

by **Ducati Boy** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:01 pm

Xplumberlives wrote:Surely range should also enter in to the equation!

Oh dear that lets the old Spitfire lagging badly, Mustang top dog there!

by **Xplumberlives** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:01 pm

Ducati Boy wrote:
Xplumberlives wrote:Surely range should also enter in to the equation!
Oh dear that lets the old Spitfire lagging badly, Mustang top dog there!

Indeed, Berlin and back!

by **Ducati Boy** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:45 am

Not to mention a spot of Hun despatching along the way

Heres the story of it's development.

In 1940, the British Purchasing Commission approached J.H. "Dutch: Kindelberger, President of North American Aviation with a proposal to produce Curtis P-40 War Hawks, under license, for Great Britain. North American's designers, Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued, responded with a counter proposal that they produce instead a brand new airframe that used the same Allison engine employed by the P-40.

The British agreed, under the condition that the new prototype be ready in an unheard of 120 days. North American, who had never even produced a fighter before, designed, manufactured and flew the NA-73x (P-51) prototype in a truly amazing 102 days.
Despite revolutionary features like a laminar flow wing, an under the fuselage radiator that provided additional "thrust" and a slick, aerodynamic shape, the early P-51A models were hampered by the poor high altitude performance and the mediocre top speed of the original Allison engine. Although good low level attack planes, they did not attract much interest on either side of the Atlantic.

All that changed when the British decided to test a Rolls Royce Merlin engine (used in the Spitfire) in a Mustang air frame. The rest, as they say, is history. Top speed leaped past 400 mph and high altitude performance was a revelation. The result was the P-51B, followed by re P-51C, both of which featured a Packard built Merlin and the flush patterned cage style canopy.
The definitive wartime Mustang was the P-51-D, which introduced a new clear "bubble top" canopy (inspired by the British "Malcom Bubble") that offered an outstanding field of vision and a new 85 gallon fuel tank located behind the pilot's seat. The latter innovation was critical to the Mustang's success as a long range bomber escort fighter because it could now fly all the way from England to Berlin and back -- something no other fighter could do at the time. It also meant that P-51's could roam far into enemy territory as a fighter/bomber to attack roads, air fields, rail lines, depots and communications to cripple the oppositions ability to respond

It was the Mustang's ability to place at or near the top in so many categories that made it an outstanding aircraft and a leading candidate for Best All Around Fighter of World War II: It was among the fastest piston engine planes of the war; it had an outstandingly high Mach number and strong construction so it could out dive opponents; it had a very good roll rate and could use it's "combat flaps" to turn inside many opponents; the P-51's great range meant it could fly farther and loiter longer in the battle zone than it's opponents,

It's six 50 caliber machine guns packed plenty of punch and the Mustang's rugged frame could absorb an unusual amount of damage. Though not "easy' to fly and requiring that the pilot pay attention, the Mustang was predictable, with good stall characteristics and was without any really nasty habits.

About the only short coming of the P-51D was it's relatively heavy weight, which made it only a mediocre climber up to 20,000'. That deficiency would have been more of a draw back in an "Interceptor" than in the roles the Mustang was designed for, and that fault was corrected in the light weight P-51H, which was produced too late in the War to see action. Ironically, it was the World War II work horse, the P-51D, not the newer "H" model, that saw heavy action in Korea because of an abundance of spare parts.

Here's the Daddy (A TF51 actually, so you can actually get to fly this too

)