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Reply With QuoteDo-335.
P-51 Mustang
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-38 Lightning
F4F Wildcat
F6F Hellcat
F4U Corsair
Spitfire Mk.IX and after
Typhoon
Tempest
Bf109
Fw190
Do335
La-5
La-7
Yak-3
Yak-9
MiG-3/7
Other
Mitsubishi Zero
Okay, here's another "What's the best?" thread. But since other threads recently in the the military aviation forum of WAB have been related to more modern or recent things, heres one that goes a little farther back. What do you think was the best end-of WW2(1943 and after) propeller powered fighter or fighter-bomber? I haven't included jets since they'll probably dominate. Anyway, it can be a plane that served in any theatre. I'm starting a poll with this, but I might miss out some options, so you may just choose "other".
Do-335.
Oh no! I forgot the Zero! Mods, can you edit that poll somehow and put the Zero in there? This is why i don't like polls too much.
Edit: Okay, I see the Mitsubishi A6M Zero is up there now. If the F8F becomes popular enough, I think it'll become the final addition(20 option limit). Right now the Bear has 2 'votes'.
Last edited by hello; 17 Nov 06, at 21:46.
Brewster Buffalo... hands down...
To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway
I can't decide!!!
P-38J because it's just the coolest looking plane ever.
Do-335 because it's fast and heavily armed like a twin, but agile like a single.
P-51H with it's range and speed.
Let me sleep on this a bit...
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.
Was the F2A Buffalo in frontline service and not obsolete in 1943? If it was, vote 'other'(another one I missed). I'm going for the Do335B-2 Pfeil(Arrow) because of its looks, armament, its being the fastest thing on the list and its good performance in Combat Flight Simulator 3.
yeah Do-335 was probably the best fighter at the end of WW2... but like all other German WW2 later year machines, it was also something too little, too late...
my fav though is the Spitfire... but i'll vote Do-335 for this one..
Last edited by Tronic; 17 Nov 06, at 00:52.
Nabha Sparasham Deeptam
-Touch The Sky With Glory
It had only one engagement i can think of at the moment. 4 Tempest Vs vs 1 335. The Tempest pilots thought they could get him, but the Do335 evaded them with its superior speed, and didn't fight the Tempests.
I went the Tempest simply because it was battle proven. The 335 was faster but didn't get a test under combat.
According to the test pilots at the time the best fighter NOT to go into production was the Martin Baker MB5. The company left aircraft design and manufacture and became famous for their ejection seats.
Originally Posted by glyn
Damn. Dad built me a model of one of these when I was a kid. Always wondered what it was
F8F Bearcat
General characteristics
* Crew: one pilot
* Length: 28 ft 3 in (8.6 m)
* Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.9 m)
* Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.2 m)
* Wing area: ft² (m²)
* Empty weight: 7,070 lb (3,210 kg)
* Loaded weight: 9,600 lb [F8F-2: 10,400 lb] (kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 12,947 lb (5,870 kg)
* Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W [F8F-2: R-2800-30W] Double Wasp two-row radial engine, 2,100 hp [F8F-2: 2,400 hp] (1,600 kW)
Performance
* Maximum speed: 421 mph [F8F-2: 447 mph] (680 km/h)
* Range: 1,105 miles (1,780 km)
* Service ceiling: 38,700 ft (11,800 m)
* Rate of climb: 4570 ft/min (23.2 m/s)
* Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
* Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)
Armament
* 4 × .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns in F8F-1; F8F-1B and -2 carried 4 × 20 mm cannons
* 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
* 4 × 5-in (127 mm) unguided rockets
The bearcat was the fastest clibing fighter in the world for 10 years and was as agile as the Japanese fighters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F8F_Bearcat
The F8F Bearcat entered service before WW2 ended, but never saw combat. The same case was with the He162 and P-80, but they were jets, so the F8F Bearcat probably counts. The Do335s engagement was also not a dogfight; no shots were fired.
With the Bearcat considered, the Pfeil is still the fastest non-jet fighter around. 765km/h vs 680km/h.
Last edited by hello; 17 Nov 06, at 04:50.
the 335 is fastest in level flight, the bearcat is the fastest climbing. Also post war a modified bearcat (race plane for the Reno air race circut) set an all time piston engine speed record 538mph IIRC
P-51 and the Corsair. I'd give honorable mention to the "Dora Nine" Fw-190
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