Then there was the Me 163 Komet, which had the unfortunate effect of dissolving one pilot mid-flight when the oxidizer system leaked.
Posted on 02/16/2021 6:03:34 AM PST by Onthebrink
The original F4F that competed against the Buffalo, was a biplane... the Buffalo was far superior. So, I guess the Navy did the best it could.
Sorry post 41 was incorrect. The Navy did choose badly.
The style of the canopy, and it sitting so far forward, looks more like a modern jet fighter than a WWII bird.
When the navy did pick the Buffalo, it was a pretty hot ship - but adding armor and self-sealing tanks bumped the weight up and that killed its maneuverability and speed. Throw in those weak landing gear and it was bear to maintain and fly - and didn't have a chance against the A6M in combat.
Got a lot of young American pilots killed finding out.
Then there was the Me 163 Komet, which had the unfortunate effect of dissolving one pilot mid-flight when the oxidizer system leaked.
I’m with you. I was one of those kids who incessantly drew Spitfires and Mustangs in class, and then, after I landed at Yokota with my family at the height of the Vietnam War, and saw all those black and green camoflaged Phantoms lined up as we taxied by, dozens and dozens of them...well, I began drawing Phantoms, too!
The 190 was a beautiful warbird. To me, its study beefiness makes the Me-109 look spindly and anemic in comparison...as the 190 had those sturdy looking main mounts...
Yes...I love airplanes. All of them. It is my one regret, that I never got my pilot’s license. My wife would never go up in a small plane now, and I can’t do something like that unless she was into it.
But I had my time in the USN, and was able to work on the flight deck of a carrier, watch jets in all their operations...and I loved that.
I have that...:)
Hah! I missed that!
Reading further... the XF4F-2 monoplane that competed was worse than the Buffalo. However, after the loss, they rebuilt as the XF4F-3 with the supercharged Twin Wasp and added maneuverability (and probably durability). So, by losing at first, the improved Wildcat saved more lives in the end, and maybe the win at Midway.
It’s an amazing story.
The Dutch took out the .50s and replaced them with .30s and carried half the fuel. This improved performance markedly and made combat vs the Japanese Army Oscars doable. Unfortunately they had neither the numbers of planes or pilots to affect the outcome. And when the Zeros arrived...game over.
Great information - Thanks!
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