TRIVA FUN

[2LaneCruzer]

The Vaught F4U Corsair was WWII fighter that actually continued production after the war. It was manufactured by Vaught, Goodyear and Brewster. In action in the Pacific, it was flown from land bases, and later from carriers. It was known to the Japanese as "Whistling Death" because of the sound of the air through the oil coolers. It had a phenomenal kill ratio of 11 to 1 against the Japanese. T

here was one other American fighter aircraft that had a kill ratio significantly higher...19 to 1...what was it and who was the manufacturer?

P.S. I would highly recommend the book "Whistling Death", the story of the development of the Corsair, written by the test pilot, Boone T. Guyton. There is also another book that I highly recommend to you WWII buffs, entitled "Reach for the Sky", the story of a legless British pilot who flew Spitfires against the Germans using artificial legs. His name was Douglas Bader, and he lost his legs in a crash while showing off for some girls. He was a good pilot, and the British, being desperate for pilots, put him back in a fighter plane where he shot down something like 20 German aircraft.

Looks like I'm not getting any takers on this; the answer is the Grumman Hellcat. While it had the same engine as the Corsair, it was not quite as fast...but it was built by Grumman with extensive input from the pilots and was built with them in mind. It was faster and better armed than the Zero, and judging by the kill ratio...19 to 1...it was far superior. It was also easy to fly and very forgiving...an extremely important factor considering that the bulk of the pilots were young and relatively inexperienced. It also was built by Grumman, who had extensive experience with carrier aircraft, so it was designed with carrier service in mind. If my recollection is correct, it was in full service by the Summer of 1943, replacing the Grumman Wildcat...except for those Wildcats kept in service on the jeep carries in anti-submarine service. The Corsair didn't see extensive carrier service until much later, summer of 1944 I believe.

An interesting side note; the Grumman Bearcat, which was in every way superior to the Zero, did not see service in WWII, although they were being manufactured and loaded on to the carriers as the war ended. The French used them in Indochina later.

 

[crash325]

The R2800 was a strong, rugged &* reliable engine, that would take a lot of abuse.
I trained on it in a Hellcat.

The R3350 was a good engine if not abused. Over boosted or over leaned really hurt it.
Most of my career it was the engine I worked on.
It did almost achieve the magic HP rating of 1 HP to 1 pound of weight.

Normal max boost on round engines was 29.5 Inches of Mercury. If memory is correct at 32.5 inches for 1 minuet was an automatic engine change.

At Reno the run 78+ inches of mercury & that would blow cylinders off a 3350.

It sure is a thrill when 5 unlimited planes come buy. The ground shakes.

New Questions

What is the great circle???

What is 10% lean???

 

[turnkey4099]

The R2800 was a strong, rugged &* reliable engine, that would take a lot of abuse.
I trained on it in a Hellcat.

The R3350 was a good engine if not abused. Over boosted or over leaned really hurt it.
Most of my career it was the engine I worked on.
It did almost achieve the magic HP rating of 1 HP to 1 pound of weight.

Normal max boost on round engines was 29.5 Inches of Mercury. If memory is correct at 32.5 inches for 1 minuet was an automatic engine change.

At Reno the run 78+ inches of mercury & that would blow cylinders off a 3350.

It sure is a thrill when 5 unlimited planes come buy. The ground shakes.

New Questions

What is the great circle???

What is 10% lean???

In navigation, the shortest route between two points on a globe. Usually loops up northwards and then back down.

10% lean - can't even do a WAG.

Harry K

 

[crash325]

In navigation, the shortest route between two points on a globe. Usually loops up northwards and then back down.

10% lean - can't even do a WAG.

Harry K

Right on the great circle.

10% lean is a 10% loss of power. On a constant sped propeller it is measured my a Mean barametrec pressure or torque gauge.
Best fuel mileage you can get with out damage to the engine.
On a light plane with a fixed pitch propeller - Lean it out until it coughs & push in too clicks.
At take off power engines are run a very rich mixture to help cool the engine.

Sure wish some of you other folks would ask some questions. BE nice if some of you lookers would chime in.

The American space race you hear about Werner Von Braun mentioned a lot.
But he was not the true pioneer of space flight. In fact Werner used some of his patents in build the V-2 rocket.
Who was this person????

 

[vtsnowedin]

The American space race you hear about Werner Von Braun mentioned a lot.
But he was not the true pioneer of space flight. In fact Werner used some of his patents in build the V-2 rocket.
Who was this person???? [/quote.]
Goddard.?
Robert Goddard: American Father of Rocketry

 

[crash325]

The American space race you hear about Werner Von Braun mentioned a lot.
But he was not the true pioneer of space flight. In fact Werner used some of his patents in build the V-2 rocket.
Who was this person???? [/quote.]
Goddard.?
Robert Goddard: American Father of Rocketry

I wonder if many people know that. Doubt the younger generation has any idea.

During WW2 in the south Pacific there were some planes called the "Black Cats".
What plane was it & how did it get its name????

 

[vtsnowedin]

I don't remember the exact model number but they were painted black for night flights and recon missions. One was named "Lady in the dark"

 

[farmer2009]

BE nice if some of you lookers would chime in.

Of the main animals raised in the USA for food. Which species is the most feed efficient? Least?

 

[k0ua]

During WW2 in the south Pacific there were some planes called the "Black Cats".
What plane was it & how did it get its name????

Catalina's painted black for night missions

 

[k0ua]

MK3 and MK4 SMLE rifles were fielded by a major power in WWII.

What country fielded these rifles? What was their caliber designation? and what does the letters SMLE stand for?