Ready to Debate?

[4_Series_Scania]

The Spit was obviously good, it used one of the Lancasters engines.....  ;)  

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]
I'm an American born pilot, living in Birmingham Alabama and I chose a un-manned Nazi terror weapon.

[Hagar]

I was just reading that the Peregrine was a development of the successful Kestrel. The RR Vulture fitted to the twin-engined Avro Manchester was essentially 2 RR Peregrines bolted together. It was a failure & met the same fate as the Peregrine. As a result the Manchester was redesigned to take 4 Merlins & became the legendary Lancaster.

[Felix/FFDS]

It was a nice looking aircraft & I've often wondered how it would have performed as a single-seater fighter or even a conventional 2-seater carrier-borne aircraft like the Firefly.

More on the Defiant -  There actually were proposals to rebuild the Defiant as a single-seat naval fighter, and a prototype was built.  Had it gone into production, a "Super Defiant"  would have been a welcome addition to the FAA.  However, exigencies of the War, coupled with the Defiant's already bad reputation, precluded this avenue.

(Air Enthusiast last yeat had an article on the "Super-Defiant"  projects.)

[ATI_7500]

Bf-109. For the aces of the aces (top score: 352 by E.Hartmann).

[OTTOL]

Bf-109. For the aces of the aces (top score: 352 by E.Hartmann).

It had lousy visibility and they lost the war. + "highest scoring ace" is debatable, even to this day. Claiming extra kills, definition of a "kill" and verification of kills is a grey area to say the least, on ALL fronts. Equipment and skill of the opponent is another big factor(it's easy to shoot "ducks" in Russia!)  Douglas Bader did remarkable things with the Hurricane but I don't think that makes it better than the Spit. And Claire Shenault developed tatics to thoroughly waffle the Japanese , that are still used by fighters to this day,  but I don't think the P40(as much as I like the airplane) was a spectacular airplane by WWII era standards.

[OTTOL]

[quote]

Yeah, but didn't Von Braun & Co., and quite a number of V-2s make it to Alabama after the war?

[Ivan]

No Yak-1/3/9?

FW190 or Spitfire

[Wing Nut]

It had lousy visibility and they lost the war.  

Not because of the 109 though.  They lost the war because Hitler and Goering were morons...

[OTTOL]

[quote]

[Politically Incorrect]

Well who can overlook the importance and "IMPACT" the C47 had during the wars!!?
It was used for everything from towing gliders, dropping supplies, troops, donkeys and was even used as a bomber!!
It could withstand punishment that would have brought down any of the before mentioned warbirds.
The C47 was always and is always overlooked for what it accomplished not only in WWII but every war after.
Many of Generals and pilots who flew the Gooney Bird have said that the wars could not have been won without the C47!!

[Hagar]

The C47 was always and is always overlooked ......

You make a very good point Fret. The good ol' Dak as I fondly call it is an amazing & beautiful aircraft. An inspired piece of design work that still looks good today. Well before its time & still giving faithful service.

[OTTOL]

On this side of the pond, in Georgia, So. Florida and San Juan, there are WWII era DC-3's STILL hauling cargo on a daily basis! Try and find a 1942 truck that can AFFECTIVELY haul cargo long distance today.  

I would have to say was and still IS one of the most affective aircraft ever built. Nice call Fret.

[Politically Incorrect]

There are also some here in the TN area that are used daily for cargo hauling! Can't find a better aircraft anywhere than Ol' Reliable!!
Just in case anyone cares, I was in KY over the weekend and found where Glacier Girl is being kept!! For those of you who don't know who she is, she is a P-38 Lightning that was recovered from deep in a Glacier in Greenland. She is restored and a poll was posted awhile back about whether or not "Warbirds" should be flowen which mentioned her.
Well she is in Middlesboro Kentucky!! I'm planning on going too see her in person next weekend!!!  And you can rest assured photos will be taken and posted for all too see!!!
I have read about the recovery and restoration of her and can't describe the joy I have knowing where she is and especially the fact that she is only a few hours drive from home!!

[Hagar]

I look forward to seeing your photos Fret.

Try and find a 1942 truck that can AFFECTIVELY haul cargo long distance today.  

The DC-3 was first produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1935. That will make this remarkable aircraft 70 years old next year. Over 10,000 examples were produced (some as unlicensed copies in Japan, and as licensed copies in the USSR). It revolutionised air travel & served in possibly more countries than any similar aircraft. The C-47 military version was first ordered in 1940. The last C-47 was retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975.

The C-47 transport, commonly referred to as "Gooney Bird," was one of four weapons singled out by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower as the most instrumental in helping the US win World War II. (The others were the bazooka, the jeep, and the atomic bomb.)

PS. The only military aircraft I can think of likely to match this is the C-130 Hercules. Another transport & the natural replacement for the C-47. The C-130A joined the U.S. Air Force inventory in December 1956. Almost 50 years old & still in production.