Which do you think had the best all around performance for a fighter aircaraft?
-Speed, manouverability, firepower, range, durability.
Mustang - Gorgeous Masculine fast, pinnacle of piston engine aircaraft
Corsair - Big, pretty, versatile, mean, “Pappy Boyington”
Hellcat - Really Big, tough, ugly, war winner.
Best what? Fighter? Carrier aircraft? Bomber escort? :mrgreen:
Now i agree with pantherf . These are not aircrafts to be compared . P-51 is fighter which was build for escort and for high flights . F4U was the first fighter (i think) which beat Zero . The F6F was the one which destroyed japanese air power . The two last ( Corsair and Hellcat ) can be compared because they were both carrier fighters .
A more accurate thread would be Corsair, Hellcat, I suppose you could use the Buffalo but no one will vote for that…
Guys…
It’s really a simple question. Each aircaraft had its own strengths and weaknesses. They were all used in the pacific theater, 1 took off from soil and 1 from a floating deck. and 1 did both. Makes no difference that 1 was an army aircraft and 2 are Navy.
Which one of these was the best all around U.S. fighter?
I am not asking which is the best Navy fighter. Although you may answer that as well.
It is well established, the P-51 was very manouverable in the horizontal but inferior to the Corsair in the vertical. It is my understanding the Hellcat was about the equal to the Corsair in all dimensions but was slightly slower due to being a larger craft. However NO allied plane had a higher kill ratio than the Hellcat during the war. Why was this?
Aesthetically, the Mustang every time, but the Corsair has a certain brutal charm…
Clave, regarding your comments, right on!
…Regarding the pics, where are the U.S. markings?
I was just teasing…:mrgreen:
Ahhh Yes, makes the heart flutter!
My pick would have to be the Corsair. Jap aces claimed it to be the best fighter the Allies had. And it was also a very good ground attack fighter. It was a good enough plane that production ran from 1940 to 1952, the longest of any piston engine fighter.
Aesthetically, the Mustang every time, but the Corsair has a certain brutal charm…
Specially with that Argentine Navy insignia :mrgreen:
The Corsair all the time, just imagine this aircraft was being deployed in the ETO…a real night mare for the Luftwaffes Bf-109s.
Here I thought it was the Mustang, and the Corvair,
Saleen Mustang
http://www.jeffsandquist.com/TheNewMustangRocks.aspx
http://www.saleen.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saleen%2C_Incorporated
1938 Phantom Corsair
http://www.flickr.com/photos/puckman/141232155/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Corsair
Melling Hellcat
http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/200485/hellcat_leaps_into_action.html
http://www.mellingsportscars.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melling_Hellcat
TANKGEEZER and GEORGE,
!!! makes the choice harder doesn’t it? !!!
I wonder how many P-51Ds the RAF operated? What were their primary missions since I assume escorting RAF Bomber Command was left to nightfighters?
What were their primary missions since I assume escorting RAF Bomber Command was left to nightfighters?
Armed recce and attack missions.
If you take into account survivability as a factor I would put the Mustang third. While the Merlin engine gave it scintillating performance, being a liquid cooled engine it was suspectable to battle damage, often one hit capable of bringing it down.
Wheras the radials of the F6 and F4u were capable of taking heavy damage and still survive. This was also true of the P-47.
digger
Vought Corsair
http://au.geocities.com/thefortysecondinww2/level2/aircraft/vought_corsair.htm
Vought F4U Corsair
http://www.acepilots.com/planes/f4u_corsair.html
Pappy Boyington’s Corsair
F4U-1A, Bureau Number 18086
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington3.html#top
Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
C.O. VMF-214, Black Sheep Squadron
“Just name a hero, and I’ll prove he’s a bum.” - Pappy’s self-assessment
Undoubtedly the most colorful and well known Marine Corps’ ace was Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, commanding officer of VMF-214.
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington.html
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington2.html#top
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_vmf214.html#top
http://www.acepilots.com/aces214.html#top
http://usfighter.tripod.com/boyingto.htm
Greg “Pappy” Boyington VMF 214
USMC VMF 214 Blacksheep Squadron CO from September 12, 1943 to January 3, 1944
http://www.freewebs.com/blacksheepone/photoalbum.htm
VMF-214
http://usfighter.tripod.com/VMF214.htm
In reading “Flight Journal” mags a few years ago, I remember a test pilot who flew both planes said there really wasn’t much difference in performance of Hellcat and Corsair.
In fact he stated the Hellcat was just about as fast as a Corsair, not the “rated” 375 mph that is credited to it.
Personaly corsair every time , if it had made it to the ETO and got more “press” it probably would have been on more peoples mind , thats not to take any thing away from the mustang ,they saved many a B-17/B-24 crew , and turned the war at a pivotal time