We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:06:17 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:52:55 -0600
Dusty, wasn't the key issue that the wing lost lift (when the air "burbled") while the tail didn't, creating a vicious cycle of a progressively deeper -and more dangerous- dive? I was under the impression that the P-38 dive flaps (not speed brakes) restored lift for the wing without changing the angle of attack, allowing the pilot to control the aircraft.

It's tragic that several hundred kits to update ETO aircraft was accidentally shot down by a Brit fighter. Adding dive flaps (and, later, hydraulically-boosted controls) addressed the the worst bugs left. Jerry got a nasty shock when a late-model -L would chase him straight down after a "split-S..."

I love me some Lightning! :)

On the other hand, I don't doubt Bill has a different reaction to P-38 than I do. Heh.

P.S. For once I actually used Preview to check my post. Imagine my surprise when clicked "Back," only to find an empty comment screen! Yikes.  For archival purposes, clicking "Forward" returned me to the Preview screen, where I found my brilliant thoughts awaiting final submission...

P.P.S. Hold on, wait, that last bit doesn't sound ri-click- ...

]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99862 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99862 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:48:37 -0600 Dusty - If you step back in your browser you ought to be able to recover a comment that gets lost like that. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99847 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99847 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:30:28 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99846 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99846 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:28:01 -0600
I know (knew -- he died in 1995) a P-51 pilot who shot down an Me-262 and swore it was by pure luck -- he was diving and maneuvering for a shot at it, hit compressibility, the controls froze, and he figured the recoil from his guns might slow him down enough to regain control. So he squeezed the trigger and held it. The Schwalbe banked at about that time, and basically flew into his bullet stream.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99792 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99792 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:58:29 -0600
He said, if you dived too steep or put too much power to the engine while diving, you'd run into what he called "a compressability problem". The air flowing over the wings would get so compressed that it became impossible to work the control surfaces.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99786 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99786 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:05:24 -0600
The Lightning was an amazing plane for its time; for a long time I've seen it as the WW2 equivalent to the F-4 Phantom II. But with guns. :)
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99767 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99767 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:56:39 -0600 ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99755 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99755 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:55:40 -0600 I love the P-38 ... and the Cosair http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99754 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/03/a_good_read_1.html#comment-99754 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:53:38 -0600