The Original Hemi

[BusyLittleShop]

Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
That chart is out of date. The later models of P-47 reached nearly 500mph in level flight..


The P47 in the chart is the P47N which was the last Thunderbolt variant to
be produced and maximum speed at Military Power 423 mph at 20,000

The XP47J when fitted with a GE CH-5 turbosupercharger, achieved a
top speed of 505 mph (440 kn, 813 km/h) in level flight on August 4,
1944 at 34,500 feet over a course in Farmingdale, New York, piloted by
Mike Ritchie.

 

[DoubleWasp]

The chart says P-47. The P-47M was a P-47.

It's top speed was significantly higher than quoted above. The information on the chart is not correct.

The P-47N was a long range model, never designed to be the fastest P-47. It is not the P-47 that chased and shot down jets.

 

[BusyLittleShop]

Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
The P-47 was routinely the fastest piston plane of the war, with an insane climb rate of 4900FPM. This is why P-47's were the choice for buzz-bomb interception.


Best rates of climb...

P47D 3180FPM
P47M 3960FPM
P47N 3580FPM

P51H 5120FPM

 

[DoubleWasp]

Yes, that is what you get when you compare corporate results of "clean-wing" performance to the results of a military test in combat condition.

North American routinely quoted the P-51H combat ready climb at 3300 fpm.

The P-47 is still the fastest piston engine plane of the war because the P-51H never entered the war.

 

[Surestick]

Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
The P-47 was routinely the fastest piston plane of the war, with an insane climb rate of 4900FPM. This is why P-47's were the choice for buzz-bomb interception..


Historically speaking the P47 wasn't the fastest and the Spitfire was the choice for Buzz Bomb interception...





Top speed of fighters is relative. If you look at the performance of the different fighters they had different top speeds at different altitudes (IIRC the P51 and P47 bested the FW190 & faster versions of the Me109 at some altitudes and were outpaced by them at others). It was mostly down to the efficiency of their supercharger (or turbo-charger for the P-47) at various altitudes which was a design consideration more than anything.

The choice of plane to intercept the V1 would have come down to what was fastest at the altitude the V1 cruised at.

There a really good Youtube channels that goes into a lot of this in depth with old flight manuals and NACA reports if you're interested: Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles.

 

[BusyLittleShop]

Originally Posted by DoubleWasp


The P-47 is still the fastest piston engine plane of the war because the P-51H never entered the war.


P47M 376mph at Sea Level and 473mph at 32,000

Dornier Do.335-B4 380mph at Sea Level and 478mph at 36,000

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp


The P-47 is still the fastest piston engine plane of the war because the P-51H never entered the war.


P47M 376mph at Sea Level and 473mph at 32,000

Dornier Do.335-B4 380mph at Sea Level and 478mph at 36,000



And it needed 2 engines to do so!

 

[BusyLittleShop]

Originally Posted by john_pifer
And it needed 2 engines to do so!


True... Claude Dornier's brilliant center line thrust not only
produced the wars fastest piston power propeller fighter but also
the fastest twin engine aircraft of the war out pacing Lockheed's
P38 and DeHavilland's Mosquito...

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp


The P-47 is still the fastest piston engine plane of the war because the P-51H never entered the war.


P47M 376mph at Sea Level and 473mph at 32,000

Dornier Do.335-B4 380mph at Sea Level and 478mph at 36,000



Which would be great.......if this plane had ever entered the war. It didn't.

 

[Kamele0N]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_335

French ace Pierre Clostermann claimed the first Allied combat encounter with a Pfeil in April 1945. He describes leading a flight of four Hawker Tempests from No. 3 Squadron RAF over northern Germany, when he intercepted a lone Do 335 flying at maximum speed at treetop level. Detecting the British aircraft, the German pilot reversed course to evade. Despite the Tempests' considerable low altitude speed, the Royal Air Force fighters were not able to catch up or even get into firing position

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted by Shannow
Oh well, BLS...if we are going that far off topic, rotary valves offer far more open area...
Sir Harry Ricardo was testing 5 and six valve heads in 1911...Wankels have pretty big port areas also...particularly with respect to swept volume


Now we're talking