WW2's Most Controversial Fighter

WW2's Most Controversial Fighter - The P-39 Airacobra

Рет қаралды 601,562

Жыл бұрын

Play War Thunder FREE at playwt.link/darkskies and join us on the battlefield with either a PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or previous generations of consoles!
_____
There was a time when some commercial airplanes were faster than those of the US Army Air Corps, and military flying tactics were still significantly based on obsolete practices from World War 1. However, such strategies would drastically change soon.
In the late 1930s, Bell Aircraft presented the organization with a sleek concept complete with a streamlined finish that made it look like a winner.
The P-39 Airacobra was unlike anything ever seen before and featured several innovations that marked a departure from conventional fighter design, heavily influencing future developments.
The aircraft made quite the impression and eventually became one of the most beloved fighters among pilots.
However, it was not with the Americans that the Airacobra truly shined…
---
Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

Пікірлер: 822

@DarkDocsSkies Жыл бұрын

You can support Dark Skies by visiting our sponsors! Play War Thunder FREE at playwt.link/darkskies and join us on the battlefield with either a PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or previous gen consoles. Thanks again for watching.

@DarthBaras13 Жыл бұрын

If you ask Gaijin nicely, I'm sure they'll give you Alexander Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 Airacobra. When I use it, I claim over 5 kills in almost every match.

@lewisbenzie845 Жыл бұрын

I want a Dark Skies decal :)

@admiral_alman8671 Жыл бұрын

Yay, a sponsor that isn’t raid shadow Legos or similar

@Hammersteyn Жыл бұрын

pay to win, no thanks

@lewisbenzie845 Жыл бұрын

@@Hammersteyn Poor people say what?

@johnhickman106 Жыл бұрын

My Grandfather loved flying the P-39/P-63. He eventually authored the book, "OPERATION PINBALL" that detailed the secret gunnery training program the US used toward the end of WW2 to train aerial gunners. It was a fascinating program that highlighted the outside-the-box-thinking employed to increase bomber survivability. His name was Ivan L. Hickman. I wish he was still here so I could hear more about it. He sadly passed from cancer in 1994 just before I turned 19.

@richardmackendrick4342 Жыл бұрын

Sorry for your loss.

@geraldthompson7749 Жыл бұрын

God Bless You & To Your Grandfather RIP & Thank You Sir For Protecting Our Country During WW2 🙏

@raulisrael7342 Жыл бұрын

Googled it and it's true!

@brianbrady4496 Жыл бұрын

I turned 19 the same Year and lost my grandpa that year too. A ww2 Navy vet... At least we have our memories

@edwardpate6128 Жыл бұрын

I am glad to see that the P-39 is starting to get some of the recognition that it deserves in recent years. It was NOT the terrible fighter that it was labeled as by US pilots who just failed to employ proper tactics in its use.

@geraldstephens7481 Жыл бұрын

Russians were given many of these via Alaska something like thousands were flow over to Eastern most Russian and then to the front many time zones west. My dad helped in this effort escorting with US Navy PBYs to help with navigational aids and so forth. He was a CPO Crew Chief flight engineer etc.

@grafixbyjorj Жыл бұрын

US pilots didn't fail, Bell failed to provide a plane which met their needs.

@stevenspilly Жыл бұрын

It was underpowered because they removed the turbo supercharger. It was inferior in almost every way to contemporary fighters.

@SoloRenegade Жыл бұрын

@@grafixbyjorj Pilots failed to use it properly, some even admitted it later. Early in the war pilots were still learning and aggressive. it took time to learn how to be patient and use boom and zoom tactics, wingman tactics, etc. Even the P-38 pilots suffered heavy losses early in its introduction until they learned how to use it properly.

@grafixbyjorj Жыл бұрын

@@SoloRenegade Well, it's true that USAAC pilots didn't know anything about air combat when the P-39 was first issued, and their problems were not confined to this type. By the time they had the skills and operational requirement to exploit the strengths of the P-39, it was already outclassed in those roles by other types available to the then USAAF. I'm sure Russia would have preferred P-51Ds and P-47s too, but they weren't offered them. On the other hand, the RAF did know how to fight when they accidentally go lumbered with some P-39s, and they thought they sucked too. Again, the OR where the P-39 might have proved usable was filled by the Typhoon by the time the need arose.

@MoparMissileDivision Жыл бұрын

If it hadn't been hamstrung right from the beginning by removing the turbo supercharger and had a better wing with a more efficient airfoil like the later P-63, the Airacobra would have been one of the better all around performing Pursuit aircraft of it's time.

@ernestpaul2484 Жыл бұрын

It does seem that NACA screwed the pooch on the Airacobra by having the turbo-supercharger removed. It is a wonder and sort of strange that once the degrade in performance was seen, that the turbo-supercharger wasn't placed back in the production models. This is where the politics of things get in the way of technological advances.

@michaelreedx6823 Жыл бұрын

@@ernestpaul2484 "At a pivotal meeting with the USAAC and NACA in August 1939, Larry Bell proposed that the production P-39 aircraft be configured without the turbocharger. Some historians have questioned Bell's true motivation in reconfiguring the aircraft. The strongest hypothesis is that Bell's factory did not have an active production program and he was desperate for cash flow. Other historians mention that wind tunnel tests made the designers believe the turbocharger installation was so aerodynamically cluttered that it had more disadvantages than advantages" from wikipedia

@danielsacks7152 Жыл бұрын

I remember in his book General Chuck Yeager loved the P39 and P63. Once he learned its peculiarities. Imagine a supercharged Merlin and a 4 blade paddle prop! Probably could fight with a mustang no problems.

@iangreenhalgh9280 Жыл бұрын

That's like saying if the P-39 had been a different aircraft it would have been good.

@thomasdragosr.841 Жыл бұрын

I'm from the government and I'm here to help...

@stephenmeyer2340 Жыл бұрын

My uncle was in a P39 squadron flying out of Tonopah Nevada. Lockheed came out with the P38 Lightning and his group gladly transitioned to that. He didn’t like the Airacobra and one of the reasons besides those mentioned, was that the driveshaft went right between your legs.

@L7AVANZ Жыл бұрын

Lmfao

@willl7780 4 ай бұрын

ouch

@willl7780 4 ай бұрын

p38 was the perfect plane for the south pacific

@bobsakamanos4469 2 ай бұрын

P-39 was an unacceptable gun platform when near the stall (according to Material Command). Horrible roll-yaw coupling, extremely light stick forces under g's and an airfoil (N0019) that exacerbated recovery from stalls and spins. Then there was the aft CofG problem when ammo was depleted. There were 3x as many accidents at P-39 training units. It was therefore the perfect export fighter to the communists.

@oldtanker4860 Жыл бұрын

Growing up I had an extensive collection of model airplanes from WW1 through Korea. The P39 was one of my favorites due to it's sleek appearance.

@davidkruger6379 Жыл бұрын

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY, home of Bell aircraft I was privileged to see many, many P-39s 'strut their stuff'. One of the city's major tourist hotels had been taken over by the Army and used as housing, as well as a training facility for future mechanics, many of who shared a Sunday Dinner at my house, invited by my Mother or sister who spent time with the American Womens' Voluntary Service which provided USO type R&R facilities within a block of the Cataract House Hotel. One sister eventually married one of those P-39 mechanics (who spent the War in Bermuda repairing engines on transport and bomber aircraft). In retrospect, I think I saw more P-39s wearing the Red Star than the American insignia as they would make gunnery runs down along the banks of Lake Ontario. Great fun for an 11 year old back in '43-'44.

@USAACbrat Жыл бұрын

The American piolets in training were scared to fly this plane, Experienced piolets called it The Iron Dog because of the poor acceleration and the heavy controls. They sent trained piolets to the training fields to reassure the Air Cadets that it was safe to fly like the B-26. Some flew both. Tactically The use as a high altitude escorts exacerbated the poor qualities. An accepted use was close support of ground troops, It was adequate .

@JFSmith-nb8hf Жыл бұрын

Years ago a neighbor of mine had flown 39's in North Africa out of Tunis. Man, he had some stories.

@sensi7593 Жыл бұрын

Hi i was reading through comments and found you mentioning my country Tunisia.. our love for warbirds truly unites us hahaha

@JFSmith-nb8hf Жыл бұрын

@@sensi7593 Would have been quite a thing to see back in the day. The airfield my friend was stationed at also had B-29's that were hitting Italy and southern Europe. Haven't seen him since the late 80's, and he was in his mid or late 70's at the time, I'm sure he has passed on by now.

@sensi7593 Жыл бұрын

@@JFSmith-nb8hf May he R.I.P!

@bobsakamanos4469 2 ай бұрын

I'm surprised he survived flying those. Must've had good reflexes.

@JFSmith-nb8hf 2 ай бұрын

@bobsakamanos4469 A lot of his buddies didn't. Ended up as a Brigadier General. Had a Navion, flew with him many times. Still a hell of a pilot in his 80's.

@rrmorris67 Жыл бұрын

When I was building plastic models in the 1970s the P39 really captured my imagination. I loved the engineering of it, with the driveshaft and the cannon. Just one of the coolest planes, ever. If you ever go the the Air Force museum in Dayton you can see P39s, but they also have some fantastic p39 artifacts, including a complete P39 drivetrain and cannon. for the 1930s that design was unbelievable

@williamjhunter5714 11 ай бұрын

I built that model too, it was my favorite, I love the tiger shark markings. Now I live next to the airfield where the 347th Fighter Squadron of Aircobras were 1945-1946 in Palawan, Puerto Princesa Philippines. Amazing.

@brentlawson6602 Жыл бұрын

Probably my favorite aircraft of World War Two, I always played with it in IL-2, and Pacific Fighters, right behind the Corsair. Difficult to fly, but packed a hell of a punch. Imagine if it had that Super/turbocharger. It would have been a game changer Early War.

@mat5857 Жыл бұрын

The air cobra HAD a supercharger but it was a single speed one so had little to no high alt capability. But uf they had kept and turbo supercharger it originaly had it would have been a mid to high alt fighter with better turning and better speed at mid to low than any other fighter. Plus it also was heavily armored

@boredatwork7031 Жыл бұрын

I preferred to use the P-40 in IL-2

@anydaynow01 Жыл бұрын

Agreed, by the time the Kingcobra came out other fighters had lobbied the military contracts and spotlight, so it was just mostly used by the Soviets.

@mastersitorou8289 Жыл бұрын

It's cool to play an old school game with great aircraft aerodynamic physics, but also Digital Combat Simulator has almost the same rating of physics like IL-2 game series but in the modern days of Simulator gaming. Glad you've liked these types of nerve racking combat sim games, keep having fun and enjoy.

@pliashmuldba Жыл бұрын

The P39 was a damn fine looking plane.

@calessel3139 Жыл бұрын

P-39: "I'm the most controversial fighter of WW2!" Me163: "Excuse me?!!"

@miquelescribanoivars5049 Жыл бұрын

The Me-163 isn't controversial, it may look like a good idea on paper but in execution horrible

@blacknapalm2131 Жыл бұрын

*It is an amazing looking aircraft that looks DECADES ahead of its time. I think it still looks modern even today!*

@gregorteply9034 Жыл бұрын

If you say so, Dr.Thrax, then it must be true(dont send stealth quads pls😬)

@debraoneill4163 Жыл бұрын

lol

@kereyc5751 Жыл бұрын

Modern even today is a slight overstatement...

@USAACbrat Жыл бұрын

@@debraoneill4163 High Debra, almost outed your family nick name, It was Slick for its day. They built a Racing version of the P-38 and and P-39 around to all the air races. Happ Arnold needed those planes and [ulled out all toe stops, while Congress was out of session. By the time they got, Correct me if i am wrong, back, they were so famous as they went around the Air Race Circuit. I think GEN. Dolittle was a test piolet. that season.

@Russinh0 Жыл бұрын

Nowdays its used as Race aircraft, Acrobacy aircraft and used in Fly-By shows, maybe if put a Turbo prop on it can be used for Light attack like Brazilian A-29 Tucano that was heavily inspired on P-51 Fuselage

@jonmikolajewski7167 Жыл бұрын

I noticed this plane in War Thunder. Definitely one of my favorites even though I was getting wiped by 109s

@michaelpascual3581 Жыл бұрын

I've taken out a lot of 109s in the 39 and the P-400. I don't engage in turning fights though. I mostly BnZ and if I notice the other pilot isn't very good, that's when I engage in such fights. Otherwise, I just climb and try to hit anyone close by but don't go after them

@dustinlackey4250 Жыл бұрын

Dude the 109 is like the only thing you'll see all the way through to rank 4 aviation. Seems like 50% of the playerbase uses it. Makes me want to delete the game.. but with 100s of hours in it.... and some hard earned cash spent on it.. I just cant seem to stop playing.

@camilorodriguez5602 Жыл бұрын

Wdym, getting kills with this in wt is easier than the mustang, climbs better too

@michaelpascual3581 Жыл бұрын

@@camilorodriguez5602 true. I could finish an en enemy aircraft so fast in this. With the BnZ tactic, I can climb sooner and less chance of an enemy fighter closing in on me

@Canadianvoice Жыл бұрын

The only plane that shoots me down in this garbage dumb. P39 is the most popular vehicle used by noobs and scrubs in this game

@gapratt4955 Жыл бұрын

Fun fact, what they came up with to get out of a flat spin. Open the door. That would upset the airflow enough to recover the aircraft.

@ObsidianB8 2 ай бұрын

Wild, I gotta try that in war thunder lmao

@bobsakamanos4469 2 ай бұрын

Tumble and spin was common in Larry's birds.

@seanwilliams7059 Жыл бұрын

One of my favorites in the game. That 37 in an in line configuration is ruthless.

@JHH1111 4 ай бұрын

I remember watching a documentary about the early war in the Pacific, and a veteran that was there said, "We use to say that the only difference between the P-400, and the P-40, was that the P-400 had a Zero on it's tail." A few years ago I read a book about the P-39 in the Pacific. On paper, it looked like a gamechanger, but the reality was far different. It was a twitchy airplane to fly. The other thing was that it seemed like they were always in short supply, because they were either being shot down, or being crashed because of mechanical failure. It was a solid platform. Most of the time, sometimes weeks after the fact, a pilot, who had been missing, would walk into camp. He had survived the crash, it just took that long to get back. It didn't have a good reputation among the American pilots, but the Soviets loved it! I'm a bit of a history buff, and I don't think I can remember a single time, when great American fight aircraft of World War Two is discussed, that the Airacobra is ever mentioned. Not one. It was a great idea, that just didn't work. If the original design had not been altered, or we had used it differently, who knows what it could have done?

@mpleandre Жыл бұрын

I was just looking for info on this plane and you upload this. Awesome!

@user-nu7kk4uw6k 3 ай бұрын

The P39 Airacobra was the very firdt Revell model I built back in 1955. A very unusual plane. It was in the Army Airforce brown colour. I still have it.

@frepi Жыл бұрын

The engine was put behind the pilot so the engine mount structure would be coupled with wing root structure in order to save weight. This also made the use of a tricycle landing gear much easier

@Anlushac11 7 ай бұрын

Cause that had nothing to do with freeing up space in the nose to mount a 37mm cannon.

@thomasb1889 Жыл бұрын

The P-39 had the same problem that the P-40 did, it did not have a mechanical supercharger in addition to the turbocharger which the Merlin had. It was a great idea that was not executed correctly.

@SmedleyDouwright Жыл бұрын

Both the P-40 and P-39 had mechanical superchargers, but they were not good at high altitude like the late model merlin mechanical superchargers.

@anydaynow01 Жыл бұрын

@@SmedleyDouwright Agreed, the rear engine placement and space restraints of the svelte air frame prevented use of a larger supercharger or compound FI and the aerodynamic impacts of the additional air inlets needed hadn't been worked out. Even the P-51 had somewhat similar lackluster performance until the USAAF realized they needed a high altitude escort fighter with much better range than the P-47 and started using Merlin engines since a comparable (power/size) FI Allison wasn't made until later in the war.

@thomasb1889 Жыл бұрын

@@SmedleyDouwright I thought they had turbochargers but as you said they were weak.

@jtjames79 Жыл бұрын

Bell has a really cool KZfaq channel. They are still doing really cool innovative things. I might be biased as I am an investor.

@txnetcop Жыл бұрын

One of my great uncles flew a P-39 and became an Ace in it in New Guinea!

@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu Жыл бұрын

The best thing about having the engine behind you is the bonus armor from the engine block.

@Year2047 Жыл бұрын

I've been hoping for this plane since the channel started. Thank you for covering it.

@w8stral Жыл бұрын

It would have been nice if ANYTHING the idiot channel said was actually true. Kudos, this moron got nearly everything wrong. For the actual history, go to Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles channel on YT.

@guibuni6926 Жыл бұрын

This plane is so ahead of its time that it somehow looks modern. Definitely the coolest looking warbird ever.

@polakrodak8538 Жыл бұрын

Mig29

@wisedevolver2741 Жыл бұрын

No, me262.;)

@alexander1485 Жыл бұрын

Naw the Dornier DO335

@SmedleyDouwright Жыл бұрын

I like the looks of the P-40 better, but in Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles video, he showed the early P-39 had superior performance to the early P-40.

@bobsakamanos4469 2 ай бұрын

LOL, ahead of its time? Well, it led the way in fatal accidents in training units. Deemed an unacceptable gun platform by Material Command.

@garyhamman8934 Жыл бұрын

Video exactly on point, on a interesting story . Well done!

@godzilla25_official2 Жыл бұрын

I just got the cobra and it’s really good, I like the cannon built into the nose of the prop really packs a punch and fast, only problem is the landing gear it’s so slow witch isn’t a surprise since aircraft like the spitfire used a crank to lower the landing gear instead of using mechanical landing gear like that of the newer fighters

@peterparsons7141 Жыл бұрын

Good video. Some great clips and the story is well narrated.

@KurtKn1sp3l Жыл бұрын

Perfect timing. I recently bought a Airacobra model and thinking about preordering one from another company.

@stephenhood2948 Жыл бұрын

Ive read a lot about the P39. One of its biggest innovations was moving the engine behind the cockpit and using a propeller shaft with a gear reduction box mounted forward of the cockpit. This is what allowed the 20mm Hispano to fire through the prop hub and not require propeller synchronizers for a gun to fire between the prop blades, also allowing for much better weight distribution and a super sleek forward section. Had they not foolishly removed the forced induction this would have been the greatest WW11 fighter. Kneecapping it to 15,000 feet was just foolish. Though that cannon is a monster when strafing tanks and airfields from a few hundred feet. Coupled with Armor Piercing rounds the Hispano made the the P39 a true tank buster. Had they allowed greater speed and altitude nothing in the sky at that time could touch it, short of the ME 262, which just wasnt made in great enough numbers and came out too late in the war, when Germany didnt even have proper fuel reserves to mount a successful defense of German airspace. Had Hitler been successful on the Eastern front and put more resources into defensive fighters and not offensive bombers WW11 could have cost even more lives than it did, though I doubt once Germany was looking at invasions from 3 fronts they could have stopped the allies with anything short of Nuclear weapons.

@sonyascott6114 Жыл бұрын

A statement very well said,brother.

@edxcal84 Жыл бұрын

Only it wasn't designed for the 20mm but the Oldsmobile 37mm M10. The 20mm was mounted in the Airacobra Mk.1 for Britan, because the US, neutral at the time wouldn't allow the 37mm for export. These models were not liked by the British and were send to the USSR via lend lease and the ones built but not shipped to the UK were kept by the US as the P-400.

@edxcal84 Жыл бұрын

Sorry, M9 cannon.

@WALTERBROADDUS Жыл бұрын

It's a myth. It was not used to bust up tanks.

@stephenhood2948 Жыл бұрын

@@edxcal84 I knew about the P400, but I did not know about the original 30mm cannon.

@chrisloomis1489 Жыл бұрын

Very good program , always a pleasure to learn more.

@SpartacusMinimus Жыл бұрын

Couldn't some exec or general have the initiative to re-equip the P-39 with that super charger even if it cost losing a machine gun? It seems they didn't try very hard to make this thing work, unlike the Soviets who persevered and made it work very well. One thing not mentioned here was the fact that pilots complained about engine fumes.

@elennapointer701 Жыл бұрын

There was a song (or poem?) among USAAC pilots that went "Don't give me a P39, don't give me a P39. It will tumble and roll and dig a deep hole, don't give me a P39".

@bobsakamanos4469 2 ай бұрын

Exactly. Deemed not suitable for combat manouvers by Material Command.

@Easy-Eight Жыл бұрын

The P-39Q was excellent against the Luftwaffe. Why? Soviet pilots found out that below 15,000 it was a match for the BF-109G and the FW-190. Also, the P-39 had tricycle landing gear. That means the aircraft didn't try to kill you in a ground loop on landing or take off. BTW, a solid 5% of all tail draggers in WWII were lost to ground loops. The P-39 was a good aircraft. The P-63 was an extremely good aircraft. The P-47, P-38, and P-51 had better high altitude performance and far better range.

@randytaylor1258 Жыл бұрын

Analysis after the war showed the Luftwaffe lost more Bf-109s to collapsing landing gear than combat.

@cabledude4285 Жыл бұрын

I only get a few minutes of free time at work..love these videos on break. Keep up the good mini documentarys!

@bbayerit Жыл бұрын

My second favorite design of WW II-era aircraft, behind the P-38 Lightning. I guess I like trikes! Thanks for a thorough video!

@1949rangerrick Жыл бұрын

I might be mistaken, but I believe they are restoring one of these amazing aircraft at the Chino Air Museum, in Chino, California. We used to live next to the museum some years ago and saw some of the early progress. It’s a really good museum with intent on getting their planes in the air.

@USAACbrat Жыл бұрын

About 5 years ago, they lifted a P-39 out of San Carlos Bay, near Ft. Myers, Fl. Crashed during target towing for Gunners who trained at the Buckingham Field from about 42 to 45.

@heikkiremes5661 Жыл бұрын

I've always loved quirky designs, so of all WW2 planes, planes like the P-39, the Pe-3 heavy fighter and the Boulton Paul Defiant turreted fighter are my favorites.

@3ducs Жыл бұрын

My mother and one of her brothers worked in that plant. She was there waiting outside after her shift as her brother got the car to take them home when an Airacobra out on test crashed into the plant, killing several workers. Years later she could still vividly remember the crash and the smell of charred bodies. Nothing is left of the plant now, just a plaque in the parking lot of Buffalo International Airport marks its existence. Nothing was said about the crash in the papers at the time, wartime news blackouts precluded that.

@hidesbehindpseudonym1920 Жыл бұрын

A lot of p-39 content has been coming out on KZfaq lately, although maybe I've just been getting recommendations for it. I know that Ed Nash and Greg's airplanes and automobiles both recently released episodes about it and I think one other channel did as well. Analytics will eventually homogenize all content on KZfaq.

@Cuccos19 Жыл бұрын

Aircobra week, great! :) I love this bird since I was a little kid, it's strange and beautiful in the same time. :)

@ironiczombie2530 Жыл бұрын

It's the war thunder sponsored videos, anytime a new ad campaign starts

@anydaynow01 Жыл бұрын

Some good P-63 content has been coming out also!

@marcranger4596 Жыл бұрын

So glad you put the cirkel and arrow in the thumbnail. I've would never have seen the aircraft without it

@ivanstepanovic1327 Жыл бұрын

Long time ago, I watched a documentary on this plane and it included some Russian pilot who flied the plane back in the day. He said that they liked it and in particular, one thing... Its 37mm gun. "If you managed to score at least one hit against a German fighter, it would simply disintegrate right before your eyes".

@lohikarhu734 Жыл бұрын

Interesting that the NACA people basically hamstrung the aircraft, and it was never re-configured with the 'correct' supercharger/turbocharger setup, which would have made it a much more competitive fighter... sad that such an innovative 'platform' ended up being so underrated. Thanks for your 'usual' insights!

@w8stral Жыл бұрын

Not true. Dark moron channel got nearly EVERYTHING wrong with this video. For the REAL information, go to Greg's Airplanes and Automobile channel.

@stevenspilly Жыл бұрын

Exactly

@miket2120 Жыл бұрын

Actually, NACA did not tell Bell to remove the turbo supercharger, but to make it more streamlined to reduce drag. It's been raised that Bell removed the turbo since it would require a full redesign of the fuselage if they decided to go along with NACA's streamlining recommendations. The original intake duct for the system was on the left side of the plane, aft of the cockpit and did protrude out a good deal.

@stevenspilly Жыл бұрын

@@miket2120 considering it had low speed, pppr climb rate and could only operate at low altitude, I think a bit of drag would have been a good trade-off for a 30-40% increase in horsepower

@w8stral Жыл бұрын

@@miket2120 Actually, before Lend Lease, it was ILLEGAL to export turbo powered superchargers. The hot turbine blade components specifically, not the superchargers which EVERYONE had... Then Britain showed up with effectively the same thing during Tizard mission and this aspect vanished ASAP, not that anyone was directly thrilled with turbos on anything other than bombers at the time... Yes, Bell was having drag problems with the turbo to begin with, just like all other turbo charger designs initially of trying to place in a fighter(P38 teething problems and P47 teething problems).

@maddogmccoy3203 Жыл бұрын

In his book , Chuck Yeager writes about training pilots in the P-39 and flying "local" missions over the Mojave desert and out to Muroc , before Muroc became Edwards AFB ....He spoke highly of the planes ability and relates several stories of him shooting Antelope from the air! ... Great book!

@zenobre1985 Жыл бұрын

Best Air War Channel.

@John-dd3gz Жыл бұрын

That gun coming out middle of prop was a really neat invention!! 👍

@robertmiller2173 Жыл бұрын

The 37 mm was amazing and a good tank hunter!

@guymontag162 Жыл бұрын

You deserve that WT sponsor my dude. Keep up the good work.

@johnmarlin7269 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this. I've long been fascinated with this aircraft and this video has been very informative.

@dutchman7216 Жыл бұрын

That was a wonderful documentary thank you. If anybody's interested the Yanks air museum in Chino Valley airport has a wonderful example one of these aircraft.

@JoeBlow-fp5ng Жыл бұрын

Coolest-looking plane of the war.

@neves5083 Жыл бұрын

I think I still prefer the P-80 or the P-51

@John_Redcorn_ Жыл бұрын

P-38

@IceAxe1940 Жыл бұрын

F4U-1

@americanpatriot2422 Жыл бұрын

The P 39 is one of my favorite aircraft of WW2.

@gmansard641 Жыл бұрын

Proud to learn all this! My grandmother worked in the Buffalo factory that built them.

@Tiagomottadmello Жыл бұрын

Another great vídeo !! 👍🏻👍🏻 👉🏻 The Dark Skies' most uncommon feature, which makes It one of a kind, is the tragic-like fast forward speech of Its announcer. Keep up with this channel's trademark. 👍🏻👍🏻

@525Lines Жыл бұрын

Gotta love that car door on the cockpit.

@tirigontungdil5992 Жыл бұрын

i never heard of this plane before, thank you

@The_Comedian556 2 сағат бұрын

I dont know why I love this plane so much

@neves5083 Жыл бұрын

I liked the light hearted war thunder advertising, a little of comedy now and then doesn't hurt

@spaceman081447 Жыл бұрын

Those car-type doors (on both sides) must have been very much appreciated if a pilot ever had to parachute from a damaged P-39.

@chuck.reichert83 Жыл бұрын

The original Hawker Typhoon design had the same door design, and the were a problem on roll overs often trapping the pilots in the cockpit.

@wisedevolver2741 Жыл бұрын

@@chuck.reichert83 this would be very bad, especially if the plane also happened to be on fire!

@wisedevolver2741 Жыл бұрын

I don't know about that. Try opening your car door at freeway speed. The onrush of wind would want to keep it closed. I couldn't imagine trying to get it open at 150+ mph. If it could be lifted off, like a Jeep door, it would be great, though.

@w8stral Жыл бұрын

Ever tried to push a 4 sq ft panel against 300mph wind? It is IMPOSSIBLE. Many pilots DIED due to those doors.

@SoloRenegade Жыл бұрын

the doors could be jettisoned to bailout, or if a crash landing was anticipated.

@stevenspilly Жыл бұрын

Amazing that they would decide to remove the supercharger and turbo and not expect a performance drop. How many successful fighters in WW2 didn't have forced induction?

@gibbo1112 Жыл бұрын

Probably radials mostly I would guess.

@malcolmapplet4313 Жыл бұрын

I think they neutered the Mustang the same way. Initially.

@Rick-bc8lt Жыл бұрын

@@gibbo1112 a lot of ww2 era radials had superchargers, and in latter models a two speed supercharger and/or turbo

@stevenspilly Жыл бұрын

@@malcolmapplet4313 yes didn't it have a different engine at first and it was underpowered until they put the Merlin in it?

@anydaynow01 Жыл бұрын

It was mostly because it was designed pre-war, like one or two steps up from bi-plane pre-war. The high altitude and high horsepower performance didn't really become a thing until after the initial air battles and the BF-109 and Zero performance gap was realized. Also the incorporation of FI as is with the available Allison would have required a redesign of the airframe, a complexity which really didn't get worked out properly until the mid-war P-63.

@SammyP843 2 ай бұрын

Its truly amazing how many great planes there were. And some you've never heard of. The P39 could have been great if they left the turbo supercharger on there but it found its niche and was a capable fighter in its own right.

@bonidle726 Жыл бұрын

I think this verse from a contemporary USAAF drinking song says it all as regards the feelings of American pilots towards the Airacobra: “Don’t give me a P-39, With the engine mounted behind, It will tumble and spin and then auger in, Don’t give me a P-39.” I personally always liked it....although I’m terrible in it in “Il2:GB”!

@mostlypeacefulrowan8747 Жыл бұрын

The cobras are my favourite planes in war thunder. Awesome 37mm cannon!

@randytaylor1258 Жыл бұрын

Heroes of the Pacific has a PBY flying boat with a 75 mm. cannon in the nose. it doesn't fire quickly but if you hit a Japanese airplane it just goes >poof

@GamerForLifeDrakunia Жыл бұрын

Holy cow! Those are some of the biggest red arrows and circle I have ever seen! Daaaamn!

@1975CAMARO454 Жыл бұрын

One of my favorites.

@sheilaolfieway1885 Жыл бұрын

one of my favorite warthunder fighters... that nose mounted cannon is quiet useful.

@uni4rm Жыл бұрын

The P-400/P-39 was used as a US training aircraft for up and coming fighter pilots (there are WW2 military training videos here on KZfaq about it), and while it had a relatively short range and hamstrung by its engine design, it was generally well liked and the tricycle landing gear likely prevented dozens if not hundreds of deaths as the safety and training margins of the early to mid 20th century aviation were terrible. The "tendency to stall in tight turns" is somewhat inaccurate as all prop planes had this issue in one direction due to prop torque. What was really going on is the CoG shifted when expending the 37mm ammo. The P-39 was NOT ever used as a primary ground attack craft.

@argh1989 Жыл бұрын

4:17 Saying "two point five inch, and two point three inch Browning machine guns" just like that is very confusing, even for a viewer like me who's familiar with the P-39's design and warbird armament in general.

@aaronthompson192 Жыл бұрын

I had to rewind twice before I understood what he meant LOL.

@Roseneck12 Жыл бұрын

AWESOME. Thank you for making this one. My neighbours Grandfather flew in one of them while serving.

@booitsnick Жыл бұрын

The episode I’ve been waiting for!!!! Seriously hands down the coolest airplane ever built

@KorbinX Жыл бұрын

In my tops for props for sure. Cheers

@KorbinX Жыл бұрын

In my tops for props for sure. Cheers

@scuddrunner1 Жыл бұрын

I saw one at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Interesting stuff.

@vanishingfolklore Жыл бұрын

love this plane

@chuck.reichert83 Жыл бұрын

Great plane in the air racing circuit.

@normansilver905 Жыл бұрын

My uncle was a USAAF Bell p-39 Air Cobra pilot in the Aleutian campaign. He flew over 400 missions in an Air Cobar and never had any aircraft related problems. He was even landing on runways flooded with 12" of water.

@artawhirler Жыл бұрын

Chuck Yeager says that US pilots had made up a little poem about this aircraft: "Don't give me no P-39 With an engine that's mounted behind. I'll tumble and roll, and dig a big hole - Don't give me no P-39."

@charvell39 Жыл бұрын

Great music!

@terryashley4674 Жыл бұрын

One of my favorites. 🤗

@kerrypitt9789 Жыл бұрын

They have one at the air museum in Edmonton, Alberta . It is being rebuilt I believe. I was going to see if they need more volunteers for the project!

@Tj930 Жыл бұрын

Interesting. As an Englishman, I knew absolutely nothing about this WW2, fighter aircraft. More...Hurricanes, Spitfires, Messerschmitts, Focke-Wulfs, P51s, Mitsubishi Zeros, etc etc Mid-Engined, too?... Fascinating. Thanks for creating and uploading this video

@movingontorealfreedom7305 Жыл бұрын

Cool video. Love the ‘80s soundtrack. Lol

@schlirf Жыл бұрын

Wonder how that 37mm, with the autoloader, would have worked with the M-3 Stuart light tank.

@miquelescribanoivars5049 Жыл бұрын

It probably wouldn't had fitted the turret alongside the crew, I'm afraid.

@ASDeckard Жыл бұрын

It wouldn't be too useful. It was a much shorter barrel and used much smaller casings with less powder and fired shorter shells than the 37 AT gun. Specifically the 37×145mmR vs the 37×223 mmR. A bit like comparing a .22LR to a .223. It would be a bit like asking why don't snipers just use the lighter and faster firing guns that fire 300 blackout instead of 308. At some point your tank would be better of with the much faster firing 20mm cannons, or a 40 mm, which interestingly enough was tried and it wasn't effective against anything but infantry, which a few M2's did well enough anyway, so was dropped fairly quickly. The P-39's cannon did find a good home on patrol boats in the pacific though, which is neat. M2's didn't quite have the blow big holes in it power you need to destroy enemy PT boats, but the 37 did, and there were plenty of crashed P-39's around to salvage them from. Late in the war the cannon was fitted from the factory. It worked great against large wooden or fiberglass boats, with it's fairly decent HE shell, but it's fairly light and slow AP round wasn't up to infantry carrier armor, lot alone even light tanks. The 37mm AT gun was actually sort of ok against light tanks at least, and had 3 times the mass in it's HE shells, so was much more useful in land combat where targets are either unprotected fleshy things, in which case M2 or even .303 it, or hardened more than even WW2 destroyers were. The 37mm AT gun was already struggling enough to have a home, cutting it's shell size to 1/3rd isn't going to do anyone any favors, regardless of rate of fire.

@schlirf Жыл бұрын

@@ASDeckard Another Dream, shot down in flames! (Seriously: Excellent write up with first class argumentation)

@chrisdavis3642 Жыл бұрын

I have to say since I've gotten back into flying RC one of the first birds was/is the p-39. E flight Horizon hobby.. probably the best flying one in the hanger honestly!!

@leirex_1 11 ай бұрын

USA: "This fighter's no good, it's only ok at low altitudes" Soviets: "Heated cabin?! This is the best plane ever!"

@thebbqbandito2868 Жыл бұрын

Hell yea! I’ve been waiting for this video since the Yak vid.

@Ramaloticus Жыл бұрын

The cobra has gotta be one of my favorite aircraft. The engine design is just *mwah* chef's kiss.

@mkp3824 Жыл бұрын

I had a P-39 model when I was a kid. I liked the looks of the plane.

@KorbinX Жыл бұрын

Same. Beautiful aircraft

@ktg8030 Жыл бұрын

I love this plane. Apparently so did Yeager. I believe this plane was meant to attack bombers, while the P-40 was meant for dogfighting.

@mastersitorou8289 Жыл бұрын

The P-40E's reliability was pretty trash but others were great until the P-51D came in the late coming of World War 2.

@tomhart837 Жыл бұрын

You are correct. the original spec was for a point defense interceptor. thus the short range.

@jeffman1955 Жыл бұрын

Very Good!!!! Surprised they never went back to the super charger!!!!

@wesdowner5636 Жыл бұрын

Why did NACA remove the supercharger? This is not the only time NACA almost ruined a fighter design - they nearly did the same thing to the Mustang, and I've never been able to figure out why!

@timgosling3076 Жыл бұрын

NACA did not remove the supercharger; they had only an advisory role. That was a Bell decision to expedited production.

@wesdowner5636 Жыл бұрын

@@timgosling3076 I assume that's true in other situations like the Mustang lack, too. At least that one didn't get away!

@randytaylor1258 Жыл бұрын

@@wesdowner5636 The eatly Mustangs/Apaches were built with Allisons because that was what was available at the time. The later Mustangs used the British Merlin built in the U.S. by Packard (the Apache was a successful dive bomber and didn't need the altitude).

@jasonkeating9958 Жыл бұрын

How could a long barrel 37mm auto cannon not be popular

@joaopedroschramm1948 Жыл бұрын

The cobra family is one of my favorite planes

@luisurdiales3091 Жыл бұрын

6:30 You should make a video about the reason behind the love the brits seemingly had for low caliber MGs like the .303 on their planes. I know that, at least in WT, that is a pain in the ass for the british tech tree when you don't fully transition away from those useless MGs until 5.0 or something in the spit and bomber line.

@robertdragoff6909 Жыл бұрын

I always thought that the P39 was the Volkswagen Beetle of the air because of the engine placement. It might not have been the greatest design for the Western Allies, but it was good for Australian and Russian air forces…. Glad you mentioned the King Cobra, only I wished you talked about it more since it was the improvement of the Air Cobra. Excellent video though

@randytaylor1258 Жыл бұрын

The P-39 was mid-engined. The Volkswagon was rear-engined, like the Porsche 911.

@alexander1485 Жыл бұрын

Vw beetle was rear engined, p39 was mid engined

@rawhidelamp Жыл бұрын

Its the C8 Corvette of the skies Mid engined, right behind the driver (pilot)

@slashteam8440 Жыл бұрын

Holy crap 2.5 Inch and 2.3 in guns its a flying destroyer

@thomasmoje5926 Жыл бұрын

I think some of the clips showing the Bell Aircraft facilities were from the former Bell Aircraft plant located in Niagara Falls, New York very close to where I live.

@davidgibson82 Жыл бұрын

My grandpa flew P39’s in the Pacific while stationed on Canton and Makin Island with the 7th Air Force. Later flew P38 (Hawaii) and P51’s out of Iwo Jima.

@robertbowers9856 Жыл бұрын

I got to sit in an example that was recovered in Canada and wound up in Chino, Ca. I built a model of it when in the 6th grade and thought it a cool looking airplane!

@geh3254 Жыл бұрын

The P39 had a major flaw due to the mid mount engine. The drive shaft from the engine to the prop was plagued with problems due to the length of the drive shaft needed to transfer the power mid engine to the front/nose of the aircraft (maybe if they had better bearings and support architecture?). When working it was a decent plan.