P-51 Mustang (thread drift from the ACRO P-1 thread)

[Stephanie B]

When you think that there was, at most, a ten-year span between biplane fighters entering service and jet fighters entering service, it had to have been one hell of a time to be involved with engineering and flying fighter aircraft.

[Robinson]

When you think that there was, at most, a ten-year span between biplane fighters entering service and jet fighters entering service, it had to have been one hell of a time to be involved with engineering and flying fighter aircraft.

I think what you mean to say is absolutely right, though I'm not sure you meant to link the entrance of biplane fighters to the entrance of jet fighters over ten years.

And the difference between the Korean War-era jets over the ME-262 was also pretty huge, especially when the swept-wing MiGs and Sabres took to the skies.

[Soxfan9]

Here’s a rare one. North American A-36 from the Collings Foundation.

[Stephanie B]

I think what you mean to say is absolutely right, though I'm not sure you meant to link the entrance of biplane fighters to the entrance of jet fighters over ten years.

And the difference between the Korean War-era jets over the ME-262 was also pretty huge, especially when the swept-wing MiGs and Sabres took to the skies.

I should have said “the last biplane fighters” and “the first jet fighters”.

[Lex Luthier]

When the last biplane fighters were being delivered for service in 1936 and 37 - the Polikarpov I-15, the Heinkel 51, and the Gloster Gladiator - all of those same companies had jets on the drawing board.
The Gloster Meteor jet entered service while the Gladiator was still in combat use!

[Stephanie B]

When the last biplane fighters were being delivered for service in 1936 and 37 - the Polikarpov I-15, the Heinkel 51, and the Gloster Gladiator - all of those same companies had jets on the drawing board.
The Gloster Meteor jet entered service while the Gladiator was still in combat use!

Grumman F2F was the last USN biplane fighter. I don’t think it made four years of active service.

On the other hand, neither did some of the early jets.

[Joe in PNG]

Grumman F2F was the last USN biplane fighter. I don’t think it made four years of active service.

On the other hand, neither did some of the early jets.

The P-80 started service in about 44/45... and the F-104 started flight test in 55- that's a whole lot of tech jumping in 10 years.
And the A-12/SR-71 starting testing 7 years after that.

[jtcarm]

Ok for all the wing-nuts in this thread, P-51 has always been my favorite since I was a kid but I'll submit that maybe the P-47 and F6F were the most effective. And I don't want to neglect the P-38 which may have done even more damage in the Pacific.

Anyone know the relationship between the Corsair, P-47 and F6F?

German ground troops lived in fear of the P-47.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the allies had unchallenged air superiority in Western Europe.

The Japanese dubbed the F4U “The Whistling Death” due to the high-pitched sound made by the air intakes at high speeds.

Speaking of relationships, what did the Corsair and FG-1 have in common?

[Robinson]

Speaking of relationships, what did the Corsair and FG-1 have in common?

I thought the FG-1 was a Corsair, just with a different designation for planes made by Goodyear.

[TGS]

I thought the FG-1 was a Corsair, just with a different designation for planes made by Goodyear.

That's how I understood it, same as the TBF and TBM Avenger-series torpedo bombers and F4F and FM2 Wildcat-series fighters as produced by GM.