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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2345.PDF
FLIGHT NOVEMBER 29TH, 1945 Conventional and Unconventional I/- The engine position in the Airacobra gave the pilot a good range of view. Another of "Indicator's" Handling Impression Series : The Bell Airacobra and Two Early Curtiss Fighters Remembered THE British-trained pilot must necessarily " live " forseveral weeks in American fighters if he is to learnto appreciate them, and if one of them happens to be unconventional in the extreme sense, the recovery action is even more delayed. Of course, the layout is all very neat and tidy in every American type, and makes the average British cockpit look like a blacksmith's shop; but we have grown up with all the bits and pieces and have learnt to like it that way. y Obviously, it would be unfair to judge ijtte modern American fighter by the yardstick of some very early attempts. The three aircraft I have bunched together— the Airacobra, the Tomahawk and the Kitty hawk—were slow and had a very poor altitude performance even when compared with British fighters of the same period. American designers have gone a long way since then, with or without the help of British power-units and early Euro- pean fighting experience, but these machines helped to fill the gaps and the Curtiss fighters, at least, did good work in Africa and the Far East. From my own non- operational point of view, all three handled nicely and offered no difficulties. The BJ£Q Airacobra, of course, was something quite new, with jis Allison engine sitting in the small of one's back, with a propeller-shaft between one's legs, and with a tricycle undercarriage. Nevertheless, it must be confessed that there was still so much cowling in front of the screen that one was inclined to forget the disposition of the major items except while taxying—when the shaft, under varying loads, whipped about in a An R.A.F Airacobra takingoff. Only one squadron was equipped with these aircraft,and later all the Airacobras were sent to Russia. noisy frenzy from time to timer *O«€*Tearnt to taxi lots of throttle and with th& treadle brakes order to reduce the grindiags down below. Whicl me of the perfectly true story of the fitter, new tc who poured glycol into an Airacobra's| ^irtnlqng it was the header-tank. In the air'the Airacobra had one peculi^ relative e.g. positiQR-.*-"*While rec aircraft tended to orgamse its owrf >pull-oiM td""IFo mean degreeiif the speejtl hapdfned to/a^abVye a/certain figure, and things had ip bs"^k^J0r firmly i\th/ structure was .• to be aved fron^ excessive loadings. rt& not quite suje^ how W|LS one expected to abandon shipTif something*" did come dfi\ though I daresay it was easy ienough; for entry arichexit--were made through a miniature saloon-car door Presumably one just rolled out on to^fcbe' wing and hoped to avoid the tail-plane. ^*e»^ ^""~ DestrTCeg For^vard The tricycle was electrically retracted, and I can vouch for its strength. On one occasion I was forced by weather to a very immediate landing, aprf"put down in a tiny air- field which was in the procpasof being extended and run-
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