Flyable AIs and bogus FM data. (Curtiss Hawk 75)
#1

Some of you know that I am a pretty big Curtiss fan boy. So it was with great expectation that I started flying the Hawk 75s. Overall their performance is fairly close to the available documentation, especially in terms of maneuverability.

The fly in the ointment however, is dive speeds.

In short the Hawk 75s in no way match the real aircraft's abilities in the dive. In fact they cannot reach the US Army Air Corp's very conservative VnE redline of 390mph IAS. as our in game Hawk 75s shed control surfaces at 380mph IAS. On tests for the French Armee de l'Air, Curtiss test pilot Lloyd Child dove a Hawk 75A from 22,000ft to ascertain max safe dive speed. He dove the aircraft to 500mph IAS on the aircraft's ASI, and did a 7g pullout at 5000ft. without damage. The onboard recording instruments installed by the French showed a max speed of 600mph IAS, but this was in error, due to poor pitot tube placement.

I know there are many more instances of wildly incorrect data and or flight characteristics (B5N, B6N, TBF/M for example) that exist.

We must pull our heads out of the sand and acknowledge these issues, and rectify them, if the efforts to build a better sim are to amount to anything.

Simply adding ever more content is not enough.

We deserve better.

I'm not trying to troll or cause trouble with this post. I am only asking for change, for the betterment of the community.
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#2

... if added as new slot plane i see no problem in having those things corrected , but for stock ones .... sorry but rules are strict here .


reg
Z
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#3

The Damage models also need cleaned up on the stock models as well. Yes they would have to have a new slot so to not offend. :wink:
The P40 is hit with Two 7.62 rounds in the nose and it's all over for example.
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#4

I have to agree here. If were not making these planes to a set standard new slot or not than arent we really just spinning our wheels? I know the rules are strict. I know why they are in place, and they have done whonders for keeping this sim controlled. But everything must evolve. It is my firm belief that AAA has proven itself responsible enough to make a few exceptions (Repair of A.I. aircraft ETC.)
Even if that means putting it as a new slot while disabling the orig.
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#5

While I admit I am having trouble understanding the logic of leaving glaring faults without repair, I can offer up two Curtiss Hawk 75s for new slots. The current Hawk 75s we have are both export models for France.

1. P36C. The final version accepted by the USAAC. Ordered Jan. 26, 1939. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp rated at 1200 HP for takeoff and 1050Hp at 7500ft. Differed from P36A and B by having the more powerful engine, and having the addition of one .30 cal machine gun in each wing with 500rpg, in addition to the .30 and .50 machine guns mounted in the engine cowling. I can cite performance numbers if necessary.

2. Hawk 75A-7 Export model sold to the Netherlands, and used in the defense of Java. Powered by the Wright Cyclone single row R-1820 engine of 1200HP. Armed with one .303 Colt machine gun in each wing, and one .303 Colt and one 12.7mm Colt in the engine cowl. They were also fitted with A-3 wing mounted bomb racks. Their performance matched the French Hawk 75A4. I'm not sure what size bombs the Dutch used in Java, but KNIL Hawks did successfully bomb a rail line during the defense of the Netherlands East Indies in 1941~42.

Would anyone be willing to "build" these aircraft?

[Image: bad4ab881e611638a37a13d.jpg]
Hawk 75A-7 over the Netherlands East Indies

[Image: p361a.jpg]
USAAC P36C painted for war games and Cleveland Air Races, 1940.
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#6

All the hawk 75's we have in-game are finnish ones (ex- norway/france/germany a/c) modelled by Viikate. When PF came out 1C just renamed 'em as P-36A-3's etc, there never was actual a/c designated like it :x They also made some model combining errors in them like the radio wiring.. and they never even got the bombload he modelled. I have a hunch he might do something about it but he's not that much of fan of frankenpits Tongue But now having learned to do FM/DM etc thru D.XXI atleast those might get done. The guy is very busy atm with all kinda modstuff (not to mention having a job/wife..) so might take a while / be low- priority.


>>>-H-K--->
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#7

FW-190a4 with FM of A3 that counts as editing fm's right?
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#8

4./JG53_Howlin Wrote:...then you might spark the intrest of a modder who will pick up the project.


..historical accuracy is not sparking enough?...it should be the ultimate goal....
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#9

I would love to fly the Hawk 75 with proper FM or better yet a P-36
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#10

She ain't the only bird that sheds her wings far too easily. My love is the Bf-110C-4 and she comes apart around 400mph as well. Would be nice if all previously AI only a/c would get new FMs in new slots.

A man can dream. Smile
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#11

The Hawk 75A-7s used in the NEI could carry two 50 kg bombs, one under each wing, like the Dutch Brewsters (B-339C and D). The three .30s + one .50 was armament "as delivered by Curtiss". However, the NEI did not have the facility to make .50 rounds with 100% reliable percussion caps at the time- this could cause misfiring or delayed firing of the round and thus damage to the prop blades, but did have facilities for 100% reliable .30 ammo. The .50 was therefore replaced by a fourth .30 in the NEI, which was how the Hawks saw combat against Japan.
The NEI repeatedly tried to obtain at least one further batch of 28 Hawks, but permission to order them was refused by the US Government- Britain, and later the USSR, had far higher priority for war material. The Hawks saw action over Malaya, Sumatra and Java, but by the time of the Japanese landings on Java only two were left, with totally worn out engines, and they saw no further service.
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