| MANEUVERS Production hops, acceptance flights, and occasional delivery flights are pretty dull compared to the combat action you fellows get. We know there's little comparison, but daily flights in each new plane off the assembly line enable us to become thoroughly familiar with the qualities and the limitations of the Lightning.The P-38's maneuverability is a much discussed subject in ready-rooms on every fighting front. The best way to get the answer for yourself is to take a 38 up and practice, practice, practice. As you become more familiar with the plane, the more amazed you will be with its ability to climb, bank, and pull out, even with one engine feathered. Only through practice and repetition of Immelmans, slow rolls, and stalls can you truly learn what is meant by the 38's maneuverability. |
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| Usually the individual's physical and mental limitations - not the plane's limitations - are factors that govern combat maneuverability. In many cases the plane will "take" a lot more than you as the pilot can stand; therefore, recognize your own limitations-know how many G's you can stand, and for how long; be so familiar with your plane that .you automatically react to a situation despite the gray haze that creeps before your eyes in a sharp pull out. |  |
We are not going to tell you fellows how maneuverable the 38 is, but we would like to pass on some hints that may be of value to you. You see, we slip out over the desert occasionally and have our own little rat races, and once in a while two of us will get together and "sweat out" a dog fight. Incidentally, dog fights are not exactly a novelty for some of us who played around with live bullets over France in the last war. High speed fighters today have a high wing loading and we all know that this increases the turning radius. This condition has been improved in the 38 by the use of Maneuvering or Combat Flaps. There is a Maneuvering Flap stop on the flap controls which extends the flaps fifty percent. These should not be extended at speeds in excess of 250 MPH. There is danger of structural failure if this limitation is disregarded. |
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Ray Meskimen* says: |
"MANEUVERING FLAPS SHOULD BE EXTENDED ONLY LONG ENOUGH TO
COMPLE PARTICULAR MANEUVER AND THE BE RETRACED IMMEDIATELY"* 1. Lockheed Test Pilot 2. Over 13,000 hours logged 3. Commercial Airline Pilot Boeing Air TransportUnited Airlines - 11½ years 4. Barnstormer - 1919 - 1928 |
Maneuvering flaps increase your lift, thus assisting you in making tighter turns. For greatest maneuverability we have found that the maneuvering flaps should be extended only long enough to complete the particular maneuver and then be retracted immediately. For example, in an effort to stay on an enemy's tail, you might feel in a tight turn the buffeting which is characteristic of an accelerated stall. You can "reef" her in and tighten your turn by lowering the maneuvering flaps until you have completed the maneuver, then retract them. By doing so immediately, little air speed is lost, and the plane is set again for maximum operations. Don't be caught with your flaps down for any length of time in combat; the reason being that with maneuvering flaps down you can unknowingly get down to such low speeds that all the power in the world won't do you much good should you need sudden acceleration. From 25,000 feet to 35,000 feet the maneuvering flaps become increasingly helpful. Due to the thinness of the air you can't turn as sharp nor can you pull as many G's as can be done below 20,000 feet. As you go higher you find that you are stalling more frequently. You will be surprised at the increased maneuverability resulting from extending your flaps at this altitude. |
In combat, use the 38's superior speed and climb ability to keep on top of the enemy. You all know that the 38's rate of climb is approximately the same from 140 MPH to 180 MPH. This range relieves you of keeping your eyes glued to the air speed indicator when you're trying to get up there the fastest; and the maximum of 180 MPH gives you the dual advantage of not only getting upstairs faster, but also covering more distance in the same time than your enemy whose best climbing speed may be 145 or 150 MPH. On the P-38J where the intercooler is in the engine nacelle, open the intercoolers wide for long, high power climbs in order that the Carburetor Air temp is kept down, thus giving more power and avoiding detonation. For level flights and ordinary maneuvers keep them closed because they will knock at least 15 MPH off your top speed. |
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| At climbing speed the increased power obtained
by keeping the Carburetor Air temp down, more than offsets the increased drag. Caution must be used above 25,000 feet not to overspeed your turbos. Know your maximum boost for given altitudes and do not exceed these figures. On late models of the 38 there are Turbo Overspeed Warning Lights which flicker when the maximum is approached and which stay on when this maximum is reached. |
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The condition of the fillets at the root of the wing have considerable bearing on the normal and also the high speed stalling characteristics. It has been found that if the gap between the fillets and the side windows of the cockpit is much larger than 3/16 of an inch with the window in the closed position, buffeting will be experienced at a lower acceleration than if the fillets have a smaller gap. (On late models of the P-3S this gap has been closed up by the insertion of a glass filler-strip between the window and the fillet.) |
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Check your fillets before take-off and if the gap looks larger than 3/16 have the mechanic close it up a bit. Particularly when flying in altitudes above 25,000 feet you will find this condition noticeably affects the airplane's maneuverability. Some fellows report that their props have a tendency to run away just after they increase power and start down. This is very possible. What actually happens is that due to the rapid acceleration the governing speed of the props does not cut in fast enough. This lag causes the props to start running away and you may experience them running up as much as 3500 RPM. We have found a way to avoid this over-revving. When you first put your nose down before you begin to accelerate, bring the prop governor lever back to about 2600 RPM. Leave it there until your governors take hold; then you can put the props in full low pitch without fear of over-revving. |
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The importance of maneuvers cannot be over-emphasized. The more you know about them the better your chances are in combat. Know your plane's limitations, and respect them. Know your own limitations and respect them. As a fighting unit, the pilot and his plane are only as strong as their greatest limitation, be it mechanical or human. |