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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Countries US Aircraft Index More Aircraft Initial A to D  Airacobra |
[UP] - A-7 Corsair - Airacobra - Apache - Avenger - B-10 - B2 - Bearcat - Black Hawk - Black Widow - Blackbird - Catalina - Chinook - Cobra - Condor - Coronado - Crusader - Curtiss CR-3 - Curtiss F6C-2 Hawk - Curtiss MB-2 - Curtiss NC - Curtiss R3C-2 - Dauntless - DC3 - Delta Dart - Devastator - DH4 - Dominator - DT-2 - Duck |
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| Text for the above items : |
P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War Two. The first American fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and mid-mounted engine, the P-39 proved less than successful in the hands of its launch customer, the US Army Air Force (AAF) Hampered by unreliabilty and poor engine performance at high altitude, the P-39 nevertheless served alongside the P-40 and P-38 in the bitter struggle to capture Guadalcanal in 1942/43, as well as seeing much action over the jungles of New Guinea. Around a dozen AAF aces scored five kills with the P-39, although this total was far outstripped by the Soviet Red Air Force, whose pilots rated the Airacobra as one of the best lend-lease fighters of the war. |
Airacobra In early 1937, Bell Aircraft presented a revolutionary fighter design to the USAAC, the P-39 Airacobra. Incorporating machine guns and the most powerful cannon available, the new design by Robert Woods, utilized many revolutionary design features. The all-metal, low wing, monoplane design utilized a centrally located engine in the fuselage, a feature which enhanced maneuverability. A nine foot shaft ran through the cockpit to drive the propeller. Woods design was the first fighter to incorporate a forward tricycle landing gear, which gave the P-39 pilot great visibility while on the ground. The first prototype flew in 1938. Equipped with a supercharged Allison water-cooled V-12 rated at 1,150-HP, the prototype performed admirably. It exhibited a top speed of 390-MPH, and an amazingly quick rate of climb. Unfortunately for the Airacobra, the USAAC decided to eliminate the supercharged engine from the project, a move which would relegate the Airacobra to the distinction of being Americas forgotten fighter of WW II. |
| Top Aces for : Airacobra | |
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. | |
| Name | Victories |
| Thomas McGuire | 38.00 |
| Charles Yeager | 11.50 |
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