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Thread: What's all the fuss about the P39?

  1. #1
    No more Mr Nice Guy. Nick's Avatar
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    What's all the fuss about the P39?

    Cos I reckon its not all that marvellous.

    Having given it extensive flight testing against various planes I still reckon my trusty Yak3 is the better plane. Sure, on paper that isn't the case but in a tunring dogfight I think that only the I153 and Hurricane can out turn the Yak3. The P39 has too high a stall speed and starts dropping a wing way before the Yak or Hurri.

    And the La5, talk about a plane that likes to go straight! Sure its got the speed and power but even a gradual turn takes half the map!

    I know that what plane suits you is dependant on how you fly but pretty uch most d/fs become turning fights. I reckon the Yak3 has the best balance of speed and low speed manouverability.
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    TiG
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    I quite agree with the high stall speed, this is the thing that I hate most in this game, going into flat spins etc at 300+ is terrible thing that i hate with a passion.

    I still do this with the new joystick yet i find the La5 soooooo much nicer to fly even if you think it doesn't turn so well. Its all about personal preferences with this game, there is no standard key config and most people like different things.

    I find myself turning the plane with the rudder constantly yet others don't. Don't know whether thats a bad habit but it keeps me happier when i do it.

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    Dont fly it like its a Yak3.....

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    Va Va Voom Lowe's Avatar
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    If I may be bigheaded for a few short moments...

    The P39 got its reputation early on when many moons ago I played IL2 a fair bit. Compared to the other planes I felt most at home with the handling of it. The P39 has always been my plane of choice, and so when I was training up a few of the Marlins with a few moves back in the day, we always flew in the P39.

    The P39 is the classic example of a near perfect all round plane. It has fantastic roll rates, and allows you to pull silly tight turns. It's got a good range, and has a good engine that can take a fair bit of abuse. Best of all though is the firepower. That cannon rips through Fw190s with ease. One or two hits at the most from that thing and it's good night. However find yourself up against something manuverable and the machine guns do an ample job of chucking plenty of lead into the air.

    Now, regarding the handling.. because it has such a high roll rate and the engine is behind the pilot, it's easy to get into a spin if you roll and yank the stick back. If you do this, it's easy to catch the spin early on. Keep pulling back on the stick though and you'll be in a world of hurt. Where the P39 rewards you with great turn in and ability to change angle of attack quickly, it takes away with stability.

    In short it's not a plane for the faint of heart. If you've got the kahunas to fly a smooth stick in the heat of battle when leads flying here there and everywhere it'll reward you. Panic and start treating your baby like a b**ch and she'll flip you, spin and you'll end up dead.

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    'ave it. Skii's Avatar
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    Definately a superior plane to the majority of the LW planeset.
    Most aircraft in the game will spin horribly given a bit of abuse, any semi-competent pilot will know when his aircraft is on the edge of the envelope.

    The spin tendancy is extremely forgiving in the latest patch, plus additionally it absorbs incredible damage, simply putting a shell in the P-39s engine will produce a nice thin trail of smoke behind it, but it won't slow it down one bit.

    There simply isn't a way combat the P-39 at the moment, other than having a decisive altitude advantage.

    It was good in the original Il2, its very Uber now.

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    HEXUS.timelord. Zak33's Avatar
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    I'm in here too now

    The 190 with the hooge canons can hurt it BUT no where NEAR out turn it...which leave you in stuff like the Yak3 trying to "turn and burn" with the big boys....the Hurricane with 4 canons has a fair bit of attitude towards it too, BUT cant out power it (well I cant make it catch up)

    The Later P's have the firepower but not the handling.....

    and I HATE IT....cos I dont wanna be a P39 jockey

    So far the nearest by MILES is the La7 for me....my Yak9 with 1 mg and 1 canon (even 45mm) dont have a chance in hell

    The P39, as Lowe holds true to, if ya keep your head and dont turn TOO hard i actually banks real hard....but you cant waggle it.

    And the onlyreason Iknow this is cos I havefought with the controls of my 190's recently SO MUCH that the P39 felt like a Hot Hatch, it was all 106 GTi...it turned, rolled and pulled high G with such little effort Ithought "No bloody wonder I get walloped by it"...but thats cos the 190 is such a handfull (although I still getin it every morning for 5 minutes practice on bombers)

    I think that given a choice of ANY Yak or a P39 and my life depended on it...NO CHOICE...theYaks are pants

    And it boils downto FIRE POWER as well......the Yaks are SO UNDER GUNNED....

    If I hit someone in the Yak 9 T (37mm) or 9K (45mm) then it doesnt sink.........I can see the hit on replay.....

    you'd THINK a 45 mm explosive canon shell would do the job.....but for somereason......nope

    But hit it with a P39 canon.....by by....nighty night .

    So its programmer/software coders heaven..its got BIG HITS

    What you gonns move to Deck mate? In theory a Mig3 with 2 ShVAKS should be one of thebest.....and the La7 3x20mm is hitting HARD too

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    I managed to take out 2 HE111's with 1 shell from a P39 yesterday

    Check out the Screenies sticky at GSV for, well screenies funnily enough

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    Va Va Voom Lowe's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Skii
    Definately a superior plane to the majority of the LW planeset.
    Most aircraft in the game will spin horribly given a bit of abuse, any semi-competent pilot will know when his aircraft is on the edge of the envelope.

    The spin tendancy is extremely forgiving in the latest patch, plus additionally it absorbs incredible damage, simply putting a shell in the P-39s engine will produce a nice thin trail of smoke behind it, but it won't slow it down one bit.

    There simply isn't a way combat the P-39 at the moment, other than having a decisive altitude advantage.

    It was good in the original Il2, its very Uber now.
    I noticed the spin tendency being a bit forgiving compared to previous versions. I thought I was just good. But yeah, you can hear and feel the P39 being on the limit when in the middle of a turn, but you can't deny that it flips out instantly if you yank the stick back hard even when having lots of airspeed. Easy enough to catch, but slows you down and you lose SA for a few seconds which can be fatal.

    I haven't noticed the P39 taking much damage tbh, since the AI rarely gets chance to do much unless I'm mega outnumbered. Saying that though, remember not to aim at the front of the plane to hit the engine in the P39. If anything I find aiming at the tail seems to do the trick with P39s. The rudder seems quite a weak area, and once they lose their ability to gain height and turn you can forget about em or finish em off.

  9. #9
    'ave it. Skii's Avatar
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    Yeah the 'snap' spins are more prominent with a good few aircraft now. The first thing a 190 will do If I try to turn with a P-39 is snap-flip into a spin - I can do it in a 109 as well.

    On the plus side these snap stalls are easier to immediately recover than in the old IL2 where you had to suck it up, drop revs, center the stick and apply opposite rudder (or if you are Hat wait untill you are 20ft of the deck before you recover )

    Problem is LW aircraft were not built to mix it at medium to low altitudes, which is where the P39 is in its element - above 3000m gimme a 190 anytime, below, well one can expect a 37mm shell up one's backside fairly pronto

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    Va Va Voom Lowe's Avatar
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    Heh, LW aircraft were primarily bomber escorts though weren't they, hence the need to perform well at altitude I guess. I think I'm going to move away from the P39 and try something else for a change.

    I tell you what suprised me the other day. I had a go in something.. B239 or summat. Defo German though. That suprised me. Blummin quick and nice and chuckable. Dunno how it'll hold out in a furball though. Guess that's something to have a play with.

  11. #11
    'ave it. Skii's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Lowe
    I tell you what suprised me the other day. I had a go in something.. B239 or summat. Defo German though. That suprised me. Blummin quick and nice and chuckable. Dunno how it'll hold out in a furball though. Guess that's something to have a play with.
    lol

    Brewster Buffalo - deffo a fun little blighter - good guns too

    Edit - Finnish plane (blue swastikas)
    Last edited by Skii; 13-10-2003 at 02:42 PM.

  12. #12
    adamspestcontrol.co.uk
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    Hehe

    Good thread, have to disagree slightly on the LA5 turn rates though, she will turn but you have to snap her into them, complete opposite to the P39. To turn a LA5 tight (This works well with the 109F4 as well btw) is good turn of speed, Yank the stick back hard and give full rudder, Hey Presto a very impressive snap roll if you can get the timing right, loop out of the top and tada!!

    Ive been playing on full real last few times just to get away from the uber P39 and try my hand at other planes that are at a disadvange in an externals on server for example the P40 I get owned on n00b servers but shes a fun plane in FR and does a nice chunk of damage, or the P47 if the plane set is older. Or the good ol Lagg 3 on early servers.

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    HEXUS.timelord. Zak33's Avatar
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    I have just realised.....

    the P39 is an MR2

    I see it all now...it's clear to me....a lucid moment

    *goes off to try to Part Exchange an old MR2 to slide around in a for a while *

    Quote Originally Posted by Advice Trinity by Knoxville
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    Senior Member Tumble's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Zak33
    I have just realised.....

    the P39 is an MR2

    I see it all now...it's clear to me....a lucid moment

    *goes off to try to Part Exchange an old MR2 to slide around in a for a while *
    Any chance of explaining it to the rest of us, O Lucid One???


    lol

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    adamspestcontrol.co.uk
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    Originally posted by Tumble
    Any chance of explaining it to the rest of us, O Lucid One???


    lol
    He is a car person mate They dont make sense to the rest of us

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    Engines just behind you....

    Its not RWD tho so I think hes been on the crack pipe again

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