The flight model was very carefully researched and we used the actual P-51H pilot’s training manual and technical orders to ensure our procedures and performance matched the real thing as closely as possible.

The P-51H differs from the P-51D primarily in performance. The procedures are identical in many cases to the P-51D, and aircraft handling is very similar, with the “H” model having greater agility and a higher roll rate due to its substantially lighter weight and larger ailerons. The fuel capacity is lower on the “H” model because the fuselage tank was made smaller to reduce the negative impact on weight and balance from the excess weight being so far aft from the centre of gravity. However, the “H” model has a range similar to the “D” model because its airframe has slightly less drag, and the aircraft weighs considerably less than the “D” model. The P-51H was conceived and manufactured during WWII and would have seen combat had the war not ended in September, 1945. It was developed on a time line that was roughly concurrent with that of the Focke-Wulf Ta 152, and its performance was similar to the German aircraft. However, the P-51H, with its top speed of 487 mph at 25,000 feet, was substantially faster than either the Ta 152C or H models, by at least 15 mph. In addition, the P-51H incorporated many of the automatic features common to late-war German aircraft. It used a Simmonds control unit to maintain a constant manifold pressure relative to throttle position, eliminating the need for the pilot to “chase” the throttle lever to maintain manifold pressure as the aircraft gained altitude. The supercharger switch from low to high speed was fully automatic, as were many of the controls related to the water injection and war emergency power.

Perhaps the greatest advantage the P-51H would have had over the Ta 152 is the fact that the Mustang remained a superlative dog-fighter despite achieving parity of power and speed with the Ta 152. If anything, the P-51H was a nimbler, better-handling aircraft than the P-51D, and its lighter weight would have allowed a tighter turning radius at high altitude than the German plane. In a dive or level flight, the P-51H was as fast or faster than any single-engine, propeller-driven Axis fighter ever built. The P-51H, although not well-known, was probably the finest piston-engined fighter to emerge from WWII in every respect and was likely the fastest propeller-driven aircraft in the world at the close of WWII.

The He 219 was a superb and lethal gun platform and the later versions packed as many as eight cannon, including the potent 30mm “Schrage Musik” which fired upward into a bomber’s belly at an oblique angle.  These accompanied as many as six forward-firing cannon.  The “Uhu” was absolutely devastating to any aircraft that came into range of its guns.  This was accomplished through the use of radar, a new technology.  Ground-based stations would direct the night fighter to the bomber stream, and when in range, the Uhu’s radar operator would then take over and guide the pilot to within 100 meters of the target.  The bristling antennae were ugly and added a lot of drag, reducing the aircraft’s ultimate top speed substantially.  But without the radar the plane would have been useless at night, and since the Uhu was still about 150 mph faster than the Allied four-engine bombers, this was really not a handicap.  Some of the latest versions were used to track, hunt down, and kill the Mosquito bombers, which were a much more challenging quarry than the lumbering four-engine craft comprising most of the night fighter’s prey.

In the end, the He 219 fell victim to bad decision-making and was too little, too late.  But it was the most advanced aircraft for its time, signaling the shape of things to come.

The F4U was born and bred to be a killer and she excelled at this endeavor, laying claim to an astonishing eleven to one kill ratio by the end of WWII. That doesn’t include the unfortunate Ensigns who had so many problems trying to land the long-nosed bird on a carrier that the Navy finally gave up. They assigned the F4U to the Marines who quickly learned to love her for her superior fighting ways.

In her final form, which was the F4U-4, she was certainly in the running for the “Best Fighter of WWII”. The F4U-4 could out climb the P-51 Mustang by almost 800 feet per minute and had exceptional speed at low and mid altitudes.

The F4U Corsair launches the Aircraft Factory, which is a new line of products from A2A Simulations for those who want a solid quality aircraft but price is very important. With the Aircraft Factory, we stay true to stock Microsoft FSX SDK standards, which streamlines the development process and delivers an aircraft that you can just throw the throttle forward and fly away.

The F4U Corsair is truly a unique aircraft with it’s bent wings, long nose, and powerful engine. We have had a lot of fun flying her and believe you will as well.

The Avro Anson, also known as Faithful Annie to its crews was built to Air Ministry Specification 18/35, which called for a twin-engined coastal reconnaissance landplane. Being first flown on 24th March 1935 it was the first RAF monoplane with retractable undercarriage. When the Second World War began there were 26 RAF squadrons operating the Anson MK1, 10 with Coastal Command and 16 with Bomber Command. By this time however the Anson was obsolete in the bombing and coastal patrol roles and was being replaced by the Armstrong Withworth Whitley and Lockheed Hudson.

Instead of being scrapped like most other obsolete aircraft, the Avro Anson was found to be perfectly suited to aircrew training. Becoming on of the main aircraft in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme), it was used to train pilots for multi-engine bombers of the time. It was also used to train the other members of a bomber crew, such as navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners.

After WW2 the Anson carried on in the training and light transport roles. The last Ansons were withdrawn from RAF service in June 1968. By the time production ended in 1952, around 11.000. Avro Ansons had been built, spanning over 9 versions.

First flown in 1913, the Avro 504K was to become one of the most famous aircraft of all time. It started its long career in 1914, when 3 504As, of the Royal Naval Air Service, bombed the German Zeppelin sheds in the first planned raid in aerial warfare. The Avro 504K was one of the first aeroplane types used to strafe troops on the ground. It also had the unenviable distinction of being the first Entente aeroplane to be downed by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

In the winter of 1917–18, converted 504Js and 504Ks were given to Home Defence squadrons of the RFC to replace the ageing B.E.2cs. These aircraft were modified as single-seaters, armed with a Lewis gun above the wing on a Foster mounting, and powered by 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome or 110 hp (80 kW), with around 226 still being used as fighters at the end of World War I

Though it was soon obsolete as a front-line aircraft, it came into its own as a trainer, with thousands being built during the war, the major production types being the 504J and the mass produced 504K. Around 8,000 Avro 504s had been produced by the end of the war in 1918.

Whilst the aircraft stayed in RAF service after the war, large numbers of surplus aircraft were available for sale, both for civil and military use. More than 300 504Ks were placed on the civil register in Britain. Used for training, pleasure flying, banner towing and even barnstorming exhibitions. Civil 504s continued flying in large numbers until well into the 1930s when aircraft like the DH Tiger moth replaced it.

The 504N, which had a radial engine and a redesigned undercarriage, was produced in 1925 and was chosen by the RAF to replace the 504K. Used to equip the RAF’s five training schools, a total or 592 504Ns were produced between 1925 and 1932. The 504N was also used by the armed forces of Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Thailand and South Africa, with licensed production taking place in Denmark, Belgium, Canada and Japan. The Soviet Union produced a copy of Avro 504K under the designation U-1.

The Avro 504 was finally replaced in 1933 by the Avro Tutor, ending the career of this truly remarkable aircraft.

]]> https://a2asimulations.com/product/fsx-aircraft-factory-avro-504k/feed/ 2 https://a2asimulations.com/product/fsx-aircraft-factory-albatros-d-iii-oef/ https://a2asimulations.com/product/fsx-aircraft-factory-albatros-d-iii-oef/#comments Thu, 14 Dec 2017 10:49:01 +0000 http://217.199.187.194/robertchittockdevelopment.co.uk/a2a/?post_type=product&p=319 Brief History

The history of the Albatros  begins in Spring 1916 when the German Air Force  (Luftstreitkräfte) HQ ordered several factories to design a new single seater biplane capable to compete with the new Entente scouts such as Nieuport 11.c1, Nieuport 17.c1 and the D.H.2. The new Allied designs combined with the new tactics managed to completely wipe from the air the monoplane-type Fokker E.III and to create air superiority over the Western Front. New planes were desperately needed and the Fokker, Halberstadt and Albatros soon presented new scout planes such as Fokker D.II, Halberstadt D.II and Albatros D.I. The last one was especially well designed. Powered by the 160HP Mercedes D.III inline engine and heavily armed with the twin Spandau machine guns, the Albatros quickly earned the reputation of a very good scout. The HQ quickly ordered a series of 50 D.I’s which were pushed into newly created Jastas (Jagdstaffelns) in September 1916. The Albatros Werke soon released another version, the Albatros D.II which had a smaller gap between the upper and lower wing and few other improvements. This version gave  the German Air Force some breathing room and their squadrons started to become very effective.

The successful Albatros D.II was quickly noted in the allied Austro-Hungary. In the Fall of 1916, Austrian company Österreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) in Wiener Neustadt purchased a license from the Albatros Werke and managed to introduce the own version in January 1917. The prototype, marked 50.01, differed from the original design. First of all, it was powered by the more powerful, 185HP Austro-Daimler Dm 185 inline engine. The cylinders were covered and the wing chord was enlarged from 1,60 meter to 1,70 meter. The armament was also different. Apart from the twin 7,92mm Spandau machine guns, one 8mm Schwarzlose machine gun was mounted inside of the fuselage, much lower than in the German Albatros. It improved forward visibility, but made reloading the gun problematic.

The Austro-Hungarian Army ordered 50 Oeffag D.II’s, but after completing 15 planes (numbers from 53.02 to 53.16), the factory cancelled production and switched to the new design, marked as D.III. This version was inspired by the new design from the German Albatros Werke – the Albatros D.III which was introduced in December 1916 and became a deadly adversary to the Entente planes in the Spring 1917. The plane received a  completely new wing, inspired by the French Nieuport 17.c1 sesquiplane design. This improved the climb and turn ratio over the older D.I and D.II versions.

The licensed-built Albatros D.III prototype, marked as 53.20, was constructed in February 1917. Again, the design differed from the original model from the Albatros Werke. The engine was covered, and the fin under the fuselage was enlarged. The gravity tank was fitted into the upper  wing along with the radiator which was in the center position, while the tank was moved to the left. The armament was redesigned, too. A second 8mm Schwarzlose machine gun was installed, which gave the plane much better firepower. The upper wing could be regulated and the incidence could be adjusted.

The Oeffag D.II’s and D.III’s appeared on the Italian Front in June 1917 after being certified by the Fliegerarsenal a month before. At the beginning, they served in the general – purpose Fliegerkompanie (Flik) units which were responsible for various tasks. But very soon the new scout units, marked as Flik/J, were introduced because the front needed specialized fighter units. The Oeffag scouts received a good input from their pilots. The planes were easy to fly, well armed and durable. There were no accidents of losing a lower wing, just like in the German Albatros D.III, because the Oeffag engineers strengthened the construction by using thicker wing spars and wing ribs. The root wing was mounted to the fuselage using an additional metal brace.

While German engineers at Albatros Werke wanted to decrease the weight of their next scout, their Austrian colleagues at Oeffag did the opposite thing. Their next designs known as Bauart 153 and 253 (series 153 and 253) were heavier and powered by the stronger engines. The production of the 153 series was launched in July 1917. Apart from the new 200HP Austro-Daimler Dm 200 six-cylinder inline engine, the upper wing was slightly moved forward. The planes after 153.111 had redesigned forward fuselage, because the propeller cowling was removed. The Austro-Hungarian Army ordered 280 Oeffag 153’s. The model had much better parameters than the earlier Oeffag series, and the new German Albatros D.V which had appeared on the Western Front in the late Spring 1917.

After the new Austro-Daimler Dm 225 was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the engineers at Oeffag started to adjust the existing design to the new engine. The new version, known as Bauart 253 (Series 253) was introduced in May 1918. There were 230 planes ordered, but only 201 were delivered until the Armistice. The production was however continued after World War I.

The Oeffag Ba.253 was the final version of the successful series. It was said to be the best Austro-Hungarian fighter plane, which possessed reasonable level speed close to 200 kph (120mph) and a very good climb ratio. The plane could reach 5000 meters in 20 minutes, while the 153 series did the same in 13 minutes more. Because of the more powerful (and heavier) engine, the construction was again strengthened. The fuselage and outer wings received additional plywood bracing. The wing’s trailing edge was made of wire rather than a steel tubes. Some planes (253.31, 253.64, 253.116-120) had machine guns moved up, so the pilot had full access to them.

The Oeffag scouts were popular among the Austro-Hungarian Aces, including Godwin Brumowski, Frank Linke-Crawford, Benno Fiala or Franz Rudorfer.

After the war the Oeffag planes were used by the Air forces of Poland and Czechoslovakia. One was used in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as a trainer. Some were used in civil aviation. Sadly, no Oeffag-built Albatros survived to the present times, however two Oeffag Ba.253 replicas have been constructed by Mr. Koloman Mayrhofer, one of which is on display in the Aviaticum Museum in Wiener Neustadt near Vienna, Austria. Both planes use many original parts, such as gauges and Austro-Daimler engines.