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The Final Countdown (Movie)
Leeroy Jenkins
Member Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭✭✭
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gChU-mGeBaM
Comments
The Zero pilots would be far out of their depth in that they'd be facing something totally unknown.
The Tom Cat pilots, on the other hand, would be facing a vastly inferior target and they'd not risk themselves in a turning fight at slow speeds.
Given the situation as presented the Zero pilots would have no conception of what they were up against. The Tom Cats would use their speed and agility to attack from positions not imagined by the Zeros.
I suspect a rocket attack would be preferred depending upon exactly what ordinance was being carried. Otherwise a strafing pass only. Never is it appropriate to allow a fight to devolve to the strengths of one's opponent. The Cat pilots would never allow it to happen.
In any case it would have been over quickly. No place to hide for the Zeros and nowhere the Cats couldn't find them easily. No conception by the Zero drivers of what they faced and full knowledge by the Cat drivers of the Zero.
This isn't to say that the pilot of a modern fighter wouldn't treat a vintage Zero with a degree of respect. After all a Zero could bite. It's just that there would never be that chance allowed.
I would think with the Zero's turning ability, it would have a decent chance of staying alive in a real dogfight with a Tomcat for longer than a few minutes. Taking missiles out of the equation and strictly gunfighting, would a zero have even the slightest chance?
The Zero was stressed for approximately 7 G, and the Tomcat for upwards of 9. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, this equates to the Tomcat have a better turning ability (even at 5 times the weight) than the Zero. Additionally, the Tomcat could maintain a 6.5 G turn without losing speed, something the Zero could never hope to match.
It would be seconds, not minutes.
Brad Steele
quote:Originally posted by CS8161
I would think with the Zero's turning ability, it would have a decent chance of staying alive in a real dogfight with a Tomcat for longer than a few minutes. Taking missiles out of the equation and strictly gunfighting, would a zero have even the slightest chance?
The Zero was stressed for approximately 7 G, and the Tomcat for upwards of 9. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, this equates to the Tomcat have a better turning ability (even at 5 times the weight) than the Zero. Additionally, the Tomcat could maintain a 6.5 G turn without losing speed, something the Zero could never hope to match.
It would be seconds, not minutes.
Agreed. The Zeros would not last long.