(Bell) P-63 Kingcobra @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Bell P-63 Kingcobra Bell P-63 Kingcobra
    Bell P-63 Kingcobra
  • Bell P-63C - Reno 1972 Bell P-63C - Reno 1972
    Bell P-63C - Reno 1972
  • Bell P-63D Bell P-63D
    Bell P-63D
  • P-63A in Chino, California P-63A in Chino, California
    P-63A in Chino, California
  • At the Florida Air Museum At the Florida Air Museum
    At the Florida Air Museum
  • In the "Great Patriotic War Museum" In the "Great Patriotic War Museum"
    In the "Great Patriotic War Museum"
  • Bell RP-63C Kingcobra racer (Oshkosh 1974) Bell RP-63C Kingcobra racer (Oshkosh 1974)
    Bell RP-63C Kingcobra racer (Oshkosh 1974)
  • The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferté-Alais (France) in 1990 The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferté-Alais (France) in 1990
    The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferté-Alais (France) in 1990
  • With the butterfly tail With the butterfly tail
    With the butterfly tail
  • A P-63A-10-BE on a ferry flight to Russia (Fairbanks, 1944) A P-63A-10-BE on a ferry flight to Russia (Fairbanks, 1944)
    A P-63A-10-BE on a ferry flight to Russia (Fairbanks, 1944)
  • A Bell P-63A-6 on skis A Bell P-63A-6 on skis
    A Bell P-63A-6 on skis
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    Bell P-63A
  • Bell P-63 Kingcobra Bell P-63 Kingcobra
    Bell P-63 Kingcobra
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    Bell P-63A Kingcobra
  • At the Florida Air Museum At the Florida Air Museum
    At the Florida Air Museum
  • Bell P-63A Kingcobra Bell P-63A Kingcobra
    Bell P-63A Kingcobra
  • A P-63A of the Confederate Air Force at Harlingen, Texas, in 1975 A P-63A of the Confederate Air Force at Harlingen, Texas, in 1975
    A P-63A of the Confederate Air Force at Harlingen, Texas, in 1975
  • Bell P-63A Kingcobra Bell P-63A Kingcobra
    Bell P-63A Kingcobra
  • The P-63A of The Fighter Collection that crashed in 2001 The P-63A of The Fighter Collection that crashed in 2001
    The P-63A of The Fighter Collection that crashed in 2001
  • A P-63A "Pinball" A P-63A "Pinball"
    A P-63A "Pinball"
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    Bell L-39-2
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    Bell P-36 "Racer"
  • P-63E P-63E
    P-63E
  • Bell P-63A Bell P-63A
    Bell P-63A
  • At the Florida Air Museum At the Florida Air Museum
    At the Florida Air Museum
  • Bell<br>P-63E<br>(Ohio<br>USAF<br>Museum) Bell<br>P-63E<br>(Ohio<br>USAF<br>Museum)
    Bell
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  • Bell P-63C Bell P-63C
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  • Bell P-63A Kingcobra Bell P-63A Kingcobra
    Bell P-63A Kingcobra
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    Bell P-63A
  • P-36C "Racer" P-36C "Racer"
    P-36C "Racer"
  • Bell P-63E Kingcobra Bell P-63E Kingcobra
    Bell P-63E Kingcobra
  • A P-63F Kingcobra at Nellis AFB, in 2016 A P-63F Kingcobra at Nellis AFB, in 2016
    A P-63F Kingcobra at Nellis AFB, in 2016
  • P39 and P63 assembly lines in Wheatfield, NY P39 and P63 assembly lines in Wheatfield, NY
    P39 and P63 assembly lines in Wheatfield, NY
  • Bell P-63 Kingcobra Bell P-63 Kingcobra
    Bell P-63 Kingcobra
  • The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferte-Alais (France), in 1990 The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferte-Alais (France), in 1990
    The RP-63C of The Fighter Collection that crashed near La Ferte-Alais (France), in 1990
  • RP-63G "Pinball" (Air Force Museum) RP-63G "Pinball" (Air Force Museum)
    RP-63G "Pinball" (Air Force Museum)

Bell P-63 Kingcobra

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft developed by Bell Aircraft in World War II from the Bell P-39 Airacobra in an attempt to correct that aircraft's deficiencies. Although the P-63 was not accepted for combat use by the United States Army Air Forces, it was adopted by the Soviet Air Force.

Design and development

XP-39E

While the P-39 had originally been introduced as an interceptor, later in its development it was decided to reduce the cost and complexity of the engine by removing the turbocharger. High-altitude performance suffered dramatically as a result, and Bell proposed an experimental series to test out a variety of solutions.

The resulting XP-39E featured two primary changes from the earlier P-39D from which it was developed. One was a redesigned wing. The root airfoil, a NACA 0015 on other models of the P-39, was changed to a NACA 0018, to gain internal volume. The other was a switch to the Continental I-1430 engine, which featured an improved overall design developed from the hyper engine efforts, as well as an improved supercharger.

Three prototypes were ordered in April 1941 with serials 41-19501, 41-19502 and 42-7164. The I-1430 was having continued development problems and could not be delivered in time, so it was replaced by an Allison V-1710-47, similar to that powering the P-39. Each prototypes tested different wing and tail configurations: 41-19501 had a rounded vertical tail, but squared-offtailplane tips; 41-19502, a squared-off fin and rudder and large wing fillets; and 42-7164 had all its flight surfaces squared off. The XP-39E proved faster than standard Airacobra, reaching a maximum speed of 386 mph (621 km/h) at 21,680 ft (6,610 m) during tests. However, the XP-39E was considered inferior to the stock P-39 Airacobra in all other respects, so it was not ordered into production.

XP-63

Although the XP-39E proved disappointing, the USAAF was nevertheless interested in an even larger aircraft based on the same basic layout. Even before its first flight, the USAAF placed an order on 27 June 1941 for two prototypes of an enlarged version powered by the same V-1710-47. The new design was given the designation XP-63 and serials were 41-19511 and 41-19512. A third prototype was also ordered, 42-78015, using the Packard V-1650, the U.S.-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.

The XP-87897 was larger in all dimensions than the Airacobra. The wing was redesigned again, this time with new NACA laminar flow airfoils, 66(215)-116 a=0.6 at the root and a NACA 66(215)-216 a=0.6 at the tip. The wing taper ratio was approximately 2:1, span was 38 ft 4 in (11.68 m), and wing area was 248 sq ft (23.0 m2). The engine was fitted with a second remotely mounted supercharger, supplementing the normal single-stage supercharger. At higher altitudes, when additional boost was required, a hydraulic clutch would engage the second supercharger, adding 10,000 ft (3,000 m) to the service ceiling. A larger four-bladed propeller was also standardized. A persistent complaint against the Airacobra was that its nose armament was not easily accessible for ground maintenance, and in order to cure this problem, the XP-63 airframe was fitted with larger cowling panels.

In September 1942, even before the prototype flew, the USAAF ordered it into production as the P-63A (Model 33). The P-63A's armament was to be the same as the current P-39Q, a single 37 mm (1.46 in) M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub, two synchronized 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the cowl, and two 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in underwing gondolas.

The first prototype, 41-19511, flew for the first time on 7 December 1942. It was destroyed on 28 January 1943 when its landing gear failed to extend. The second prototype, 41-19512, followed on 5 February 1943. It, too, was destroyed, this time due to an engine failure. The Merlin-engined 42-78015 (as Merlins were primarily needed for the P-51 Mustang) was delivered with another Allison instead, a -93, which had a war emergency rating of 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) at sea level, making this prototype one of the fastest Kingcobras built, attaining 421 mph (678 km/h) at 24,100 ft (7,300 m).

Deliveries of production P-63As began in October 1943. The USAAF concluded the Kingcobra was inferior to the Mustang, and declined to order larger quantities. American allies, particularly the Soviet Union, had a great need for fighter aircraft, however, and the Soviets were already the largest users of the Airacobra. Therefore, the Kingcobra was ordered into production to be delivered under Lend-Lease. In February 1944, the Soviet government sent a highly experienced test pilot, Andrey G. Kochetkov, and an aviation engineer, Fyodor P. Suprun, to the Bell factories to participate in the development of the first production variant, the P-63A. Initially ignored by Bell engineers, Kochetkov's expert testing of the machine's spin characteristics (which led to airframe buckling) eventually led to a significant Soviet role in the development. After flat spin recovery proved impossible, and upon Kochetkov's making a final recommendation that pilots should bail out upon entering such a spin, he received a commendation from the Irving Parachute Company. The Kingcobra's maximum aft CG was moved forward to facilitate recovery from spins.

P-63A-8, SN 269261, was extensively tested at TsAGI in what was then the world's largest wind tunnel. Soviet input was significant. With the Soviet Union being the largest buyer of the aircraft, Bell was quick to implement their suggestions. The vast majority of the changes in the A sub-variants were a direct result of Soviet input, e.g. increased pilot armor and fuselage hardpoint on the A-5, underwing hardpoints and extra fuel tanks on the A-6, etc. The Soviet Union even experimented with ski landing gear for the P-63A-6, but this never reached production. Most significantly, Soviet input resulted in moving the main cannon forward, favorably changing the center of gravity, and increasing its ammo load from 30 to 58 rounds for the A-9 variant. The P-63 had an impressive roll rate, besting the Americans' P-47, P-40, and P-51—and the Japanese Navy's Kawanishi N1K Shiden-Kai fighter—with a rate of 110° per second at 275 mph (443 km/h).

Swept-wing L-39

Two war surplus P-63Cs were modified by Bell under Navy contract for flight testing of low-speed and stall characteristics of high-speed wing designs. The aircraft received new wings with adjustable leading edge slats, trailing edge flaps and a pronounced sweep of 35 degrees. The wings had no wheel wells; only the nose gear was retractable. L-39-1 first flew 23 April 1946, demonstrating a need for extra tail surface and rear fuselage length to balance the aircraft in flight—the wing repositioning reduced empennage effectiveness and moved the center of lift aft. A lighter three-bladed propeller from a P-39Q-10 was mounted and the necessary changes to the empennage were made. L-39-2 incorporated these adjustments from the start. L-39-1 later went to NACA at Langley for wind tunnel testing, where much valuable data were gathered. L-39-2 also served as a testbed for the Bell X-2 40-degree wing design.

Operational service

Soviet Union

The first version to be supplied in quantity to the Soviet Union was the P-63A-7 with a higher vertical tail, and reinforced wings and fuselage. The fuselage proved to need strengthening, consequently in October 1944, a reinforcement kit for operational P-63s was developed.

Air Transport Command ferry pilots, including U.S. women pilots of the WASP program, picked up the planes at the Bell factory at Niagara Falls, New York, and flew them to Great Falls, Montana and then onward via the Northwest Staging Route through Canada to Alaska, where Soviet ferry pilots, many of them women, would take delivery of the aircraft at Nome and fly them to the Soviet Union over the Bering Strait via the Alaska-Siberia route (ALSIB). A total of 2,397 (2,672, according to other sources) such aircraft were delivered to USSR, out of the overall 3,303 production aircraft (72.6%).

By a 1943 agreement, P-63s were disallowed for Soviet use against Germany and were supposed to be concentrated in the Soviet Far East for an eventual attack on Japan. However, there are many unconfirmed reports from both the Soviet and German side that P-63s did indeed see service against the Luftwaffe. Most notably, one of Pokryshkin's pilots reports in his memoirs published in the 1990s that the entire 4th GvIAP was secretly converted to P-63s in 1944, while officially still flying P-39s. One account states they were in action at Königsberg, in Poland and in the final assault on Berlin. There are German reports of P-63s shot down by both fighters and flak. Nevertheless, all Soviet records show nothing but P-39s used against Germany.

In general, official Soviet histories played down the role of Lend-Lease supplied aircraft in favor of local designs, but it is known that the P-63 was a successful fighter aircraft in Soviet service. A common Western misconception is that the Bell fighters were used as ground attack aircraft.

One of the enduring myths regarding the P-39/P-63 in Soviet use is that because of its armament, in particular the 37mm nose cannon, it excelled as a ground-attack aircraft, even a 'tank buster'. In translating and preparing this manuscript for publication, I have had the opportunity to peruse several Russian-language sources. Mentions of the employment of this aircraft in the ground-attack role are so rare in these sources as to be exceptional ... The 'tank buster' myth has its roots in the misunderstanding of the general wartime role of the Red Air Force and in the imprecise translation of specific Russian-Language terms that describe this role. The specific Russian-Language term most often used to describe the mission and role of the Airacobra-equipped Red Air Force fighter units, in this manuscript and other Russian-language sources , is prikrytiye sukhoputnykh voysk [coverage of ground forces]... Frequent misunderstanding in this country as to the combat role of the P-39 in Soviet use is based in part on imprecise translation of the term prikrytiye sukhoputnykh voysk to 'ground support'. The latter term as it is understood by many Western military historians and readers, suggests the attacking of ground targets in support of ground troops, also called 'close air support'. Did a Soviet Airacobra pilot ever strafe a German tank? Undoubtedly. But this was never a primary mission or strong suit for this aircraft.

— Soviet Army Colonel Dmitriy Loza.

The Soviets developed successful group aerial fighting tactics for the Bell fighters and scored a surprising number of aerial victories over a variety of German aircraft. Low ceilings, short missions, good radios, a sealed and warm cockpit and ruggedness contributed to their effectiveness. To pilots who had once flown the tricky Polikarpov I-16, the aerodynamic quirks of the mid-engined aircraft were unimportant. In the Far East, P-63 and P-39 aircraft were used in the Soviet invasion of Manchukuo and northern Korea. In the Pacific theatre, the Kingcobras flew escort, close air support and ground attack missions. The Soviet P-63s achieved their first air victory on 15 August 1945, when Lejtenant I. F. Miroshnichenko from 17th IAP/190 IAD, shot down a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa IJAAS fighter off the coast of North Korea.

Sufficient aircraft continued in use after the war for them to be given the NATO reporting name of Fred. By 9 May 1945, operational units had still 1,148 Kingcobras on strength. On 8 October 1950, two USAF F-80Cs from 49 FG breached the USSR's border and attacked Sukhaya Rechka airfield 19 mi (31 km) south-west of Vladivostok and 62 mi (100 km) from the Soviet-Korean border, making two strafing runs before returning to their home base. Although Soviet sources claim the attack was intentional, the pilots claimed it was a result of a navigational error. The airfield belonged to the VVS TOF, but it was occupied by the 821 IAP / 190 IAD. Mostly aircraft of the 1st Squadron of 821 IAP were hit with 12 P-63s damaged, one P-63 burned to the ground while the other damaged aircraft were able to be repaired. No human losses were suffered.

France

In 1945, 114 later models were delivered to the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air), but they arrived too late to see service in World War II. They however saw service during the First Indochina War before being replaced in 1951.

Initially the French Kingcobras were deployed to Algeria. Fighter squadron (Groupe de Chasse) 2/6 "Travail", previously equipped with P-39 Airacobras, received their Kingcobras on 18 July at Casablanca; the pilots were surprised by the higher landing speed of their new aircraft. The Kingcobra were scrambled to Indochina when the insurgency broke. Only 60 Kingcobras were operational in Indochina in January 1950, mainly because the Americans refused to supply spare parts. Starting in February 1951, the squadrons equipped with Kingcobra started to receive Grumman F8F Bearcats as replacements. Most Kingcobras were mothballed by July. The last flight of a Kingcobra in Indochina took place on September 6, 1951.

"Pinball" operations

Its main use in American service was the unusual one of a manned flying target for gunnery practice. The aircraft was generally painted bright orange to increase its visibility. All armament and the regular armor was removed from these RP-63 aircraft, and over a ton of armored sheet metal was applied to the aircraft. This was fitted with sensors that would detect hits, and these hits were signaled by illuminating a light in the propeller hub where the cannon would have been. This earned the aircraft the unofficial nickname of Pinball. Special frangible rounds made of a lead/Bakelite combination were developed that would disintegrate upon impact. These were known as the "Cartridge, Caliber .30, Frangible, Ball, M22". In 1990, veteran Pinball pilot, Ivan L. Hickman, wrote Operation Pinball about the training flights.

RAE Testing

British engineers, like the Americans, had a growing interest during World War II in the application of laminar flow airfoils. In an effort to learn more about the practical application of laminar flow airfoils, in 1945 the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) undertook a flight test program with one of the two P-63As that the United Kingdom had received. The aircraft was equipped with a wake rake array mounted outboard, behind the wing, to allow the momentum deficit, and thus section drag, to be measured.

The RAE first tested it in an "as delivered" configuration. The wing airfoil was designed to support laminar flow to 60% of chord. In the "as delivered" configuration, a profile drag was measured which was representative of the wing section with boundary layer transition at the leading edge (0% laminar flow). Reducing the surface roughness reduced the drag at low lift coefficients to a level representative of laminar flow to 35% of chord. Measurements were made of the surface waviness. This showed peak wave amplitudes, above the mean, of approximately 0.011 inches over a two-inch span. The standard waviness criteria shows the critical wave height to be 0.0053 inches for this application. To reduce the waviness, RAE personnel stripped the wing to bare metal. The wing was then sprayed with two coats of primer paint and a coat of paint type filler. After the paint was dry, it was sanded in a chordwise direction, using sanding blocks, whose curvature matched the local surface curvature. This was repeated several times. Surface waviness was then measured and found to be no more than 0.005 inches. In flight, this configuration was found to have a profile drag representative of boundary layer transition at 60% of chord. This gave researchers an idea of what level of wing surface quality was required to actually get the benefits of laminar flow airfoils.

Postwar air racers

Numerous surplus P-63s ended up on the air racing circuit in the immediate postwar era. Charles Tucker purchased two P-63s from the disposal facility at Kingman, Arizona just after the war. He entered one of them, the Tucker Special as Race 28 with the name Flying Red Horse emblazoned on the nose (civilian register N62995) in the 1946 Thompson Trophy race. He had clipped the wing by 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) in an attempt to improve its speed, reducing the span to 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m). The second one (44-4126 (XN63231 Race 30) was intended for the 1946 Bendix cross country race. It was initially fitted with two wingtip drop tanks. In 1947, the drop tanks were removed and the wings were clipped to 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)

Two other significant racers were flown later. Tipsy Miss, John Sandberg's clipped-wingtip P-63 unlimited racer, was identified as "Race 28," and painted in bright orange, white and black race numbers with a chrome spinner. Later sold to a European pilot, this P-63 was destroyed in a fatal accident in 1990 Crazy Horse Campgrounds was the most radically modified P-63 Kingcobra ever. Larry Haven's "Race 90" clipped-wing unlimited racer had a tiny bubble canopy installed; it appeared in all silver (unpolished aluminum) finish with a white rudder and black trim. The aircraft later crashed into the ocean on a test flight in 1972.

Variants

  • XP-63 Prototypes (two) (company designation was Model 24); USAAF serials (41-19511 and 41-19512).
  • XP-63A Following the loss of the first two prototypes, an additional test aircraft was procured, USAAF serial 42-78015, originally ordered as a testbed for the proposed Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered P-63B.
  • P-63A The production model Bell Model 33; 1725 P-63As produced in various sub-marks.
  • P-63B Proposed Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered P-63B series was cancelled due to lack of availability of Merlin engines.
  • P-63C Second production series differed from the P-63A by being powered by the uprated Allison V-1710-117 engine with a war emergency rating of 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) at sea level and 1,800 hp (1,340 kW) with water injection. The wingspan was reduced by 10 inches (250 mm). A total production run of 1,227 was completed.
  • P-63D One aircraft (43-11718) powered by an Allison V-1710-109 (E22) 1,425 hp (1,063 kW) featured a 10 in (25 cm) wingspan increase (to 39 ft 2 in (11.94 m), gross area being increased to 255 sq ft (23.7 m2) and, most noticeably, a rearward-sliding bubble canopy. The series was cancelled in 1945.
  • P-63E Essentially similar to the P-63D with the exception of a ventral fin extension and the use of a standard "cab"-style cockpit; only 13 built.
  • P-63F Bell Model 43 variant featured an enlarged vertical tail and Allison V-1710-135; only two (43-11719 and 43-11722) built.
  • RP-63A/C "Pinball" Target aircraft with five modified from P-63As and 95 modified on production lines; in 1948, surviving RP-63A aircraft were redesignated QF-63A. A further 200 production RP-63C aircraft were modified on the production line. Similarly, the surviving RP-63Cs were redesignated QF-63Cs. Many of the "target" aircraft were actually used as target tugs.
  • RP-63G "Pinball" "Dedicated" flying targets which included two prototypes (43-11723 and 11724) and 30 production aircraft that incorporated a flush dorsal inlet but, more significantly, lights that would come on when the target was struck with frangible munitions. In 1948, the remaining RP-63Gs were redesignated QF-63Gs.
  • L-39 Two war surplus P-63Cs modified by Bell under Navy contract for flight testing of low-speed and stall characteristics of high-speed wing designs.

Operators

  • France : French Air Force.
  • Honduras : Honduran Air Force (post-war).
  • Soviet Union : Soviet Air Force.
  • United Kingdom : Royal Aircraft Establishment (two P-63As for evaluation).
  • United States :
    • United States Army Air Corps.
    • United States Army Air Forces.

Survivors

Honduras :

  • P-63E 43-11730 : On display at the Museo Del Aire, Toncontin International Airport, Tegucigalpa.

Russia :

  • P-63A 42-68875 : On display at the Russian Air Force Museum, Moscow.
  • P-63C 44-4011 : On display at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow.

United Kingdom :

  • P-63C 43-11137 : under restoration at the Wings Museum, Balcombe, West Sussex. The museum also has 5 other P-63 Airframes.

United States :

Airworthy

  • P-63A 42-68864 Pretty Polly : Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.
  • P-63A 42-69080 Fatal Fang : Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
  • P-63C 43-11223 : Legacy of Flight Museum in Rexburg, Idaho. (Painted as P-63A-6/42-69021).
  • P-63F 43-11719 : Commemorative Air Force (P-63 Sponsor Group) in San Marcos, Texas.

On display

  • P-63A 42-70609 : Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
  • P-63E 43-11727 : Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
  • P-63E 43-11728 : National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
  • RP-63G 45-57295 : Lackland AFB, Texas.

Under Restoration or in storage

  • P-63A 42-68941 : to airworthiness (flown twice on 2/18/2017) by Commemorative Air Force (Dixie Wing) in Peachtree City, Georgia.
  • P-63A 42-70255 Edyth Louise : in storage at the Paul Garber Facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Silver Hill, Maryland.
  • RP-63C 43-11117 : in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Bell P-63 Kingcobra of Wikipedia ( authors )

Bell P-63 Kingcobra

  • Role : Fighter aircraft.
  • Manufacturer : Bell Aircraft.
  • First flight : 7 December 1942.
  • Introduction : October 1943.
  • Primary users :
    • United States Army Air Forces.
    • Soviet Air Force.
    • French Air Force.
  • Produced : 1943–1945.
  • Number built : 3,303.
  • Unit cost : US$65,914 (1945).
  • Developed from : Bell P-39 Airacobra.

    • Specifications (P-63A)

  • Crew : 1.
  • Length : 32 ft 8 in (10 m).
  • Height : 12 ft 7 in (3.8 m).
  • Wingspan : 38 ft 4 in (11.7 m).
  • Wing area : 248 sq ft (23 m²).
  • Wing loading : 35.48 lb/sq ft (173.91 kg/m²).
  • Empty weight : 6,800 lb (3,100 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 8,800 lb (4,000 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 10,700 lb (4,900 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 410 mph (660 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m).
  • Range : 450 mi (725 km).
  • Ferry range : 2,200 mi (3,540 km).
  • Service ceiling : 43,000 ft (13,100 m).
  • Rate of climb : 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Allison V-1710-117 liquid-cooled V-12.
  • Power : 1,800 hp (1,340 kW).
  • Power/mass : 0.20 hp/lb (0.34 kW/kg).
  • Armament :
    • One 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub. From the A-9 version of the aircraft onward, the M4 gun was replaced with the slightly improved M10 37 mm cannon, which used a disintegrating link ammunition belt, increasing the ammo capacity to 58 rounds; the M10 also had a slightly higher rate of fire.
    • Four 0.50 in (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns (two synchronized in the nose, two in the wings).
    • Bombs : 1,500 lb (680 kg) bomb load on wing and fuselage.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Bell P-63 Kingcobra of Wikipedia ( authors )
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    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).