feature

what would you consider as the single most important feature of a dog fighter and why.

1. ability to climb
2. manouverablity
3. speed

leon

Speed!!!If all else fails you can always cut and run.

[Shooter]

Speed (raw horsepower) is as good as it gets.

All else is secondary, since he with the speed gets the initiative (the ability to decide where and when battle is joined!).

Hands down!

Bill
shooter@snakebite.com

[Darryl]

As a friend of mine who flew Spitfires said, her turn would get you out of trouble if you saw your attacker in time (and remember most didn't) but speed wins dogfights.

The aircraft following has an inbuilt advantage in a turn as he is cutting across the turn circle of the target. This means you have to have a large superiority in turning ability to avoid him. If you haven't got speed, you can't run, you can't hide you just end up out of speed, out of hieght and out of ideas!!!!!!!

Regards

Darryl

[stephen]

Have to agree with everyone so far, speed - in the sense of gaining absolute combat initiative - is most important.

However, some points to remember: "Speed" is a relative term. Once combat begins (in WWI context), the most maneuverable aircraft becomes the "fastest." Regardless of the mph achieved, the "fastest" aircraft is the one that gets from point A to point B the quickest... and in a turn, that will often be the slower but more maneuverable aircraft. I.e., the Camel was the "fastest" and most deadly plane in any given dogfight, but could rarely choose it's battles or run away from trouble.

Rotary pilots won more medals; inline pilots made fewer widows.

While the point about rotaries is well made, I have to add that a properly tuned and rigged Camel could actually fly faster at its normal combat altitude than most of its potential competition. (Granted, this advantage was only a matter of a few mph, but it was there.) One of the peculiar failings of the German aircraft industry in WWI was that it never developed a really powerful engine; by the end of the war Allied fighters had a 10-20 mph advantage over even a BMW-engined D-VII. Had the Martinsyde Buzzard and Nieuport 29 made it into service, things would have been even worse for the Germans.

[Richard_Schrader]

The skill of the pilot is the most important factor.