Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>P-39>HA1708

General Background

The P-39 Aircobra was one of the principal American land based fighters during the beginning of WWII. It first saw action in April 1942 but had not been successful against the Japanese “Zero” due to the lack of turbo-supercharger for high altitude operations.

The aircraft saw its real success in the hands of the Soviet Union. The Soviets liked the low altitude speed and maneuverability, excellent structural integrity, and heavy armament, everything they needed to fight the type of war on the Eastern Front. They were so pleased by these attributes that they nicknamed it “The Iron Dog”. There were 9,585 P-39s of all variants built with about 4,500 going to the Soviets.

The Aircraft

William A. Shomo was sent to the Pacific Theater in June 1944 with the 82nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and was assigned a P-39 he called Snooks and then Snooks II. Snooks was the pet nickname he had for his wife. Shomo became an ace while flying a P-51 and was the recipient of Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor. He received these awards for shooting down 7 Japanese aircraft in one mission. Shomo went on to fight in Korea and became a jet pilot.

Specifications :

Aircraft role:	Ground attack fighter
Crew:	1
Dimensions:
Length:	30 ft. 2 in.
Wing area:	213 sq. ft.
Wingspan:	34 ft.
Height:	12 ft. 5 in.
Performance:
Powerplant:	1 X Allison V-1710-85 1,200 hp
Speed:	cruising 330 mph at 5,000 ft.
	maximum 376 mph at 15,000 ft.
Climb rate:	2,600 ft/min to 5,000 ft. - to 15,000 ft. in 6 min 6 seconds
Service Ceiling:	38,270 ft. with best performance below 20,000 ft.
Range:	300 miles because of smaller fuel tanks in this version
Weight:
Empty:	5,645 lbs.