Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>P-39>HA1713

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

The 40th FS “Fight’n Red Devils” arrived in Brisbane Australia on February 25, 1942 and were assigned to the 35th FG of the USAAF 5th Air Force. Lt. William McDonough was assigned P-39K-1 s/n 42-4358 and had an “Angelic Donald Duck” painted on the starboard side of the nose. It is referred to as “Angelic” because Donald is wearing an angel costume with his sleeves rolled up ready for a fight. When the war had ended Lt. McDonough had 5 victories.

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.