When I was a kid, I watched Baa Baa Blacksheep. I went to a Woolworth's to but a Corsair model, but they didn't have one, so I bought the P-40E with the shark's mouth as my first model. So I am right with you, brother. Still have a model in my office. Love that plane.
1:33 Agreed. With it's ferocious maw, sculpted tips and lofty nose, the P-40 is the sexiest airplane ever ! As a kid, I too had a Revell 1/32 scale polystyrene plastic kit dressed up in the Chinese mercenary livery of Claire Lee Chennault's Flying Tigers and also read Al Avery's novel "A Yankee Flier in the Far East." They surely captured the imagination of young dreamers !!
Started my private pilot training there, was always so cool to see these planes just sitting around the hangar like parked cars in the garage! Thom is also a very cool guy.
agree 100% Garrison..............but of course the media and PR of the times required more of a dandy centerfold like the P51..........the spoils of war really - like the Spitfire overshadowing the Hurricane in the UK.........meanwhile it was the Hurricane - like the P40 - which carried the fight against all odds for the first 3 years of the conflict and in far more more theatres......
Ben Jackson - you must not have watched the video. The P-51 outperforms the P-40 above 10k feet and/or above 250mph IAS. Below those two numbers the P-40 handles better
Curtiss experimented with the Merlin in the P-40 and it didn’t change the basic equation: without a two stage supercharger the P-40 just didn’t have the altitude capability to be a top tier fighter during WW2. That was also the problem for the P-38 and the P-39 (although both had other issues to work out). The Allison engine was a good motor (probably as good as the merlin and more reliable) but without an adequate blower it wasn’t as capable.
they were actually better than the zero at lower levels. However, the problem they had was that at the beginning, the zero pilots were way more experienced veterans than their american counter parts.
@@firefalcon100 WRONG !! They were better than the Zero at Higher Levels ! At Higher levels they could out turn a Zeke aka Zero were faster and could dive way faster !
Florida is a long way from Alaska but a ride in one would be awesome- My father flew P-40's in China in WW2. He , later in the war, flew P-51s, but his true love and most of his missions were in the P-40
Back in my grade-school days, early 1960s, I'd bring home books about airplanes from the local library. The typical blurb about the P-40 was "obsolete before the war began - no match for a Zero." My Navy dad would laugh. He'd been Helldiver radioman, but he worked at numerous air stations and often serviced Army planes. His take? "The P-40 was a GREAT plane - and we were lucky to have it. In the hands of capable pilots it was more than a match for any contemporary adversary. I NEVER talked to any P-40 pilot who feared taking his mount against any enemy plane. The great thing about the P-40s was - they were always ready to go, unlike maintenance-intensive hangar queens like Lightnings...." In the last several years of his life, we'd sometimes sit and watch those cable TV aviation shows - and found that apparently the world had come around to HIS way of thinking about the Warhawk. He got a kick outa' that!
P40s are relatively average size for a fighter of the late 1930s-1940s. And almost everyone who flew them then and now all say it's a delight to fly. Someone should build replicas at 1:1 scale.
Was fortunate to get a ride in both a P-40 and a P-51. The P-51 is a real Cadillac of the air. The P-40 was like a '32 Ford hot rod; not as practical, but heaps more fun!
It's nice to think that the AVG was better than the Japanese, but the AVG severely overclaimed their kill rate. Even the British serving in the same theater mocked their overclaims. The Japanese didn't lose as many planes as the AVG claimed total through accidents, enemy fire, friendly fire and other means as the AVG claimed. Notably the AVG were mercenaries and paid by claimed kills.
Just met Thom this weekend in Kissimmee . Took a flight with "Mac" in one of the T-6 Texans . The very first time that I've ever been in , let alone flown , a single engine plane !
The P40 was overweight and underpowered. Because of these factors it was no match against a Zero or 109. If you have any doubt about my claim than ask a member of the Red Tails.
More difficult to fly than a Hurricane or Spitfire, with high pilot workload & needing a strong left leg in a dive. Slow but good armament. Still effective at lower levels if you knew your opponent's tactics. ... WComd Stocky Edwards.
Not exactly, I doubt a p40 can go passed 375mph at sea level (the mustang on factory, non war settings can hit 375mph on the deck). Not sure about his claim on the climb but I think at sea level the Hawk can get a nice 21m/s while the mustang can get somewhere around 19-21m/s but im not sure, it’s depending if the mustang is on wartime settings or factory. War time would mean around 22+m/s at sea level, and factory settings might be that 19-21m/s. But I highly doubt the kitty hawk out climbs a mustang but a vast margin. If that’s the case the USA would’ve continued making better p40s and never given the stang a chance. I’d like to say the Allison mustangs out performed the p40 in every regard except maybe roller slowed speeds, and instantaneous turn rate. It can even hit 406mph around 3000 meters far exceeding the p 40s (any for that matter) 340-380mph (depending on the variant) at the same alt. It’s all numbers that are free to look at on the internet. Lastly, I do respect pilots but I think sometimes embellishments happen when it comes to people’s favorites.
P-40 roll rate was excellent, but that was all. The P-51A with Allison V-1710-81 did 394 mph at 5,000', 415 mph at 10,000'. The P-40 couldn't touch that.
I'm surprised he made a 3-point landing. Either he has many hours in P-40s and/or it's because the weight is far less than wartime versions. Can the author elaborate?
The American strategy against the Zero was to avoid dogfights at speeds slower 250mph. Above 250mph and @ 15,000ft or lower the P40 was generally superior to the Zero and most comparable models that were released at or near the same time. One of the P40s great advantages from the early years of the war was it's diving ability. It could dive consistently in the 400mph+ range because of its solid design. It was a horrible climber though, so it needed altitude before it could effectively perform. Ironically above 15,000ft its performance died off and it performed poorly compared to most other aircraft of the war. Thus, its air superiority range was against enemy aircraft below 15,000ft and after the P40 was already at altitude. The most successful strategy employed by P40s was to dive from ~15,000 ft and shoot on the way down, then zoom away down before swinging back up out of range, climbing to effective range again, then swooping again. It could also simply outrun most other aircraft on the level at low altitudes.
@@merlball8520 You know your history! You are spot on correct. The Zero's one great strength, due to it's light weight, over American and British aircraft, was it's ability to suddenly pull away from an adversary in a climb. Take care!
In north Africa, allied bombers typically flew at 12,000'. So the 109's had to come off their perch to attack, but typically climbed away from P-40s when they had too many to deal with (which was often the case by mid 1942 and later). The long battles in Malta led to their demise with supply lines cut from Sicily.
I was close friends with a p40 pilot. He was in operation torch. He participated in the palm Sunday massacre. He flew in the black scorpion squadron. In the 57th group. He loved his p40 and always said it kicked Nazis but
65 Ju 52s were returning to Sicily from Tunisia at low level, which were escorted by 15 Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and 7./JG 53 and 4 Bf 110s and Me 210s destroyers of ZG 1 and ZG 26. The 57th had Merlin P-40Fs that had better performance than Allison versions. They also had Spitfires providing top cover while P-40s took out the transport aircraft. Lots over over-claiming occurred.
I love this aircraft.. so beautiful and thank you for sharing! So I'm working class and only make $110K a year. At 62 I've always been an optimist and have had my pilot license for 30 years.. but I know flying a Curtiss P40 Warhawk most likely will never happen.. frankly financially I can't afford it. :)
His name was George paxton He actually took a few bullets from Japanese zero And immediately put the plane in a dive He said he had trouble pulling it out Of the dive but he managed to land in china And he did he did survive
Man . . .Thom Richard reminds me soooo much of Scott Stevens the former NJ Devils Hall of Fame defenseman . . .except Scott Stevens prefers the Spitfire (just kidding)
My first model was a P-40 that I built with my dad. Took 3rd place at the county fair that year. I'm no expert but was wondering if a Merlin engine had ever been used in a P-40. If so can anyone direct me to some info on how it performed?
I´ve read it was used in some of the P-40s and the planes did have better performance but still not up to the speed of most of the later allied fighter planes. Haven´t got that book anymore but it was a very indepth book about Australia´s three main fighter planes of world war two, the Kittyhawks or warhawks, spitfire and mustang , lots of written accounts from the pilots and their commanders. Cannot remember the title of this book or who published it.
Found that book if your interested on web sight, regimental-books.com.au Titled, spitfire, mustang and kittyhawk in Australian service, by Stewart Wilson. Fairly certain it was this book that mentioned about the merlin engines in the kittyhawks although i did have a few books on fighter planes of world war two and cannot be 100% certain but otherwise its a great read about the plane that saved our arses, why the spitfire wasn´t that great of a success down here and in the end why we chose the mustang and got the license to build them.
The P-40F and L models used a Packard Merlin, but it was a single stage supercharger, so it still lacked the high altitude performance most people associate with the two-stage Merlins in the Spitfires and Mustangs. They were a bit better performers at altitude than the Allison P-40s. Easy to spot them - they don't have the carb air intake on top of the cowling, since they used updraft, not downdraft, carburetors, leaving them with a smooth-topped nose profile I always kind of liked.
@@jimmahon3417 Thanks Jim. I've done a little more research on the P-40 and saw that about the L version. I had no idea that Curtis totally redesigned the P-40 on the N version. It's basically a completely different plane with a longer tail, redesigned wings and an extended cockpit
Hi Josh........the Merlin (1300hp) was indeed the engine in the F model P40.........Much better at higher (20 000ft plus) altitude but rougher and less smooth than the Allison........
When he said that he lives in the greatest country in the world I stopped watching it. Incredibly short mind or just pretending to look better. Either way I'm not interrested.
Flying a P-40 is on my bucket list. It's the reason I started flying. IMHO the best looking WWII fighter. I have a painting of one in my livingroom.
Me too, PIC for the first time in 29 years!
that's pretty cool!
It's been a dream of mine to fly either the Bf-109, F4U corsair or P-40 warhawk, gonna try out for my PPL when the time is right.
It’s my goal to become a pilot because of this plane and if I ever get enough money, you know what I’m buying
That's a lofty goal, but I hope you do get the chance to fly a 40.
When I was a kid, I watched Baa Baa Blacksheep. I went to a Woolworth's to but a Corsair model, but they didn't have one, so I bought the P-40E with the shark's mouth as my first model. So I am right with you, brother. Still have a model in my office. Love that plane.
1:33
Agreed. With it's ferocious maw, sculpted tips and lofty nose, the P-40 is the sexiest airplane ever !
As a kid, I too had a Revell 1/32 scale polystyrene plastic kit dressed up in the Chinese mercenary livery of Claire Lee Chennault's Flying Tigers and also read Al Avery's novel "A Yankee Flier in the Far East." They surely captured the imagination of young dreamers !!
Started my private pilot training there, was always so cool to see these planes just sitting around the hangar like parked cars in the garage! Thom is also a very cool guy.
I really love the P40 Warhawk. I don't understand why they don't get the love and respect they deserve . One of the best early war fighters of WW2.
Everyone gets excited over the Mustangs and Camaros. Not much love is saved for the lowly (but reliable) Chevys and Dodges.
agree 100% Garrison..............but of course the media and PR of the times required more of a dandy centerfold like the P51..........the spoils of war really - like the Spitfire overshadowing the Hurricane in the UK.........meanwhile it was the Hurricane - like the P40 - which carried the fight against all odds for the first 3 years of the conflict and in far more more theatres......
LOL, love and respect? Read up on some history and you'll understand why.
I've always loved the P-40. Like the 57 Chev,y or the Fender Stratocaster, it's a masterpiece of beauty and function.
My uncle was KIA in a P40. I would love to ride in one.
My Uncle was shot down in one. Taken prisoner of war and survived. Love to fly in one.
@@Glyder1959 Where was he shot down?
As one general said the plane was damned by words but flown to glory.
The late great Jeff Ethel stated that the Mustang controls felt like they were stuck in concrete compared to the P-40!
Really? I thought the Mustang was more maneuverable.
Ben Jackson - you must not have watched the video. The P-51 outperforms the P-40 above 10k feet and/or above 250mph IAS. Below those two numbers the P-40 handles better
Actually I did
correct.
This plane with the merlin engine, easily the best fighter in the war. At low levels below 20k feet, it was.
What about the P-51, or the P-47?
Curtiss experimented with the Merlin in the P-40 and it didn’t change the basic equation: without a two stage supercharger the P-40 just didn’t have the altitude capability to be a top tier fighter during WW2. That was also the problem for the P-38 and the P-39 (although both had other issues to work out). The Allison engine was a good motor (probably as good as the merlin and more reliable) but without an adequate blower it wasn’t as capable.
A p51a or fw190a would argue but... it was and is a superb plane!
they were actually better than the zero at lower levels. However, the problem they had was that at the beginning, the zero pilots were way more experienced veterans than their american counter parts.
@@firefalcon100 WRONG !! They were better than the Zero at Higher Levels ! At Higher levels they could out turn a Zeke aka Zero were faster and could dive way faster !
Was obsolete going into war but with right pilot and tactics could hold it's own throughout the war.
Army Air Corp, Navy and Marines all volunteered for the Flying Tigers.🇺🇸
P-40 is my airplane, first model build and the reason I learned to fly also other than seeing it in the american classic movie 1941
My grandfather flew one in the Italy theater, belly landed one on a beach in Sicily. I would love to fly in one! Hold on to your lunch!
The best looking and handling all purpose fighter of ww 2.
My great grandfather flew one of these in the Flying Tigers, later becoming a commander, so this is super cool to see
Florida is a long way from Alaska but a ride in one would be awesome- My father flew P-40's in China in WW2. He , later in the war, flew P-51s, but his true love and most of his missions were in the P-40
My father served in the Chinese Nationalist Army bringing downed Flying Tigers out from Japanese lines.
Back in my grade-school days, early 1960s, I'd bring home books about airplanes from the local library. The typical blurb about the P-40 was "obsolete before the war began - no match for a Zero." My Navy dad would laugh. He'd been Helldiver radioman, but he worked at numerous air stations and often serviced Army planes. His take? "The P-40 was a GREAT plane - and we were lucky to have it. In the hands of capable pilots it was more than a match for any contemporary adversary. I NEVER talked to any P-40 pilot who feared taking his mount against any enemy plane. The great thing about the P-40s was - they were always ready to go, unlike maintenance-intensive hangar queens like Lightnings...."
In the last several years of his life, we'd sometimes sit and watch those cable TV aviation shows - and found that apparently the world had come around to HIS way of thinking about the Warhawk. He got a kick outa' that!
you said, "more than a match for any contemporary adversary.?" No, not the Luftwaffe fighters.
P40s are relatively average size for a fighter of the late 1930s-1940s. And almost everyone who flew them then and now all say it's a delight to fly. Someone should build replicas at 1:1 scale.
Was fortunate to get a ride in both a P-40 and a P-51. The P-51 is a real Cadillac of the air. The P-40 was like a '32 Ford hot rod; not as practical, but heaps more fun!
I’m getting older and as a kid the P40 Warhawk was my absolute favorite .
Just once before I pass I would have loved to fly in that plane !
It’s a classic. I’m building a 3/4 scale replica. I need to go take a ride in this one for inspiration for sure.
Lot of great looking planes from that era but this is my favorite. That air intake makes me moist.
It's nice to think that the AVG was better than the Japanese, but the AVG severely overclaimed their kill rate. Even the British serving in the same theater mocked their overclaims. The Japanese didn't lose as many planes as the AVG claimed total through accidents, enemy fire, friendly fire and other means as the AVG claimed. Notably the AVG were mercenaries and paid by claimed kills.
Lol ( I wake up jealous of myself )
This is a later variant of the P-40, the "N" if I am not mistaken. The Flying Tigers used "C"'s.
AVG also got some Es before they were disbanded
spot on dear Sir.........this one was designated TP40N........or Kittyhawk 4 to the Commonwealth forces
3:04 how did you get a nice shot of the warhawk?
Just met Thom this weekend in Kissimmee . Took a flight with "Mac" in one of the T-6 Texans . The very first time that I've ever been in , let alone flown , a single engine plane !
It has always been my favorite airplane. I'm glad to see it's stock raising in recent years.
Due to video kids and model builders, not combat pilots.
My favorite plane of all time. Baa Baa Black Sheep
I built about a dozen model P-40s. Every time I finished one, my brother would find it and break it apart. Loved that kid.
Spectacular air-to-air shots.
The P40 was overweight and underpowered. Because of these factors it was no match against a Zero or 109. If you have any doubt about my claim than ask a member of the Red Tails.
More difficult to fly than a Hurricane or Spitfire, with high pilot workload & needing a strong left leg in a dive. Slow but good armament. Still effective at lower levels if you knew your opponent's tactics. ... WComd Stocky Edwards.
"Wicked"... The P40 out classes a P51 below 10,000 ft. Didn't know that. A very good subject next time I speak to my old man. Lol
Not exactly, I doubt a p40 can go passed 375mph at sea level (the mustang on factory, non war settings can hit 375mph on the deck).
Not sure about his claim on the climb but I think at sea level the Hawk can get a nice 21m/s while the mustang can get somewhere around 19-21m/s but im not sure, it’s depending if the mustang is on wartime settings or factory. War time would mean around 22+m/s at sea level, and factory settings might be that 19-21m/s. But I highly doubt the kitty hawk out climbs a mustang but a vast margin. If that’s the case the USA would’ve continued making better p40s and never given the stang a chance.
I’d like to say the Allison mustangs out performed the p40 in every regard except maybe roller slowed speeds, and instantaneous turn rate. It can even hit 406mph around 3000 meters far exceeding the p 40s (any for that matter) 340-380mph (depending on the variant) at the same alt. It’s all numbers that are free to look at on the internet.
Lastly, I do respect pilots but I think sometimes embellishments happen when it comes to people’s favorites.
P-40 roll rate was excellent, but that was all. The P-51A with Allison V-1710-81 did 394 mph at 5,000', 415 mph at 10,000'. The P-40 couldn't touch that.
This was the First Control Line model I ever built. Its a beautiful looking plane !
Nothing says WWII like the Curtis P-40 with the Supermarine Spitfire close behind.
I'm surprised he made a 3-point landing. Either he has many hours in P-40s and/or it's because the weight is far less than wartime versions. Can the author elaborate?
There was a downed P-40 in the Egyptian desert not disturbed in some seventy years.
Dash Still looking almost like new.
I get that the P-40 was better below 10,000 than the mustang. Love them both, but how often were dogs fights below that altitude?
Against the Japanese quite often. In Europe, none. North Africa and Mediterranean, quite regularly.
The American strategy against the Zero was to avoid dogfights at speeds slower 250mph. Above 250mph and @ 15,000ft or lower the P40 was generally superior to the Zero and most comparable models that were released at or near the same time. One of the P40s great advantages from the early years of the war was it's diving ability. It could dive consistently in the 400mph+ range because of its solid design. It was a horrible climber though, so it needed altitude before it could effectively perform. Ironically above 15,000ft its performance died off and it performed poorly compared to most other aircraft of the war. Thus, its air superiority range was against enemy aircraft below 15,000ft and after the P40 was already at altitude.
The most successful strategy employed by P40s was to dive from ~15,000 ft and shoot on the way down, then zoom away down before swinging back up out of range, climbing to effective range again, then swooping again.
It could also simply outrun most other aircraft on the level at low altitudes.
@@merlball8520 You know your history! You are spot on correct. The Zero's one great strength, due to it's light weight, over American and British aircraft, was it's ability to suddenly pull away from an adversary in a climb. Take care!
In north Africa, allied bombers typically flew at 12,000'. So the 109's had to come off their perch to attack, but typically climbed away from P-40s when they had too many to deal with (which was often the case by mid 1942 and later). The long battles in Malta led to their demise with supply lines cut from Sicily.
great camera work! Gorgeous! .... nice plane too. :-)
In the flight sim Battle of Stalingrad il2 this plane is a nightmare . Thanks for enlightening me that as I thought it should be very nimble .
Every American kid's favorite plastic model.
Let's go Brandon.
Beautiful, mean-looking airplane
I love the P40, she's a good looking bird.
No other WW2 fighter plane looked as good with the, sharks 🦈 mouth 💖🆒👍
I would love to fly one.
Welch and Taylor were my first hero pilots.
Coolest looking plane ever with the shark mouth.
I was close friends with a p40 pilot. He was in operation torch. He participated in the palm Sunday massacre. He flew in the black scorpion squadron. In the 57th group. He loved his p40 and always said it kicked Nazis but
65 Ju 52s were returning to Sicily from Tunisia at low level, which were escorted by 15 Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and 7./JG 53 and 4 Bf 110s and Me 210s destroyers of ZG 1 and ZG 26.
The 57th had Merlin P-40Fs that had better performance than Allison versions. They also had Spitfires providing top cover while P-40s took out the transport aircraft. Lots over over-claiming occurred.
I love this aircraft.. so beautiful and thank you for sharing! So I'm working class and only make $110K a year. At 62 I've always been an optimist and have had my pilot license for 30 years.. but I know flying a Curtiss P40 Warhawk most likely will never happen.. frankly financially I can't afford it. :)
My grandfather flew with the flying Tugers
My father picked them up after they were shot down from behind the Japanese lines.
His name was George paxton He actually took a few bullets from Japanese zero And immediately put the plane in a dive He said he had trouble pulling it out Of the dive but he managed to land in china And he did he did survive
Check out Jeff Ethells P-40 video
Man . . .Thom Richard reminds me soooo much of Scott Stevens the former NJ Devils Hall of Fame defenseman . . .except Scott Stevens prefers the Spitfire (just kidding)
My Favorite Allied fighter of WWII (though there are many that I love). For the Axis IMO the Fiat G55 Centauro.
Was and still is my favorite
It was my favorite airplane as a child and still is today, just beautiful with such great lines!
This is Sky Captain; I'm on my way.
My first model was a P-40 that I built with my dad. Took 3rd place at the county fair that year. I'm no expert but was wondering if a Merlin engine had ever been used in a P-40. If so can anyone direct me to some info on how it performed?
I´ve read it was used in some of the P-40s and the planes did have better performance but still not up to the speed of most of the later allied fighter planes. Haven´t got that book anymore but it was a very indepth book about Australia´s three main fighter planes of world war two, the Kittyhawks or warhawks, spitfire and mustang , lots of written accounts from the pilots and their commanders. Cannot remember the title of this book or who published it.
Found that book if your interested on web sight, regimental-books.com.au
Titled, spitfire, mustang and kittyhawk in Australian service, by Stewart Wilson. Fairly certain it was this book that mentioned about the merlin engines in the kittyhawks although i did have a few books on fighter planes of world war two and cannot be 100% certain but otherwise its a great read about the plane that saved our arses, why the spitfire wasn´t that great of a success down here and in the end why we chose the mustang and got the license to build them.
The P-40F and L models used a Packard Merlin, but it was a single stage supercharger, so it still lacked the high altitude performance most people associate with the two-stage Merlins in the Spitfires and Mustangs. They were a bit better performers at altitude than the Allison P-40s. Easy to spot them - they don't have the carb air intake on top of the cowling, since they used updraft, not downdraft, carburetors, leaving them with a smooth-topped nose profile I always kind of liked.
@@jimmahon3417 Thanks Jim. I've done a little more research on the P-40 and saw that about the L version. I had no idea that Curtis totally redesigned the P-40 on the N version. It's basically a completely different plane with a longer tail, redesigned wings and an extended cockpit
Hi Josh........the Merlin (1300hp) was indeed the engine in the F model P40.........Much better at higher (20 000ft plus) altitude but rougher and less smooth than the Allison........
Am gonna get the COBI p-40. it’s pretty cool!
Who thumbs this down? The trolls are out today.
Mustang fans after hearing what he said
The AVG was composed of USN & USMC pilots as well as USAAC.
"Pappy" Boyingtin.
@@Caseytify Among others, yes.
Beautiness that flies
Wow, what beautiful shots!
This guy reminds me of ray liotta
Hey Barry! Great to see you!
fly them around my house more often pls
That...would be a dream come true.
what a fantastic shoot air to air!!!
Does Yancey Allison service your engine?
What a plane, absolute beauty.
MAGNIFICENT VIDEO!!!!!!!!❤️
2:27!
When he said that he lives in the greatest country in the world I stopped watching it. Incredibly short mind or just pretending to look better. Either way I'm not interrested.
Agreed, that was so emetic.
That is a TP 40
Ik
BF-109 better.
Depends. In the hands of an experten yes, but it's not an easy plane to fly.
Murica!!