Pike it is.That long nose makes me think "Greyhound" but that name might work better for a non-floatplane; the name "Pike" (for the fairly vicious freshwater fish, though the fact it's also a name associated with a puissant pole arm is a bonus). It's more of a Northern species, admittedly, but has been found in Oklahoma & Northern Texas so the name might just pass muster (the fact it has a nice blunt ring to it also suits my idea of the Freedom Party's tastes).
One imagines that this airplane is consistently used for behind-the-lines or rough country operations where the South can't be bothered to build a full airbase and therefore uses local water features as an acceptable substitute for a landing strip; these planes probably saw more service against Confederate Coloured or Haitian or Cuban guerrillas than against the United States Army Air Corps.
TL-191: Featherston's Finest - Uniforms, Weapons, and Vehicles of the CSA and Freedom Party
- Thread starter Alterwright
- Start date
Yeah, float-planes wouldn't make very good dog-fighters on the continent. The Yankee planes would chew them up. I'm not familiar with how single engine float-planes were really used, but I imagine they would be used for recon and to support amphibious landings as a ground support aircraft. The Japanese used an A6M Zero variant converted into a float plane and it was used to defend remote locations like Attu and Kiska. The Pike might be used in a similar yet broader role, helping to defend islands and recon certain areas, engaging in ground attack and interceptor roles too.
I can definitely see this plane being useful in the Caribbean, Baja, Great Lakes theaters, basically anywhere with vast expanses of water. The rivers and lakes in the eastern states though? Not so much.
You know you might need to expand on this idea more! You mentioned this "Battle of the Windward Passage" a few times and I'm thinking you have a solid idea for how and when it all goes down. Might need to put it in the "Command" thread if you ever get around to sharing this!
Out-of-date or obsolete planes would have to be given to secondary theaters where the enemy is expected to have little or no air force. I think even the British were still using old biplanes and biplane bombers, mostly stationed in Iraq or other parts of the Middle East. The idea of the Confederates using their older planes in battles over Haiti or the Bahamas is interesting, but perhaps their newer planes might get mixed up aerial scraps too. Would be interesting to see if Haiti even had a significant enough force of biplanes to contest the Confederates.
The last bi-plane vs bi-plane dogfight took place in 1940 between British Gloster Gladiators and Italian Fiat CR-42 Falcos.
Nice! So it is possible to see! Was this engagement during WWII a small dog-fight between two biplanes or are we talking a larger engagement for air superiority? I hardly ever hear about Italian planes being engaged in dogfights so any additional info for that would be helpful!
It was during WWII 1940, I believe the Italians were launching a bombing raid, possibly against Malta and the only fighters the Brits had available were Glosters.
There were quite a few bi-plane dogfights during the Spanish Civil war. The Italians,Germans and the Soviets all sent bi-plane fighters and bombers, it was the last hurrah of bi-plane aircraft.
Heinkel He-51 vs Polikarpov I-15's.
Yup! Thanks for that!
And who's to say the Confederates and Yankees would square off against each other in the Caribbean using biplanes for air superiority. Don't know exactly where and the distances are pretty big, but I suppose if the Yankees have planes in Haiti and the Confederates launch raids from Cuba it could happen!
Would you mind if posted a pic of a Union bi-plane fighter, the BD33-A3 Bobcat's Union rival?
Sure, why not! You can post both the Bobcat and its Union rival, as a comparison. That way we can see the differences and such! I think that would be good.
Curtiss P32 Kestral. an early 1930's design that started out as the Union's main and last bi-plane fighter and was then converted to an airship and a Naval carrier fighter. The Kestral was a fast and nimble plane but was tricky to fly and unforgiving of a novice pilot's mishandling but in the hands of a seasoned pilot was quite deadly.
The Kestral served in the first year of the war and was then officially retired but continue to serve in distant and secondary fronts until it could be replaced with more modern aircraft and it was because of this secondary class status that the Kestral often found itself up against the CSA veteran bi-plane fighter the BD F33 Bobcat which was itself also transferred to duty on front-lines of secondary importance.
Above the Curtiss P32 Kestral and below it its prime adversary the BD F33 Bobcat. The Kestral was faster and could dive like a bat out of hell but the Bobcat had a better rate of climb, was easier to fly and more rugged. Maneuverability was about equal and victory or defeat often was due more to the skill of the individual pilot than the plane's performance.
The pilots of the two warbirds had a healthy respect for each other and it was noted by both sides that there was a lingering practice of chivalry among the aerial opponents who often fought in rough climates and over water. Unlike other fronts, there are no records of pilots who flew these fighters of ever shooting their enemies when taking to their shoots.
The Kestral served in the first year of the war and was then officially retired but continue to serve in distant and secondary fronts until it could be replaced with more modern aircraft and it was because of this secondary class status that the Kestral often found itself up against the CSA veteran bi-plane fighter the BD F33 Bobcat which was itself also transferred to duty on front-lines of secondary importance.
Above the Curtiss P32 Kestral and below it its prime adversary the BD F33 Bobcat. The Kestral was faster and could dive like a bat out of hell but the Bobcat had a better rate of climb, was easier to fly and more rugged. Maneuverability was about equal and victory or defeat often was due more to the skill of the individual pilot than the plane's performance.
The pilots of the two warbirds had a healthy respect for each other and it was noted by both sides that there was a lingering practice of chivalry among the aerial opponents who often fought in rough climates and over water. Unlike other fronts, there are no records of pilots who flew these fighters of ever shooting their enemies when taking to their shoots.
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F44 Raptor introduced in 1944 the Raptor was intended to be able to deal with both the latest Union fighters and heavy bombers. An innovative design with conter-rotating props, a tricycle landing gear and the most firepower to be mounted in a single engine fighter.
It was hoped the Raptor would win air supremacy but the new plane had many teething troubles but when later models with improved fuel injection and other minor fixes were introduced and the plane was serviced by quality ground crews, the Raptor in the hands of veteran pilots, was a foe to be reckoned with. Unfortunately by 1944 competent ground crews and veteran pilots were both a rare commodity.
The Raptor was armed with three 20mm cannons and four 50 cal MG's. Top speed was 460 Mph.
A fun design, started out with a Messerschmitt Me-309 and then added the tail from a P51 Mustang and the counter rotating prop from a Martin Baker Mb5. I basically wanted to make the most bad-ass prop-fighter I could think of but I then I thought this design might have been beyond the Confederates but then decided to make it an allegory to the Me-262, a little too advanced for the Confederate tech of the time, the plane has many teething problems and was a fussy plane to keep in operation and in the end the Raptor was too little, too late.
It was hoped the Raptor would win air supremacy but the new plane had many teething troubles but when later models with improved fuel injection and other minor fixes were introduced and the plane was serviced by quality ground crews, the Raptor in the hands of veteran pilots, was a foe to be reckoned with. Unfortunately by 1944 competent ground crews and veteran pilots were both a rare commodity.
The Raptor was armed with three 20mm cannons and four 50 cal MG's. Top speed was 460 Mph.
A fun design, started out with a Messerschmitt Me-309 and then added the tail from a P51 Mustang and the counter rotating prop from a Martin Baker Mb5. I basically wanted to make the most bad-ass prop-fighter I could think of but I then I thought this design might have been beyond the Confederates but then decided to make it an allegory to the Me-262, a little too advanced for the Confederate tech of the time, the plane has many teething problems and was a fussy plane to keep in operation and in the end the Raptor was too little, too late.
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Cortz, please allow me to compliment you on another excellent design!
I do have the essentials laid out ("Where" "When" "Why") but haven't quite worked out all the details and would greatly appreciate any suggestions on that topic (I've also theorised a major Air War over Detroit, where the Confederates attempt to knock out Motor City and the United States fighting back to keep the Arsenal of Democracy a going concern).
I do have the essentials laid out ("Where" "When" "Why") but haven't quite worked out all the details and would greatly appreciate any suggestions on that topic (I've also theorised a major Air War over Detroit, where the Confederates attempt to knock out Motor City and the United States fighting back to keep the Arsenal of Democracy a going concern).
Thanks, good to know my stuffs appreciated.Cortz, please allow me to compliment you on another excellent design!
I do have the essentials laid out ("Where" "When" "Why") but haven't quite worked out all the details and would greatly appreciate any suggestions on that topic (I've also theorised a major Air War over Detroit, where the Confederates attempt to knock out Motor City and the United States fighting back to keep the Arsenal of Democracy a going concern).
I really like your "Air War over Detroit" idea. If you'd like some aircraft pics for it, just let me know and feel free to use any of the airplanes I've described here.
Getting back to uniforms here for a bit: does anyone here have an opinion on the possible uniforms of the "National Assault Force" and militia? Basically the battalions of the Confederate version of the Volkssturm?
I imagine them to take on a haphazard, disheveled, and ragged appearance, not unlike their predecessors in the War of Secession. For this though - I'm think an appearance closer to that of civilian clothes from the Great Depression and Great War army surplus. Newsboy caps, civilian stenson hats, overalls, those donut looking tent rolls, bolt-action Tredegars, Brodie helmets, basically any look straight out of "Grapes of Wrath" or "O Brother Where Art Thou".
I imagine them to take on a haphazard, disheveled, and ragged appearance, not unlike their predecessors in the War of Secession. For this though - I'm think an appearance closer to that of civilian clothes from the Great Depression and Great War army surplus. Newsboy caps, civilian stenson hats, overalls, those donut looking tent rolls, bolt-action Tredegars, Brodie helmets, basically any look straight out of "Grapes of Wrath" or "O Brother Where Art Thou".
The plane you made you said is a late war design, right? Any ideas for what the primary fighter would be like? What would be the Confederate equivalent to the BF-109, for example?
It is! I'm saying if you have a different idea as to the design of the plane for the "Hound Dog" lol
OH! I guess I could come up with something. BTW what was the Union's primary fighter called? I might as well do both.
Oh! This is a cool design! With a cool name too!
I think the only thing that's really throwing me off is the landing gear at the front, where the engine is. Regardless the two propellers make it look like a futuristic design! And one that's not out of the realm of possibility for the Confederates.
I appreciate the fact that this is a prop plane rather than a straight up jet. That's one thing I think the Confederates wouldn't have the resources or time for, even if they really wanted to make them. The notes about how it was hoped it would change the tide of war in the air is also good. An advanced plane intended for veteran pilots and ground crews given to less than ideal candidates in the hopes of staving off defeat. Very in-character for the Confederates here.
I think this works as a prop plane allegory for the Me-262. The United States may have the resources for jets, but not the Confederates. And the overall design looks very fearsome and intense. Like combining the sleekness of a Mustang with the ruggedness of an Me-109 (309?), and then adding the two props to make really futuristic looking for the time.
Glad you like it. IOTL the US invented the tricycle landing gear and the P39 Aircobra was one of the first planes to have a trike landing gear. Me-309 also had a trike LG.