Bell P-63A Kingcobra
V.2 corrects landing light on during day and missing canopy texture
Bell designed the P-63 with the intention of improving the high altitude performance failure of the P-39 Airacobra. Although similar looking, the P-63 was a totally new aircraft; being larger with a laminer flow wing, supercharging,etc. Despite its improvements, the P-63 never lived up to the level of the P-51, Corsair, or other late-war front line fighters. The P-63 never saw combat in USAAF squadrons. Some 76% of the 3300 planes went to the Soviet Union, where their service record is largely unknown. Another 300 planes went to the Free French squadrons, seeing Viet Nam action.
Production deliveries of the P-63A began in October of 1943, and by December of 1944 1725 P-63As had been produced. The USAAF never saw fit to use the Kingcobra for operational combat missions, since by that time in the war the need for a high altitude fighter was met by the P-38 and P-51, and low-altitude close-support fighter aircraft was more than adequately filled by such aircraft as the P-47 Thunderbolt. Regardless, P-63As did serve for a few months with the 31st, 444th, and 445th Squadrons while they were based Stateside.
Credits
Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, VC, paint textures, 2D panel.
ACWai contributed the landing gear designs.
Shessi: Pilot figure
Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture
Gauges: AliCat, ACWai, Microsoft, and others unknown
714/257th 1% Aircraft: aircraft.cfg, air file, and .dp
V.2 corrects landing light on during day and missing canopy texture
Bell designed the P-63 with the intention of improving the high altitude performance failure of the P-39 Airacobra. Although similar looking, the P-63 was a totally new aircraft; being larger with a laminer flow wing, supercharging,etc. Despite its improvements, the P-63 never lived up to the level of the P-51, Corsair, or other late-war front line fighters. The P-63 never saw combat in USAAF squadrons. Some 76% of the 3300 planes went to the Soviet Union, where their service record is largely unknown. Another 300 planes went to the Free French squadrons, seeing Viet Nam action.
Production deliveries of the P-63A began in October of 1943, and by December of 1944 1725 P-63As had been produced. The USAAF never saw fit to use the Kingcobra for operational combat missions, since by that time in the war the need for a high altitude fighter was met by the P-38 and P-51, and low-altitude close-support fighter aircraft was more than adequately filled by such aircraft as the P-47 Thunderbolt. Regardless, P-63As did serve for a few months with the 31st, 444th, and 445th Squadrons while they were based Stateside.
Credits
Captain Kurt: Aircraft model, drop tank, VC, paint textures, 2D panel.
ACWai contributed the landing gear designs.
Shessi: Pilot figure
Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture
Gauges: AliCat, ACWai, Microsoft, and others unknown
714/257th 1% Aircraft: aircraft.cfg, air file, and .dp
