Bell AiraCobra
P-39F
Air A Cutie - Pacific
CFS3 - V4.00.169

This aircraft was built by  GregoryP using version 4.00.168 of the AvHistory 1% Assembly Line process, but is truly a community effort.

Corrado was always a great help over the years able to do a quickie aircraft for me to develop flight models. He is the original modeler for this one. My test models were just bare bones. What I found though was there was a bit nore work put into this flight test model.

John BRAVO/4 Whelan did some research and found it was skin-able. I used to fly it with some multi-colored skin. John was able to create a bunch on nice 2048 skins for Corrado's model.

Then Greg Law lent a hand and created a new MOS file for it so it would show damage. And John Whelan created a new damage texture. One super thing Greg Law did was allow us to use normal looking names. Greg Law did really super job fixing the damage capability.

Alessandro Biagi worked some major magic and darkened the cockpit, which greatly improved the external look. He's been able to work this magic on several other aircraft.

Finally, Steve O1 DRIVER Dunn cranked out a nice set of special effects for the lights & exhaust.

This aircraft is a grade B place holder, with a number of known cockpit issues, till the MAW CHapter II full range of AiraCobras are completed.  The cockpit is basic & uses the stock CFS3 lights.

John BRAVO/4 Whelan painted this aircraft in the livery of an AiraCobra flying with 36th FS, 8th FG based on New Guinea in 1942/43.



Certainly one of the flashiest and probably the most suggestive examples of US nose art in WWII. Almost everyone is familiar with its large dual nudes.

It is believed that it was a D, F or maybe a P-400. This opinion was based on four photos (one full side profile and three nose shots) found in "Attack and Conquer". These photos show the transformation of "Airacutie's" markings as well as identification points. The identification points being the long barreled 20 mm cannon, nose wheel with a small hub and 12 stack exhausts.



Probably the most helpful point in its identification, the serial number, is not visible in any of the photos.

However, the only full side profile shows a distinct dark block in the white tail area in the area where the serial number is often seen on RAF allocated P-400/P-39s. This is compounded in the tables in "Attack and Conquer", as there is no mention of a P-400 or P-39 being coded "Q" in the 36th FS.

Several times the book mentions the expediency, ingenuity and expertise of 8th FG ground crews making an airworthy aircraft out of wrecks. This could easily explain the switch from 12 to 6 exhaust stacks as well as any of the other identification points I mention earlier. Therefore, identification of "Airacutie" may be an impossibility. But, it is still one of the most well known examples of US nose art.

The Airacobra P-39F (Bell Model 15B) was almost identical to the P-39D, but had an Aeroproducts constant-speed propeller in place of the original Curtiss-Electric, because the Curtiss-Electric propellers could not be delivered in sufficient quantities. The F also differed externally from the D in having twelve exhaust stacks on each side of the fuselage rather than six.

Initial orders, placed on September 13, 1940 under contract AC 15675, called for 229 aircraft. Serials were 41-7116/7344. 27 Fs were modified in the field to become P-39F-2s with the addition of belly armor and the fitting of cameras to the rear fuselage to suit the aircraft for ground support duties.

There are reports that a single P-39F was experimentally modified as an advanced trainer with a second cockpit ahead of the original one. All armament was removed, and dual controls were fitted. The designation given to this odd-looking aircraft was TP-39F.

The last 25 P-39Fs were fitted with the 1100 hp V-1710-59 engine with automatic boost control and were redesignated P-39J. Serials were 41-7043/7056 and 41-7059/7079. At this stage of the war, the production block system of subdividing model changes was not yet in effect, and relatively minor changes brought about letter changes in the series.

BEAR
http://www.avhistory.org