Warbirds Diving Performance Comparison Chart

The Warbirds Diving Performance Comparison Charts compare the diving abilities between the Warbirds' planes.

The methodology used was: Load each plane with 10 minutes worth of fuel. Attain 200mph at 15,000ft. Go to full WEP, and dive at 60-70 degrees dive, pulling out at 10,000ft, to level flight. Record maximum speed attained. After 30 seconds of level flight record current speed. After 60 seconds of level flight record speed. Repeat for 15,000ft to 5,000ft dive, 10,000ft to 5,000ft dive, 10,000ft to 1,000 ft dive, and 5,000ft to 1,000ft dive.

This setup shows us three important details. The first is how fast a plane dives. A faster diving plane will appear to pull away at higher speeds. Note that in Warbirds, due to net lag, the plane you are following may be pulling away, but you will (falsely) appear to be gaining as you both gain speed. This is one reason why people follow Dora pilots down, since it appears that they might catch the Dora.

The 30 second and 60 second times show two things. First, they show how quickly a plane slows down. Heavier planes tend to slow down at a slower rate, as do lower drag planes. When two planes dive at equal ability, if the plane behind slows down faster than the plane in front, then the one in front will appear to pull away. The reverse will happen if the plane behind slows down slower. Net lag means that if you are following a plane that slows down quicker, you might not notice it as the positional distance of the two planes gets closer to "reality" on each other's FE, and thus the plane you're following gets closer to it's "real" position (and thus would appears pull away even if you're closing).

The 60 second time also shows roughly the sustained speed a plane has. This is an asymptotic limit, but if two planes are different by 10mph after 60 seconds, the faster plane will catch up to the slower plane if behind, or pull away if in front.

Interestingly enough, net lag makes the perceived positions of the planes rather radically different than they would be with no net lag. This is one of the areas where net lag is most prevalent, and why the data below might not reflect what you really see until about 30-60 seconds of level flight.

Note: These charts say nothing about the handling characteristics of the planes in a dive! Some planes (Zero, Ki43, P38F/J, 109) have severe handling problems at high speeds. Some planes (F4U, FW, P38L) handle very well at high speeds.

Note: As reading the WB speed gauges in a 1/2 second glance while trying to control an out-of-trim plane (especially a bad diving plane), the speed readings especially for the maximum speeds can be significantly off. Error is probably in the order of 15mph or more for max speed, 10mph for 30s and 60s times.

Maximum diving speed, by plane

Maximum diving speed for the planes, sorted by speed

Speed after 30 seconds of levelling out, by plane

Speed after 30 seconds of levelling out, sorted by speed

Speed after 60 seconds of levelling out, by plane

Speed after 60 seconds of levelling out, sorted by speed

Graphs:

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