tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234859350538626498.post5064333643639717820..comments2024-02-03T09:29:43.275-08:00Comments on Flashback on glorious planes: The Bloch 157, an exceptional fighter (Revised 26 / 12 / 2019)Drixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13286966270077187785noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234859350538626498.post-53413540492301543862014-09-13T20:08:52.235-07:002014-09-13T20:08:52.235-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234859350538626498.post-22205248647496534512014-09-01T03:06:52.523-07:002014-09-01T03:06:52.523-07:00Thank you for your comment, S O.
But I cannot agr...Thank you for your comment, S O.<br /><br />But I cannot agree with you: The Bloch airframe design was excellent. <br /><br />The engine cowling was very well streamlined, the aircraft used the same thin thickness of the wings of all Block 15x fighters (14.5 % at the root, 8.5% at the extremity), much thinner than most of the actual fighters, but sufficiently tough to accept two 20 mm canons.<br /><br />I agree absolutely with you about the role of high altitude, but, for most of the combats in the West of Europe (were France stay), the fighting altitudes were comprised between 6,000 m (20,000 ft) to 10,000 m (33,000 ft). <br />That was one of the asset of P 51 B and D.<br /><br />The Bloch 157, at full load take off, weighted less than 3,300 kg, some 1200 kg less than the empty weight of the Republic P 47.<br /><br />She needed 1/3 less wing area than this good american fighter, and as France was far closer from Germany than UK, she need 25% less combat radius, thus less fuel, than her (obviously, Marcel Dassault - ex-Marcel Bloch - did not have foreseen the French collapse...).<br /><br /> <br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />Drixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13286966270077187785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234859350538626498.post-23099490417580386232014-08-31T16:07:10.462-07:002014-08-31T16:07:10.462-07:00I think you overstate the quality of the M.B.157 a...I think you overstate the quality of the M.B.157 airframe design. The exceptional performance (if true) was rather rooted in the engine, which provided much power at high altitude. High altitude = less air pressure and density = less drag = faster. The M.B. 157 was likely nothing special at the altitudes most relevant for ground campaigns; 1,000 m to 4,500 m. <br /><br />A proper comparison would be with Spitfire Mk. IX or P-47B. S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.com