The Bell P-39 Airacobra originally flew with excellent performance but by the time the
aircraft reached the front lines the Army Air Corp had changed so many features that the
plane was far from what Bell had originally designed. They added weight, removed the
supercharger from the Allison engine that didn’t have the power it claimed. What could
have been and should have been one of the best aircraft of WWII turned out to be much
less. Even with all its flaws they still produced 9,584 P-39s.

The 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group was a Tuskegee Airmen squadron
during WWII. They arrived in Italy in February 1944 and assigned to the 12th Air Force.
The 100th was equipped with P-39s and P-47s and tasked with less demanding roles
such as harbor patrol. In May 1944 they were re-assigned to the 15th Air Force and flew
escort for bombers targeting oil and industrial sites. P-39 “Quanto Costa” (How much is
it?) was flown by 1st Lt. Samuel Curtis. In June 1944 the 100th received P-51s.

Specifications / P-39Q Airacobra

Manufacturer – Bell Aircraft

Role – Fighter

Crew – (1) pilot

First flight – April 6, 1938

Introduced into active duty – 1941

Production time span – 1940/May 1944

Number built – 9,584

Dimensions
Length – 30 ft 2 in   (9.2 m)
Wingspan – 34 ft   (10.4 m)
Height – 12 ft 5 in   (3.8 m)
Wing Area – 213 ft²   (19.8 m²)

Weights
Empty – 5,347 lb   (2,425 kg)
Loaded – 7,379 lb   (3,347 kg)
Max takeoff – 8,400 lb   (3,800 kg)

Performance
Engine – (1) Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp   (895 kw)
Maximum speed – 376 mph   (605 km/h)
Maximum dive speed – 525 mph   (845 km/h)
Range – 1,098 miles   (1,770 km)
Service ceiling – 35,000 ft   (10,700 m)
Rate of climb – 3,750 ft/min   (19 m/s)
Time to 15,000 ft – 4.5 minutes at 160 mph   (260 km/h)

Armament
(1) 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub, ROF 140 rpm with 30 rounds of
HE ammo.

(4) .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns ROF 750 rpm – one gun in each wing and two guns
in the cowl with a ROF of 300 rpm for each.

Ammo – 200 rounds per nose cowl gun, 300 rounds in pods under the wings for each
wing gun.

Up to 500 lb   (230 kg) of external bombs.

P-39Q-21 used the 4-bladed propeller while the P-39Q-30 reverted to the 3-bladed
propeller because the 4-bladed prop worsened directional stability.

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