Plane: Grumman F6F Hellcat
Weight (Empty/Loaded/Max): 9,238lb / 11,381 lbs / 15,413lb
Wing Area: 334 sq ft
Wing Loading: 27.7 lb/sq ft / 34.1 lb/sq ft / 46.1lb/sq ft
Length: 33' 6"
Span: 42' 10"
Wing Aspect Ratio: 5.5
Engine: 2000hp Pratt and Whitney R2800-10 Radial
Flaps: 2 settings
Visibility:
Control Feel:
Stall Speed 1k (No Flaps/Full Flaps) 95mph/90mph
Guns:
type/ammo | ROF | Duration | WB Punch | Muzzle Velocity | Ammo/Gun | |
Primary: | 2x.50cal Browning MG | 12/s | 33s | 3x.50cal/ping | 2810ft/s | 400 |
Secondary: | 4x.50cal Browning MG | 12/s | 33s | 6x.50cal/ping | 2810ft/s | 400 |
Ordnance:
0: none
1: 6xRockets
2: 2x1000lb bombs
3: 6xRockets+2x500lb bombs
Fuel Time/Percent: 37 seconds/percent
Power/weight (Empty/Loaded/Max): 4.6 lb/hp / 5.7 lb/hp / 7.7 lb/hp
Corner Velocity: 280mph
Durability:Good
WEP time: 5 minutes
Maximum Angle-of-Attack (no flaps/full flaps): 15/14.5 degrees
Wing Incidence Angle (no flaps/full flaps): 4/2.5 degrees
Accleleration:
1,000ft | 5,000ft | 10,000ft | 15,000ft | |
Stall-200mph | 15.5s | 19.4s | 20.4s | 32.8s |
150mph-200mph | 9.8s | 11.8s | 14.4s | 19.3s |
200mph-250mph | 11.8s | 16.8s | 19.7s | 26.2s |
250mph-300mph | 29.0s | 35.0s | - | - |
Climb:
1k-5k: 46s
5k-10k: 73s
10k-15k: 77s
Zoom Climb:
1k 400mph: +5100ft
1k 300mph: +3300ft
Dive:
Max Speed | After 30s | After 60s | |
15,000ft to 10,000ft | 360mph | 325mph | 315mph |
15,000ft to 5,000ft | 480mph | 355mph | 340mph |
10,000ft to 5,000ft | 400mph | 345mph | 335mph |
10,000ft to 1,000ft | 500mph | 380mph | 350mph |
5,000ft to 1,000ft | 395mph | 350mph | 340mph |
Max Speed:
1,000ft | 5,000ft | |
Climbing before levelling | 325mph | 320mph |
Diving before levelling | 335mph | 325mph |
Turn Performance
300mph | 1,000ft | 5,000ft | 10,000ft | 15,000ft |
One 360 | 12.8s | 14.3s | 15.9s | - |
Two 360s | 28.4s | 32.1s | 35.9s | - |
250mph | ||||
One 360 | 13.1s | 14.8s | 16.1s | 17.6s |
Two 360s | 29.3s | 32.9s | 36.0s | 42.3s |
Sustained: | ||||
No Flaps | 17.3s | 18.5s | 21.5s | 24.0s |
Full Flaps | 16.3s | 18.1s | 20.4s | 24.0s |
Best Flap | full | full | full | full |
Best Speed | 110mph | 110mph | 105mph | 105mph |
Corner Speed and Radii (1,000ft):
Speed: 280mph
Radius: 571ft
Sustained Turn Speed: 160mph
Sustained Turn Radius: 646ft
Full Flaps Speed: 125mph
Full Flaps Radius: 475ft
Corner Times | 1,000ft | 5,000ft | 10,000ft | 15,000ft |
180 degrees | 5.7s | 6.3s | 6.8s | 7.4s |
360 degrees | 12.6 | 13.8 | 15.2 | 16.8 |
Roll Rate:
150mph: 6.6s
200mph: 5.5s
250mph: 4.8s
300mph: 4.9s
350mph: 4.9s
400mph: 5.1s
Minimum Full-Flaps Full-Power Split-S altitude:
150mph: 1100ft
200mph: 1100ft
250mph: 1400ft
300mph: 1700ft
Maximum Angle-of-Attack (no flaps/full flaps): 15/14.5 degrees
Wing Incidence Angle (no flaps/full flaps): 4/2.5 degrees
Hoof's Tips And Opinions:
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was developed out of the need to produce a plane that could beat the A6M Zero. The main carrier-based fighter of the period was the F4F Wildcat, which turned worse than the Zero, was slower, and was beaten in virtually every respect except in diving performance. Not so for the F6F. The F6F combined good turning ability that was superior to the Zero above 225mph, good durability, especially against the Japanese Army's primary fighter, the Ki43 (which had only 2 machine guns as firepower), and it's high-speed handling was vastly superior to the Zero (but not as good as the Chance- Vought F4U that came out later). Plus it was significantly faster overall. The Hellcat racked up a 19-1 kill ratio against the Japanese Army and Navy Air forces, and this was in part due to the fact that in air combat, speed, not maneuverability is the biggest asset you can have, especially with regards to survival (just ask a FW190D9 pilot). F6F and F4Us could literally Boom and Zoom Zeros all day long with relatively minimal risk to themselves, and all the Zeros could do is hope for a head-on, or for a inept pilot to slow down to even get a chance to shoot one down (and with the zero's almost nonexistent durability, headons weren't a good idea).
In WB the Hellcat is a good overall plane except for two problems. Roll rate and the nonexistent 6 view. The huge armor plate behind the pilot was great at keeping a Hellcat pilot alive while some Zero or Ki43 was laying it into him from behind, but in WB, where wingmen are few and far between, the Hellcat can be a dangerous ride due to lack of a 6 view. Add to this the relatively poor roll rate, the F6F is very difficult to go defensive in, thus when someone appears on your 6 you usually first find out when pings start to land, and then can't defend effectively due to poor roll.
On the plus side, the F6F can turn with a Spit9, and give a P38 and Spit5 a run for their money. It isn't the fastest plane in the game, and with the horrible 6 view, it is not advised to do a straight/level high-speed extension, especially since that is the favorite target of the unmaneuverable and hard-to-die-in FW 190D9.
Basically to be successful with this plane, stay above the enemy, try not to get going fast until you have to (so you don't lose any E checking 6) and take any gunshot you can take. The gunsight is pretty good by WB standards, and with 33 seconds of fire with those .50 cals, you have lots of bullets to throw at the enemy. Feel free to turn with anything but a Zero, Spit5, or (to some degree) a P38, as you can turn very well in a Hellcat.