Thanks for the tip, vanguard. Yes, I know about that. On the other hand, the wooden Lagg/La airframe gives you one of the very few choices to add an engine at will: Put in an Allison V-1710 and fly a LaGG 3, or add a Curtiss-Wright R 2600 and ride a La 5. It's always good to have a choice in life, isn't it...?
Interestingly enough is that, when comparing the actual figures of several other contemporary fighter planes with the LaGG 3, this argument of the LaGG 3 being too heavy almost completely disappears. Put in a row with Bf 109, Spitfire and Hurricane, it's exactly as heavy or as light as they are.
One thing that is correct, though, is that the LaGG 3 was heavily armed in the first batches and, carried a comparatively big amount of fuel in her days - maybe too much so when being delivered to the soviet fighter units for the first time, which were not accustomed to such bulk and, the respective behaviour, yet - coming from light, nimble Polikarpov I-153 and, I-16, as they were.
I rather suspect that, the Lag-series-fighters were the first MODERN, heavily armed fighters for the red airforce, and their pilots wer not accustomed to their feel and habits yet, when they first got in contact with them.
In the end, the Lagg 3 cannot have been that bad a plane as is so often reported in many sources. Because: You don't change a dog into a racehorse just by swapping the engine. So, the bare substance of the Lagg 3's airframe must have been basically sound, to allow the next-generation La 5 to flex it's muscles to the extend which it finally did.
But that's not important for me, anyway. What counts for me is this: The Lagg/La fighters are among the very few fighter aircraft which were made from wood in WWII, they feature elegant, atractive lines, IN LATER VARIANTS (Emphasis added purposefully!) their behaviour and performance was as good as one can expect from any other fighter of WW II, and they payed a great tribute to saving their country, as well.
And there's one thing not to forget, also: I simply like the looks of those Lagg 3, series 34/35 or later...
So, any advise how to get along some genuine plans of it to rebuild one would still sincerely be most welcome.
Has anybody contact to aircraft-afficionados in Russia...? Could the Commemorative Airforce know of a way to go, perhaps...?
Cheers!
Montanamotor
Last edited by Montanamotor on Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:58 am, edited 3 times in total.
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