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Bell P-39 Airacobra facts for kids

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P-39 Airacobra
P-39N Airacobra of the 357th Fighter Group at Hamilton Field in July 1943.jpg
P-39Q 42-1947, "Saga Boy II" of Lt. Col. Edwin S. Chickering, CO 357th Fighter Group, July 1943
Role Fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Bell Aircraft
First flight 6 April 1938
Introduction 1941
Status Retired
Primary users United States Army Air Forces
Soviet Air Force
Royal Air Force
Produced 1940 – May 1944
Number built 9,588
Unit cost US$50,666 (1944)
Variants Bell XFL Airabonita
Bell P-63 Kingcobra

The P-39 Airacobra was a special fighter aircraft made by a company called Bell Aircraft. It first flew in 1939 and was used in battles starting in 1941. This plane had really strong weapons, but it was also known for being a bit tricky to fly and could sometimes lose control easily.

The Airacobra was fast, but it didn't fly very well high up in the sky, especially above 5,000 meters (about 15,000 feet). This was because it didn't have a special engine part called a turbocharger that helps planes fly higher.

The Soviet Union used the P-39 a lot during World War II. They used it to stop enemy planes, especially in battles that happened closer to the ground. Near the ground, the Airacobra was super easy to turn and could even outmaneuver German planes! Russian pilots really liked this plane. They often took off the guns from the wings to make it even lighter and easier to turn. Many Soviet pilots became fighter aces (pilots who shot down many enemy planes) while flying the P-39.

The main weapon of the P-39 was a powerful 37 mm cannon. This cannon was so strong that it could often destroy an enemy airplane with just one hit!

Two famous Soviet pilots, Grigori Rechkalov and Aleksandr Pokryshkin, were incredibly successful with the Airacobra. Grigori Rechkalov shot down 57 German planes while flying the Airacobra. His friend, Aleksandr Pokryshkin, had 59 victories in total, and 47 of those were with the Airacobra.

The P-39 was quite different from most other planes in World War II. It had a "tricycle" landing gear, which means it had a wheel at the front and two wheels under the wings, like a tricycle. Most other planes at the time had two main wheels and a small wheel at the back. Also, its doors opened like a car door, which was unusual for a fighter plane. Pilots usually had to climb out of the top of other fighters. Another unique thing was that its engine was placed behind the pilot, not in front.

The "Q" version of the P-39 could fly at 375 miles per hour (600 km/h). It was armed with four 12.7mm machine guns and that powerful 37mm cannon.

Images for kids

  • Bell XP-39

    Bell XP-39 showing the position of the supercharger air intake

  • Bell P-39 Airacobra center fuselage detail

    Bell P-39 Airacobra center fuselage detail with maintenance panels open

  • Bell P-39K-L internal

    Bell P-39K-L internal layout from Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions P-39K-1 and P-39L-1 (T.O. No. 01-110FG-1)

  • P-39Q Airacobra weapons bay

    The weapons bay of the P-39

  • Bell P-39 Airacobra in flight firing all weapons at night

    Bell P-39 Airacobra firing all weapons at night

  • Bell P-39Q

    Bell P-39Q

  • Airacobra 601 Sqn

    601 Squadron Airacobra I. The long-barrelled 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon Hispano is clearly shown, as are the .303 wing guns.

  • 72nd Tactical Recon Group P-39

    72nd Tactical Recon Group P-39, c. 1942

  • P-400 in Pacific

    USAAF P-400 of 80th Fighter Squadron "Headhunters," 8th Fighter Group

  • P-39 Airacobra 2006-06-15

    Soviet P-39Q formerly 44-2664 on display at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland

  • Postwar P-39

    Former USAAF flown post-war by the Commemorative Air Force in Soviet markings, c. 1990s

  • Airacobra I RAAF in 1942

    A RAAF P-39 Airacobra on loan from the U.S. Fifth Airforce and came to Australia in April 1942 to train RAAF pilots. It was damaged on 10 February 1943 and written off on 1 April 1944. Note the US star on the wing.

  • Italian P-39N 1944

    Bell P-39N-1 supplied by the U.S. Army Air Force to the Italian Regia Aeronautica's (Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force) 4th Stormo in the summer of 1944

  • P-39 Airacobra racer

    Mira Slovak's P-39Q "Mr. Mennen"

  • P-39 1

    P-39C-BE assigned to the 40th PS / 31st PG at Selfridge Field

  • P39 Nome Alaska LOC fsa 8e02409

    P-39L-1BE 44-4673 Lend-Lease to USSR

  • P-39Q Cepinoga

    Bell P-39Q Airacobra of the 508th Fighter Air Regiment of the Soviet Air Force, Autumn 1944

  • P-39Q Airacobra

    P-39Q-6BE Brooklyn Bum 2nd 71st TRG, 82nd FS The Fighter Collection

  • Air Zoo December 2019 015 (Bell P-39Q Airacobra)

    P-39Q on display at the Air Zoo

  • P-39Q Airacobra

    P-39Q at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This winter diorama shows ground crew with a Type F-1A Utility Heater in front of an Airacobra flown by Lt. L. Spoonts of the 57th FS based on Adak Island during the Aleutians Campaign in 1942.

See also

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