Flying the P-39 Airacobra

"Flying the P-39" is an Army Air Forces World War II training film intended for new pilots of the Bell P-39 Airacobra. The P-39 bucked several trends of the era -- it had tricycle landing gear, which was very unusual for fighters of the early 1940s, and its Allison engine was located behind the pilot, with a segmented drive shaft carrying power to a gearbox in the nose of the fighter. The nose, free of an engine installation, had room for a huge 37-millimeter cannon and two .50-caliber machine guns, as well as the retracting nosewheel. This film stands as an historic record of the fighters and training in the Army Air Forces during the war. For interesting close-up footage of the big cannon firing, take a look at this video from Airailimages:    • P-39 Airacobra Guns In Action   Subscribe to the Airailimages Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/airailimage... #P39 #Airailimages