Pinball Wizard
Developed from the P-39 Airacobra in the latter part of WW2, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra was never used by the USAAF in combat, although some were employed for fighter training. The Soviet Union received nearly 2,500 and it also served with the Free French forces.
This P-63E example at the USAF Museum in Dayton is displayed in the unusual colour scheme of an RP-63A, which were known as "pinball" aircraft. Aerial gunnery students fired at these manned target aircraft using 30 cal lead and plastic frangible machine gun bullets which disintegrated harmlessly against the target's external armor plating. Special instruments sent impulses to red lights in the nose of the "pinball" aircraft, causing them to blink when bullets struck the plane. Who'd have thought it?!
Pinball Wizard
Developed from the P-39 Airacobra in the latter part of WW2, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra was never used by the USAAF in combat, although some were employed for fighter training. The Soviet Union received nearly 2,500 and it also served with the Free French forces.
This P-63E example at the USAF Museum in Dayton is displayed in the unusual colour scheme of an RP-63A, which were known as "pinball" aircraft. Aerial gunnery students fired at these manned target aircraft using 30 cal lead and plastic frangible machine gun bullets which disintegrated harmlessly against the target's external armor plating. Special instruments sent impulses to red lights in the nose of the "pinball" aircraft, causing them to blink when bullets struck the plane. Who'd have thought it?!