fmpfmp wrote:

Yeah, I can do some comments: disregard all that data, they were theory. They were the ones that there were in the manuals since the Air Forces wanted the planes they have ordered to have that performances, but it is not said that they the best ones. If you read "On Boyington's Wing" by Robert McClurg you will discover that the Marines operated the F4U Corsairs with different parameters from the manuals one since it was better so.
If you read THE EMPIRE EXPRESS by Charles L. Scrivner, you will discover that U.S. Navy PV squadrons that operated from the Aleutian casually discovered that going faster that the "best endurance speed" stated by the manuals increased their endurance by several hundred miles. As long as it regards the best speeds of planes you should check with which loads they were obtained. Personally, if I were you, I would look for the Profiles monographs since they were made by serious persons that took in consideration these facts.