Certain aircraft are identified with certain individuals, such as the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Baron von Richthofen or the Bell X-l with Colonel Chuck Yeager. Other airplanes are identified with certain battles or wars, such as the Spitfire with the Battle of Britain or the Stuka with Germany's Blitz. But the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and its crews helped, in large part, to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The SBD was slated for replacement with a newer design when WWII broke out in December 1941. Problems with the replacement design and operational mishaps kept the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver out of service much longer than expected, so the seemingly outdated Douglas design soldiered on into the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and until after the close of the war in one role or another. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war, our naval aviators were flying designs mostly from the 1930s, which included the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver. 42 Mom AVUTIOH the Douglas TED Devastator, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Grumman F-4F Wildcat, and an aircraft that came into service in 1940: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The SBD had its roots in a 1936 design by John Northrop and the XBT-1. SBD stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas," although the aircraft is also known by its nickname "slow but deadly." It was one of the first designs to be tested in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) wind tunnel, and changes were recommended to improve the design. At the Battle of Midway 60 years ago, action took place June 4-6 on and around the tiny coral atoll of Midway Islands, northwest of Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to finish off the US fleet, which was still crippled after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor six months earlier. Japan hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the US after winning this battle and keep its newly acquired real estate. With blue skies and eight-foot waves, the carriers turned into the wind and launched their dive-bombers the morning of June 4. The slow aircraft strained as they left the decks of the carriers with their pilots, gunners, and heavy loads of bombs to be delivered to the Japanese carriers and task force. When the US squadrons spotted the Japanese fleet, they began their attack runs. They had to slow the engine rpm. set the flaps and dive brakes, check the target again, then look for fighters one more time. Then it was time to follow the leader over into the 70° dive. Committed at this point, the pilots were hanging in their harnesses with the Japanese aircraft carriers in their sights. The Japanese had brightly painted "meatballs" on their carrier decks. Each US pilot had to hit those man-made targets, pull out of the dive without blacking out, and scoot home. Surely that scene was played out several times during the battle, as pilots found and attacked the enemy. That was a turning point in WW II and a defining moment in US naval history, in which our forces tactically and strategically defeated the task force of the enemy, which had destroyed most of our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway is described in many new history books as one of the 10 defining battles in modern history. The Japanese must have wondered what in the world could have happened to cause such a turn of events. Our armed forces' bravery in the Pacific, superior intelligence, very old torpedo bombers, and a dive-bomber that was scheduled to be replaced helped change the course of history. Loved by its crews and hated by the enemy, anyone can see that the SBD was one of the best dive-bombers in WW II just by examining its operational record. The US Navy, the Army Air Force, and the Marines campaigned the aircraft during the war. After WW II it was campaigned by our allies, which included France. The SBD was responsible for more enemy tonnage sunk than any other aircraft in WW II. It is also credited with shooting down 138 enemy aircraft. The SBD was a low-wing, metal-covered monoplane with retract landing gear. Like other dive-bombers of that era, the cockpit had a second seat facing toward the rear; it had one 30-caliber machine gun at first, then later it had twin 30-caliber machine guns. The SBD had two forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns, which complemented its offensive armament. One of the SBD's unique features was the classic dive brakes. They deflect upward and downward at the trailing edge of the wing during a dive. However, the SBD wasn't the first aircraft to use perforated dive flaps; the Northrop XBT-1 takes that honor. Each flap panel was filled with a series of holes, which helped stabilize the aircraft in a dive. Earlier aircraft that started the dive-bombing craze had problems with the old enemy "flutter." The SBD also had permanent leading-edge slats. These combined with the dive brakes to make for an excellent bombing platform. Oddly enough, though, the SBD didn't have folding wings as did most other naval aircraft in WW II. With the big, thick airfoil and good moments, the SBD made a stable-flying platform for dive-bombing—or Scale models in our case. A special treat awaits modelers and historians at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station; the National Museum of Naval Aviation is approximately two miles into the base. With proper identification and a check of your car, you have full access to the museum. It's clean and well lit for taking photographs. Most of the aircraft are arranged so that you can photograph them from the top, bottom, and sides. The museum has an active research facility, and, unlike the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, it's open and well staffed by volunteers. I found the staff to be most helpful during the week we spent there. The aircraft shown here is an SBD-2 that was rescued from Lake Michigan and restored by the dedicated crew in the museum's expert restoration facility on-base. Of the 5,936 SBD/A-24s built, the museum has 14 of the 25 SBD airframes. This particular SBD-2 was put on display just this year. It was present December 7. 1941, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Kent Walters has compiled more information on the SBD than any other modeler I know. He talked with Ensign George H. Goldsmith—the pilot of the aircraft he modeled (an SBD-3)— before he passed away in 1991, and Dick Best—the commander of Bombing Group 6—who still survives. These pilots were credited with dropping a 1.000-pound bomb on the Kaga and Akagi aircraft carriers. Thanks to Kent for his generous use of the scale views I've included. These aircraft build into great models. Some of the plans sets, such as Jerry Bates design, show detailed plans for construction of the perforated flaps and dive brakes. The cockpit can be demanding, but you can add more details after the model is built and flying, if you like. Making a 70° bombing run would require heavy-duty radio gear on the elevator and flaps. Color schemes vary from the standard US Navy blue with light-gray undersurfaces to the Army Air Force's A-24 version in olive drab. One of the most colorful schemes is that of the SBD-1 version, uli of which were sent to the US Marines. 1M Stan Alexander 3709 Valle\ Ridge Dr. Nashville TN 37211-3831 [email protected] SBD-3 Dauntless specifications: Length: 32 feet, eight inches Height: 13 feet, seven inches Wingspan: 41 feet, six inches Weight empty: 6.345 pounds • Gross weight: 10,400 pounds Engine: 1.000-horsepower Wright R-1820-52 Maximum speed: 250 mph Service ceiling: 27,100 feet Range: 1,345 miles Armament: two fixed forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns; two rear-firing 30-caliber machine guns, 1.200 pounds of ordnance Crew: pilot and rear-facing gunner Sources: Books: SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale. Volume 48, by Bert Kinzey. published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-888974-01-X. Photos, three-views, history, and a vintage color photo section highlight this book. Carrier Air War: In Original WWII Color by Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman, published by MBI Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-87938-9834. Includes 176 pages of color photography of most of the WW II US Navy and Marines aircraft. Includes photos of SBDs on pages 14. 22,34,41,43,48,56,74.79.81,82, 110. 125. and 160. It's a great tabletop book and is good for details such as uniform colors, cockpits etc. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. Vol. 2:1940-1949 by retired US Marine Corps major John M. Elliott, published by Monogram Aviation Publications. Sturbridge MA. This book is Library of Congress card catalog number 86-62376. ISBN 0-914144-32-4. It's an excellent book for WW II US naval aircraft. There are 194 pages and 324 photos, including some of the SBD in color. Color chips are included. Douglas SBD Dauntless by Peter C. Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd.. 1997, Wiltshire SN8, ISBN 1 86126096 2. There are 192 black-and-white photos throughout, no construction drawings, and a wealth of information about the surviving airframes and where they are now. Has development, history, and units. This book is available from Aeroplane Books. 114 Deer Path Rd., Williamsburg VA 23118; Tel.: (800) 447-8890: Web site: www.aeroplanebooks.com. Bill and Barbara Byrd have a good selection of new and used out-of-print books. SBD Dauntless in Action: Aircraft Number 64 by Rob Stem and illustrated by Don Greer, published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-153-9. This book has 49 pages, including line drawings, black-and-white photos, and color side views. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII by Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, published by BMI Publishers, ISBN 0-7603-0959-0. The first publication was in 2001. This book has 128 pages and a chapter dedicated to the SBD, as well as the SB2C Helldiver, the TBO Devastator, the TBF Avenger, and many others which weren't as successful. There are many color photos and some black-and-white photos. This book is available from most of the book catalogs. National Museum of Naval Aviation Aircraft Collection, produced by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, available from the Flightdeck Museum Shop at the Pensacola FL Naval Air Station, or call (800) AIR-NAVY. The price is $12. This new volume contains black-and-white photos and a good collection of color photos. The Douglas SBD is featured on page 19. This is another good, reasonably priced reference guide. (The museum contains several aircraft that are the only examples intact.) Contact the museum through www.naval-air.org/muse um_info/museum_info.asp. Photo Documentation: Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058; Fax: (714) 979-7279. Bob Banka has 10 Foto Paaks for SBD-3, -4, and -5 models, interior and instrument Foto Paaks, and three-views. Scale Plans & Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro NC 27403; Tel./Fax: (336) 292-5239, has three photo packs and three-views. Kits: Diels Engineering, Inc., Box 263, Amherst OH 44001; E-mail: [email protected], has a 20V4-inch-span Free Flight Rubber model kit. Many of the kit-cutting businesses have "wood" kits already cut for the designers who produce the plans. Some also offer fiberglass fuselages. Plans: Jerry Bates Plans, 102 Glenwood St., Mobile AL 36606; Tel.: (334) 478-6720: Web site: www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm. Jerry has two sets of plans for the SBD—'As scale which spans 85 inches and '/s scale which spans 100 inches—multiviews, and documentation. This plan set builds into a nice model. Details on the plans show the flap and dive-brake construction and leading-edge slats. Bob Holman Plans, Box 741. San Bernardino CA 92402; Tel.: (909) 885-3959; Fax: (909) 889-9307; E-mail: [email protected]. Bob has a set of plans for the SBD with a 69-inch wingspan and a 73-inch-span model. Kent Walters has won the Masters several times building models from these modified plans.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 42, 43, 45, 46, 47
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 42, 43, 45, 46, 47
Certain aircraft are identified with certain individuals, such as the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Baron von Richthofen or the Bell X-l with Colonel Chuck Yeager. Other airplanes are identified with certain battles or wars, such as the Spitfire with the Battle of Britain or the Stuka with Germany's Blitz. But the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and its crews helped, in large part, to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The SBD was slated for replacement with a newer design when WWII broke out in December 1941. Problems with the replacement design and operational mishaps kept the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver out of service much longer than expected, so the seemingly outdated Douglas design soldiered on into the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and until after the close of the war in one role or another. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war, our naval aviators were flying designs mostly from the 1930s, which included the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver. 42 Mom AVUTIOH the Douglas TED Devastator, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Grumman F-4F Wildcat, and an aircraft that came into service in 1940: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The SBD had its roots in a 1936 design by John Northrop and the XBT-1. SBD stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas," although the aircraft is also known by its nickname "slow but deadly." It was one of the first designs to be tested in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) wind tunnel, and changes were recommended to improve the design. At the Battle of Midway 60 years ago, action took place June 4-6 on and around the tiny coral atoll of Midway Islands, northwest of Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to finish off the US fleet, which was still crippled after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor six months earlier. Japan hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the US after winning this battle and keep its newly acquired real estate. With blue skies and eight-foot waves, the carriers turned into the wind and launched their dive-bombers the morning of June 4. The slow aircraft strained as they left the decks of the carriers with their pilots, gunners, and heavy loads of bombs to be delivered to the Japanese carriers and task force. When the US squadrons spotted the Japanese fleet, they began their attack runs. They had to slow the engine rpm. set the flaps and dive brakes, check the target again, then look for fighters one more time. Then it was time to follow the leader over into the 70° dive. Committed at this point, the pilots were hanging in their harnesses with the Japanese aircraft carriers in their sights. The Japanese had brightly painted "meatballs" on their carrier decks. Each US pilot had to hit those man-made targets, pull out of the dive without blacking out, and scoot home. Surely that scene was played out several times during the battle, as pilots found and attacked the enemy. That was a turning point in WW II and a defining moment in US naval history, in which our forces tactically and strategically defeated the task force of the enemy, which had destroyed most of our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway is described in many new history books as one of the 10 defining battles in modern history. The Japanese must have wondered what in the world could have happened to cause such a turn of events. Our armed forces' bravery in the Pacific, superior intelligence, very old torpedo bombers, and a dive-bomber that was scheduled to be replaced helped change the course of history. Loved by its crews and hated by the enemy, anyone can see that the SBD was one of the best dive-bombers in WW II just by examining its operational record. The US Navy, the Army Air Force, and the Marines campaigned the aircraft during the war. After WW II it was campaigned by our allies, which included France. The SBD was responsible for more enemy tonnage sunk than any other aircraft in WW II. It is also credited with shooting down 138 enemy aircraft. The SBD was a low-wing, metal-covered monoplane with retract landing gear. Like other dive-bombers of that era, the cockpit had a second seat facing toward the rear; it had one 30-caliber machine gun at first, then later it had twin 30-caliber machine guns. The SBD had two forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns, which complemented its offensive armament. One of the SBD's unique features was the classic dive brakes. They deflect upward and downward at the trailing edge of the wing during a dive. However, the SBD wasn't the first aircraft to use perforated dive flaps; the Northrop XBT-1 takes that honor. Each flap panel was filled with a series of holes, which helped stabilize the aircraft in a dive. Earlier aircraft that started the dive-bombing craze had problems with the old enemy "flutter." The SBD also had permanent leading-edge slats. These combined with the dive brakes to make for an excellent bombing platform. Oddly enough, though, the SBD didn't have folding wings as did most other naval aircraft in WW II. With the big, thick airfoil and good moments, the SBD made a stable-flying platform for dive-bombing—or Scale models in our case. A special treat awaits modelers and historians at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station; the National Museum of Naval Aviation is approximately two miles into the base. With proper identification and a check of your car, you have full access to the museum. It's clean and well lit for taking photographs. Most of the aircraft are arranged so that you can photograph them from the top, bottom, and sides. The museum has an active research facility, and, unlike the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, it's open and well staffed by volunteers. I found the staff to be most helpful during the week we spent there. The aircraft shown here is an SBD-2 that was rescued from Lake Michigan and restored by the dedicated crew in the museum's expert restoration facility on-base. Of the 5,936 SBD/A-24s built, the museum has 14 of the 25 SBD airframes. This particular SBD-2 was put on display just this year. It was present December 7. 1941, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Kent Walters has compiled more information on the SBD than any other modeler I know. He talked with Ensign George H. Goldsmith—the pilot of the aircraft he modeled (an SBD-3)— before he passed away in 1991, and Dick Best—the commander of Bombing Group 6—who still survives. These pilots were credited with dropping a 1.000-pound bomb on the Kaga and Akagi aircraft carriers. Thanks to Kent for his generous use of the scale views I've included. These aircraft build into great models. Some of the plans sets, such as Jerry Bates design, show detailed plans for construction of the perforated flaps and dive brakes. The cockpit can be demanding, but you can add more details after the model is built and flying, if you like. Making a 70° bombing run would require heavy-duty radio gear on the elevator and flaps. Color schemes vary from the standard US Navy blue with light-gray undersurfaces to the Army Air Force's A-24 version in olive drab. One of the most colorful schemes is that of the SBD-1 version, uli of which were sent to the US Marines. 1M Stan Alexander 3709 Valle\ Ridge Dr. Nashville TN 37211-3831 [email protected] SBD-3 Dauntless specifications: Length: 32 feet, eight inches Height: 13 feet, seven inches Wingspan: 41 feet, six inches Weight empty: 6.345 pounds • Gross weight: 10,400 pounds Engine: 1.000-horsepower Wright R-1820-52 Maximum speed: 250 mph Service ceiling: 27,100 feet Range: 1,345 miles Armament: two fixed forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns; two rear-firing 30-caliber machine guns, 1.200 pounds of ordnance Crew: pilot and rear-facing gunner Sources: Books: SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale. Volume 48, by Bert Kinzey. published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-888974-01-X. Photos, three-views, history, and a vintage color photo section highlight this book. Carrier Air War: In Original WWII Color by Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman, published by MBI Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-87938-9834. Includes 176 pages of color photography of most of the WW II US Navy and Marines aircraft. Includes photos of SBDs on pages 14. 22,34,41,43,48,56,74.79.81,82, 110. 125. and 160. It's a great tabletop book and is good for details such as uniform colors, cockpits etc. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. Vol. 2:1940-1949 by retired US Marine Corps major John M. Elliott, published by Monogram Aviation Publications. Sturbridge MA. This book is Library of Congress card catalog number 86-62376. ISBN 0-914144-32-4. It's an excellent book for WW II US naval aircraft. There are 194 pages and 324 photos, including some of the SBD in color. Color chips are included. Douglas SBD Dauntless by Peter C. Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd.. 1997, Wiltshire SN8, ISBN 1 86126096 2. There are 192 black-and-white photos throughout, no construction drawings, and a wealth of information about the surviving airframes and where they are now. Has development, history, and units. This book is available from Aeroplane Books. 114 Deer Path Rd., Williamsburg VA 23118; Tel.: (800) 447-8890: Web site: www.aeroplanebooks.com. Bill and Barbara Byrd have a good selection of new and used out-of-print books. SBD Dauntless in Action: Aircraft Number 64 by Rob Stem and illustrated by Don Greer, published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-153-9. This book has 49 pages, including line drawings, black-and-white photos, and color side views. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII by Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, published by BMI Publishers, ISBN 0-7603-0959-0. The first publication was in 2001. This book has 128 pages and a chapter dedicated to the SBD, as well as the SB2C Helldiver, the TBO Devastator, the TBF Avenger, and many others which weren't as successful. There are many color photos and some black-and-white photos. This book is available from most of the book catalogs. National Museum of Naval Aviation Aircraft Collection, produced by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, available from the Flightdeck Museum Shop at the Pensacola FL Naval Air Station, or call (800) AIR-NAVY. The price is $12. This new volume contains black-and-white photos and a good collection of color photos. The Douglas SBD is featured on page 19. This is another good, reasonably priced reference guide. (The museum contains several aircraft that are the only examples intact.) Contact the museum through www.naval-air.org/muse um_info/museum_info.asp. Photo Documentation: Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058; Fax: (714) 979-7279. Bob Banka has 10 Foto Paaks for SBD-3, -4, and -5 models, interior and instrument Foto Paaks, and three-views. Scale Plans & Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro NC 27403; Tel./Fax: (336) 292-5239, has three photo packs and three-views. Kits: Diels Engineering, Inc., Box 263, Amherst OH 44001; E-mail: [email protected], has a 20V4-inch-span Free Flight Rubber model kit. Many of the kit-cutting businesses have "wood" kits already cut for the designers who produce the plans. Some also offer fiberglass fuselages. Plans: Jerry Bates Plans, 102 Glenwood St., Mobile AL 36606; Tel.: (334) 478-6720: Web site: www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm. Jerry has two sets of plans for the SBD—'As scale which spans 85 inches and '/s scale which spans 100 inches—multiviews, and documentation. This plan set builds into a nice model. Details on the plans show the flap and dive-brake construction and leading-edge slats. Bob Holman Plans, Box 741. San Bernardino CA 92402; Tel.: (909) 885-3959; Fax: (909) 889-9307; E-mail: [email protected]. Bob has a set of plans for the SBD with a 69-inch wingspan and a 73-inch-span model. Kent Walters has won the Masters several times building models from these modified plans.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 42, 43, 45, 46, 47
Certain aircraft are identified with certain individuals, such as the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Baron von Richthofen or the Bell X-l with Colonel Chuck Yeager. Other airplanes are identified with certain battles or wars, such as the Spitfire with the Battle of Britain or the Stuka with Germany's Blitz. But the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and its crews helped, in large part, to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The SBD was slated for replacement with a newer design when WWII broke out in December 1941. Problems with the replacement design and operational mishaps kept the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver out of service much longer than expected, so the seemingly outdated Douglas design soldiered on into the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and until after the close of the war in one role or another. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war, our naval aviators were flying designs mostly from the 1930s, which included the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver. 42 Mom AVUTIOH the Douglas TED Devastator, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Grumman F-4F Wildcat, and an aircraft that came into service in 1940: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The SBD had its roots in a 1936 design by John Northrop and the XBT-1. SBD stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas," although the aircraft is also known by its nickname "slow but deadly." It was one of the first designs to be tested in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) wind tunnel, and changes were recommended to improve the design. At the Battle of Midway 60 years ago, action took place June 4-6 on and around the tiny coral atoll of Midway Islands, northwest of Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to finish off the US fleet, which was still crippled after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor six months earlier. Japan hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the US after winning this battle and keep its newly acquired real estate. With blue skies and eight-foot waves, the carriers turned into the wind and launched their dive-bombers the morning of June 4. The slow aircraft strained as they left the decks of the carriers with their pilots, gunners, and heavy loads of bombs to be delivered to the Japanese carriers and task force. When the US squadrons spotted the Japanese fleet, they began their attack runs. They had to slow the engine rpm. set the flaps and dive brakes, check the target again, then look for fighters one more time. Then it was time to follow the leader over into the 70° dive. Committed at this point, the pilots were hanging in their harnesses with the Japanese aircraft carriers in their sights. The Japanese had brightly painted "meatballs" on their carrier decks. Each US pilot had to hit those man-made targets, pull out of the dive without blacking out, and scoot home. Surely that scene was played out several times during the battle, as pilots found and attacked the enemy. That was a turning point in WW II and a defining moment in US naval history, in which our forces tactically and strategically defeated the task force of the enemy, which had destroyed most of our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway is described in many new history books as one of the 10 defining battles in modern history. The Japanese must have wondered what in the world could have happened to cause such a turn of events. Our armed forces' bravery in the Pacific, superior intelligence, very old torpedo bombers, and a dive-bomber that was scheduled to be replaced helped change the course of history. Loved by its crews and hated by the enemy, anyone can see that the SBD was one of the best dive-bombers in WW II just by examining its operational record. The US Navy, the Army Air Force, and the Marines campaigned the aircraft during the war. After WW II it was campaigned by our allies, which included France. The SBD was responsible for more enemy tonnage sunk than any other aircraft in WW II. It is also credited with shooting down 138 enemy aircraft. The SBD was a low-wing, metal-covered monoplane with retract landing gear. Like other dive-bombers of that era, the cockpit had a second seat facing toward the rear; it had one 30-caliber machine gun at first, then later it had twin 30-caliber machine guns. The SBD had two forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns, which complemented its offensive armament. One of the SBD's unique features was the classic dive brakes. They deflect upward and downward at the trailing edge of the wing during a dive. However, the SBD wasn't the first aircraft to use perforated dive flaps; the Northrop XBT-1 takes that honor. Each flap panel was filled with a series of holes, which helped stabilize the aircraft in a dive. Earlier aircraft that started the dive-bombing craze had problems with the old enemy "flutter." The SBD also had permanent leading-edge slats. These combined with the dive brakes to make for an excellent bombing platform. Oddly enough, though, the SBD didn't have folding wings as did most other naval aircraft in WW II. With the big, thick airfoil and good moments, the SBD made a stable-flying platform for dive-bombing—or Scale models in our case. A special treat awaits modelers and historians at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station; the National Museum of Naval Aviation is approximately two miles into the base. With proper identification and a check of your car, you have full access to the museum. It's clean and well lit for taking photographs. Most of the aircraft are arranged so that you can photograph them from the top, bottom, and sides. The museum has an active research facility, and, unlike the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, it's open and well staffed by volunteers. I found the staff to be most helpful during the week we spent there. The aircraft shown here is an SBD-2 that was rescued from Lake Michigan and restored by the dedicated crew in the museum's expert restoration facility on-base. Of the 5,936 SBD/A-24s built, the museum has 14 of the 25 SBD airframes. This particular SBD-2 was put on display just this year. It was present December 7. 1941, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Kent Walters has compiled more information on the SBD than any other modeler I know. He talked with Ensign George H. Goldsmith—the pilot of the aircraft he modeled (an SBD-3)— before he passed away in 1991, and Dick Best—the commander of Bombing Group 6—who still survives. These pilots were credited with dropping a 1.000-pound bomb on the Kaga and Akagi aircraft carriers. Thanks to Kent for his generous use of the scale views I've included. These aircraft build into great models. Some of the plans sets, such as Jerry Bates design, show detailed plans for construction of the perforated flaps and dive brakes. The cockpit can be demanding, but you can add more details after the model is built and flying, if you like. Making a 70° bombing run would require heavy-duty radio gear on the elevator and flaps. Color schemes vary from the standard US Navy blue with light-gray undersurfaces to the Army Air Force's A-24 version in olive drab. One of the most colorful schemes is that of the SBD-1 version, uli of which were sent to the US Marines. 1M Stan Alexander 3709 Valle\ Ridge Dr. Nashville TN 37211-3831 [email protected] SBD-3 Dauntless specifications: Length: 32 feet, eight inches Height: 13 feet, seven inches Wingspan: 41 feet, six inches Weight empty: 6.345 pounds • Gross weight: 10,400 pounds Engine: 1.000-horsepower Wright R-1820-52 Maximum speed: 250 mph Service ceiling: 27,100 feet Range: 1,345 miles Armament: two fixed forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns; two rear-firing 30-caliber machine guns, 1.200 pounds of ordnance Crew: pilot and rear-facing gunner Sources: Books: SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale. Volume 48, by Bert Kinzey. published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-888974-01-X. Photos, three-views, history, and a vintage color photo section highlight this book. Carrier Air War: In Original WWII Color by Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman, published by MBI Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-87938-9834. Includes 176 pages of color photography of most of the WW II US Navy and Marines aircraft. Includes photos of SBDs on pages 14. 22,34,41,43,48,56,74.79.81,82, 110. 125. and 160. It's a great tabletop book and is good for details such as uniform colors, cockpits etc. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. Vol. 2:1940-1949 by retired US Marine Corps major John M. Elliott, published by Monogram Aviation Publications. Sturbridge MA. This book is Library of Congress card catalog number 86-62376. ISBN 0-914144-32-4. It's an excellent book for WW II US naval aircraft. There are 194 pages and 324 photos, including some of the SBD in color. Color chips are included. Douglas SBD Dauntless by Peter C. Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd.. 1997, Wiltshire SN8, ISBN 1 86126096 2. There are 192 black-and-white photos throughout, no construction drawings, and a wealth of information about the surviving airframes and where they are now. Has development, history, and units. This book is available from Aeroplane Books. 114 Deer Path Rd., Williamsburg VA 23118; Tel.: (800) 447-8890: Web site: www.aeroplanebooks.com. Bill and Barbara Byrd have a good selection of new and used out-of-print books. SBD Dauntless in Action: Aircraft Number 64 by Rob Stem and illustrated by Don Greer, published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-153-9. This book has 49 pages, including line drawings, black-and-white photos, and color side views. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII by Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, published by BMI Publishers, ISBN 0-7603-0959-0. The first publication was in 2001. This book has 128 pages and a chapter dedicated to the SBD, as well as the SB2C Helldiver, the TBO Devastator, the TBF Avenger, and many others which weren't as successful. There are many color photos and some black-and-white photos. This book is available from most of the book catalogs. National Museum of Naval Aviation Aircraft Collection, produced by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, available from the Flightdeck Museum Shop at the Pensacola FL Naval Air Station, or call (800) AIR-NAVY. The price is $12. This new volume contains black-and-white photos and a good collection of color photos. The Douglas SBD is featured on page 19. This is another good, reasonably priced reference guide. (The museum contains several aircraft that are the only examples intact.) Contact the museum through www.naval-air.org/muse um_info/museum_info.asp. Photo Documentation: Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058; Fax: (714) 979-7279. Bob Banka has 10 Foto Paaks for SBD-3, -4, and -5 models, interior and instrument Foto Paaks, and three-views. Scale Plans & Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro NC 27403; Tel./Fax: (336) 292-5239, has three photo packs and three-views. Kits: Diels Engineering, Inc., Box 263, Amherst OH 44001; E-mail: [email protected], has a 20V4-inch-span Free Flight Rubber model kit. Many of the kit-cutting businesses have "wood" kits already cut for the designers who produce the plans. Some also offer fiberglass fuselages. Plans: Jerry Bates Plans, 102 Glenwood St., Mobile AL 36606; Tel.: (334) 478-6720: Web site: www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm. Jerry has two sets of plans for the SBD—'As scale which spans 85 inches and '/s scale which spans 100 inches—multiviews, and documentation. This plan set builds into a nice model. Details on the plans show the flap and dive-brake construction and leading-edge slats. Bob Holman Plans, Box 741. San Bernardino CA 92402; Tel.: (909) 885-3959; Fax: (909) 889-9307; E-mail: [email protected]. Bob has a set of plans for the SBD with a 69-inch wingspan and a 73-inch-span model. Kent Walters has won the Masters several times building models from these modified plans.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 42, 43, 45, 46, 47
Certain aircraft are identified with certain individuals, such as the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Baron von Richthofen or the Bell X-l with Colonel Chuck Yeager. Other airplanes are identified with certain battles or wars, such as the Spitfire with the Battle of Britain or the Stuka with Germany's Blitz. But the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and its crews helped, in large part, to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The SBD was slated for replacement with a newer design when WWII broke out in December 1941. Problems with the replacement design and operational mishaps kept the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver out of service much longer than expected, so the seemingly outdated Douglas design soldiered on into the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and until after the close of the war in one role or another. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war, our naval aviators were flying designs mostly from the 1930s, which included the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver. 42 Mom AVUTIOH the Douglas TED Devastator, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Grumman F-4F Wildcat, and an aircraft that came into service in 1940: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The SBD had its roots in a 1936 design by John Northrop and the XBT-1. SBD stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas," although the aircraft is also known by its nickname "slow but deadly." It was one of the first designs to be tested in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) wind tunnel, and changes were recommended to improve the design. At the Battle of Midway 60 years ago, action took place June 4-6 on and around the tiny coral atoll of Midway Islands, northwest of Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to finish off the US fleet, which was still crippled after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor six months earlier. Japan hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the US after winning this battle and keep its newly acquired real estate. With blue skies and eight-foot waves, the carriers turned into the wind and launched their dive-bombers the morning of June 4. The slow aircraft strained as they left the decks of the carriers with their pilots, gunners, and heavy loads of bombs to be delivered to the Japanese carriers and task force. When the US squadrons spotted the Japanese fleet, they began their attack runs. They had to slow the engine rpm. set the flaps and dive brakes, check the target again, then look for fighters one more time. Then it was time to follow the leader over into the 70° dive. Committed at this point, the pilots were hanging in their harnesses with the Japanese aircraft carriers in their sights. The Japanese had brightly painted "meatballs" on their carrier decks. Each US pilot had to hit those man-made targets, pull out of the dive without blacking out, and scoot home. Surely that scene was played out several times during the battle, as pilots found and attacked the enemy. That was a turning point in WW II and a defining moment in US naval history, in which our forces tactically and strategically defeated the task force of the enemy, which had destroyed most of our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway is described in many new history books as one of the 10 defining battles in modern history. The Japanese must have wondered what in the world could have happened to cause such a turn of events. Our armed forces' bravery in the Pacific, superior intelligence, very old torpedo bombers, and a dive-bomber that was scheduled to be replaced helped change the course of history. Loved by its crews and hated by the enemy, anyone can see that the SBD was one of the best dive-bombers in WW II just by examining its operational record. The US Navy, the Army Air Force, and the Marines campaigned the aircraft during the war. After WW II it was campaigned by our allies, which included France. The SBD was responsible for more enemy tonnage sunk than any other aircraft in WW II. It is also credited with shooting down 138 enemy aircraft. The SBD was a low-wing, metal-covered monoplane with retract landing gear. Like other dive-bombers of that era, the cockpit had a second seat facing toward the rear; it had one 30-caliber machine gun at first, then later it had twin 30-caliber machine guns. The SBD had two forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns, which complemented its offensive armament. One of the SBD's unique features was the classic dive brakes. They deflect upward and downward at the trailing edge of the wing during a dive. However, the SBD wasn't the first aircraft to use perforated dive flaps; the Northrop XBT-1 takes that honor. Each flap panel was filled with a series of holes, which helped stabilize the aircraft in a dive. Earlier aircraft that started the dive-bombing craze had problems with the old enemy "flutter." The SBD also had permanent leading-edge slats. These combined with the dive brakes to make for an excellent bombing platform. Oddly enough, though, the SBD didn't have folding wings as did most other naval aircraft in WW II. With the big, thick airfoil and good moments, the SBD made a stable-flying platform for dive-bombing—or Scale models in our case. A special treat awaits modelers and historians at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station; the National Museum of Naval Aviation is approximately two miles into the base. With proper identification and a check of your car, you have full access to the museum. It's clean and well lit for taking photographs. Most of the aircraft are arranged so that you can photograph them from the top, bottom, and sides. The museum has an active research facility, and, unlike the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, it's open and well staffed by volunteers. I found the staff to be most helpful during the week we spent there. The aircraft shown here is an SBD-2 that was rescued from Lake Michigan and restored by the dedicated crew in the museum's expert restoration facility on-base. Of the 5,936 SBD/A-24s built, the museum has 14 of the 25 SBD airframes. This particular SBD-2 was put on display just this year. It was present December 7. 1941, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Kent Walters has compiled more information on the SBD than any other modeler I know. He talked with Ensign George H. Goldsmith—the pilot of the aircraft he modeled (an SBD-3)— before he passed away in 1991, and Dick Best—the commander of Bombing Group 6—who still survives. These pilots were credited with dropping a 1.000-pound bomb on the Kaga and Akagi aircraft carriers. Thanks to Kent for his generous use of the scale views I've included. These aircraft build into great models. Some of the plans sets, such as Jerry Bates design, show detailed plans for construction of the perforated flaps and dive brakes. The cockpit can be demanding, but you can add more details after the model is built and flying, if you like. Making a 70° bombing run would require heavy-duty radio gear on the elevator and flaps. Color schemes vary from the standard US Navy blue with light-gray undersurfaces to the Army Air Force's A-24 version in olive drab. One of the most colorful schemes is that of the SBD-1 version, uli of which were sent to the US Marines. 1M Stan Alexander 3709 Valle\ Ridge Dr. Nashville TN 37211-3831 [email protected] SBD-3 Dauntless specifications: Length: 32 feet, eight inches Height: 13 feet, seven inches Wingspan: 41 feet, six inches Weight empty: 6.345 pounds • Gross weight: 10,400 pounds Engine: 1.000-horsepower Wright R-1820-52 Maximum speed: 250 mph Service ceiling: 27,100 feet Range: 1,345 miles Armament: two fixed forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns; two rear-firing 30-caliber machine guns, 1.200 pounds of ordnance Crew: pilot and rear-facing gunner Sources: Books: SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale. Volume 48, by Bert Kinzey. published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-888974-01-X. Photos, three-views, history, and a vintage color photo section highlight this book. Carrier Air War: In Original WWII Color by Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman, published by MBI Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-87938-9834. Includes 176 pages of color photography of most of the WW II US Navy and Marines aircraft. Includes photos of SBDs on pages 14. 22,34,41,43,48,56,74.79.81,82, 110. 125. and 160. It's a great tabletop book and is good for details such as uniform colors, cockpits etc. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. Vol. 2:1940-1949 by retired US Marine Corps major John M. Elliott, published by Monogram Aviation Publications. Sturbridge MA. This book is Library of Congress card catalog number 86-62376. ISBN 0-914144-32-4. It's an excellent book for WW II US naval aircraft. There are 194 pages and 324 photos, including some of the SBD in color. Color chips are included. Douglas SBD Dauntless by Peter C. Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd.. 1997, Wiltshire SN8, ISBN 1 86126096 2. There are 192 black-and-white photos throughout, no construction drawings, and a wealth of information about the surviving airframes and where they are now. Has development, history, and units. This book is available from Aeroplane Books. 114 Deer Path Rd., Williamsburg VA 23118; Tel.: (800) 447-8890: Web site: www.aeroplanebooks.com. Bill and Barbara Byrd have a good selection of new and used out-of-print books. SBD Dauntless in Action: Aircraft Number 64 by Rob Stem and illustrated by Don Greer, published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-153-9. This book has 49 pages, including line drawings, black-and-white photos, and color side views. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII by Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, published by BMI Publishers, ISBN 0-7603-0959-0. The first publication was in 2001. This book has 128 pages and a chapter dedicated to the SBD, as well as the SB2C Helldiver, the TBO Devastator, the TBF Avenger, and many others which weren't as successful. There are many color photos and some black-and-white photos. This book is available from most of the book catalogs. National Museum of Naval Aviation Aircraft Collection, produced by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, available from the Flightdeck Museum Shop at the Pensacola FL Naval Air Station, or call (800) AIR-NAVY. The price is $12. This new volume contains black-and-white photos and a good collection of color photos. The Douglas SBD is featured on page 19. This is another good, reasonably priced reference guide. (The museum contains several aircraft that are the only examples intact.) Contact the museum through www.naval-air.org/muse um_info/museum_info.asp. Photo Documentation: Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058; Fax: (714) 979-7279. Bob Banka has 10 Foto Paaks for SBD-3, -4, and -5 models, interior and instrument Foto Paaks, and three-views. Scale Plans & Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro NC 27403; Tel./Fax: (336) 292-5239, has three photo packs and three-views. Kits: Diels Engineering, Inc., Box 263, Amherst OH 44001; E-mail: [email protected], has a 20V4-inch-span Free Flight Rubber model kit. Many of the kit-cutting businesses have "wood" kits already cut for the designers who produce the plans. Some also offer fiberglass fuselages. Plans: Jerry Bates Plans, 102 Glenwood St., Mobile AL 36606; Tel.: (334) 478-6720: Web site: www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm. Jerry has two sets of plans for the SBD—'As scale which spans 85 inches and '/s scale which spans 100 inches—multiviews, and documentation. This plan set builds into a nice model. Details on the plans show the flap and dive-brake construction and leading-edge slats. Bob Holman Plans, Box 741. San Bernardino CA 92402; Tel.: (909) 885-3959; Fax: (909) 889-9307; E-mail: [email protected]. Bob has a set of plans for the SBD with a 69-inch wingspan and a 73-inch-span model. Kent Walters has won the Masters several times building models from these modified plans.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 42, 43, 45, 46, 47
Certain aircraft are identified with certain individuals, such as the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Baron von Richthofen or the Bell X-l with Colonel Chuck Yeager. Other airplanes are identified with certain battles or wars, such as the Spitfire with the Battle of Britain or the Stuka with Germany's Blitz. But the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and its crews helped, in large part, to turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The SBD was slated for replacement with a newer design when WWII broke out in December 1941. Problems with the replacement design and operational mishaps kept the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver out of service much longer than expected, so the seemingly outdated Douglas design soldiered on into the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and until after the close of the war in one role or another. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war, our naval aviators were flying designs mostly from the 1930s, which included the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver. 42 Mom AVUTIOH the Douglas TED Devastator, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Grumman F-4F Wildcat, and an aircraft that came into service in 1940: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The SBD had its roots in a 1936 design by John Northrop and the XBT-1. SBD stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas," although the aircraft is also known by its nickname "slow but deadly." It was one of the first designs to be tested in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) wind tunnel, and changes were recommended to improve the design. At the Battle of Midway 60 years ago, action took place June 4-6 on and around the tiny coral atoll of Midway Islands, northwest of Hawaii. The Japanese hoped to finish off the US fleet, which was still crippled after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor six months earlier. Japan hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the US after winning this battle and keep its newly acquired real estate. With blue skies and eight-foot waves, the carriers turned into the wind and launched their dive-bombers the morning of June 4. The slow aircraft strained as they left the decks of the carriers with their pilots, gunners, and heavy loads of bombs to be delivered to the Japanese carriers and task force. When the US squadrons spotted the Japanese fleet, they began their attack runs. They had to slow the engine rpm. set the flaps and dive brakes, check the target again, then look for fighters one more time. Then it was time to follow the leader over into the 70° dive. Committed at this point, the pilots were hanging in their harnesses with the Japanese aircraft carriers in their sights. The Japanese had brightly painted "meatballs" on their carrier decks. Each US pilot had to hit those man-made targets, pull out of the dive without blacking out, and scoot home. Surely that scene was played out several times during the battle, as pilots found and attacked the enemy. That was a turning point in WW II and a defining moment in US naval history, in which our forces tactically and strategically defeated the task force of the enemy, which had destroyed most of our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway is described in many new history books as one of the 10 defining battles in modern history. The Japanese must have wondered what in the world could have happened to cause such a turn of events. Our armed forces' bravery in the Pacific, superior intelligence, very old torpedo bombers, and a dive-bomber that was scheduled to be replaced helped change the course of history. Loved by its crews and hated by the enemy, anyone can see that the SBD was one of the best dive-bombers in WW II just by examining its operational record. The US Navy, the Army Air Force, and the Marines campaigned the aircraft during the war. After WW II it was campaigned by our allies, which included France. The SBD was responsible for more enemy tonnage sunk than any other aircraft in WW II. It is also credited with shooting down 138 enemy aircraft. The SBD was a low-wing, metal-covered monoplane with retract landing gear. Like other dive-bombers of that era, the cockpit had a second seat facing toward the rear; it had one 30-caliber machine gun at first, then later it had twin 30-caliber machine guns. The SBD had two forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns, which complemented its offensive armament. One of the SBD's unique features was the classic dive brakes. They deflect upward and downward at the trailing edge of the wing during a dive. However, the SBD wasn't the first aircraft to use perforated dive flaps; the Northrop XBT-1 takes that honor. Each flap panel was filled with a series of holes, which helped stabilize the aircraft in a dive. Earlier aircraft that started the dive-bombing craze had problems with the old enemy "flutter." The SBD also had permanent leading-edge slats. These combined with the dive brakes to make for an excellent bombing platform. Oddly enough, though, the SBD didn't have folding wings as did most other naval aircraft in WW II. With the big, thick airfoil and good moments, the SBD made a stable-flying platform for dive-bombing—or Scale models in our case. A special treat awaits modelers and historians at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station; the National Museum of Naval Aviation is approximately two miles into the base. With proper identification and a check of your car, you have full access to the museum. It's clean and well lit for taking photographs. Most of the aircraft are arranged so that you can photograph them from the top, bottom, and sides. The museum has an active research facility, and, unlike the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, it's open and well staffed by volunteers. I found the staff to be most helpful during the week we spent there. The aircraft shown here is an SBD-2 that was rescued from Lake Michigan and restored by the dedicated crew in the museum's expert restoration facility on-base. Of the 5,936 SBD/A-24s built, the museum has 14 of the 25 SBD airframes. This particular SBD-2 was put on display just this year. It was present December 7. 1941, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Kent Walters has compiled more information on the SBD than any other modeler I know. He talked with Ensign George H. Goldsmith—the pilot of the aircraft he modeled (an SBD-3)— before he passed away in 1991, and Dick Best—the commander of Bombing Group 6—who still survives. These pilots were credited with dropping a 1.000-pound bomb on the Kaga and Akagi aircraft carriers. Thanks to Kent for his generous use of the scale views I've included. These aircraft build into great models. Some of the plans sets, such as Jerry Bates design, show detailed plans for construction of the perforated flaps and dive brakes. The cockpit can be demanding, but you can add more details after the model is built and flying, if you like. Making a 70° bombing run would require heavy-duty radio gear on the elevator and flaps. Color schemes vary from the standard US Navy blue with light-gray undersurfaces to the Army Air Force's A-24 version in olive drab. One of the most colorful schemes is that of the SBD-1 version, uli of which were sent to the US Marines. 1M Stan Alexander 3709 Valle\ Ridge Dr. Nashville TN 37211-3831 [email protected] SBD-3 Dauntless specifications: Length: 32 feet, eight inches Height: 13 feet, seven inches Wingspan: 41 feet, six inches Weight empty: 6.345 pounds • Gross weight: 10,400 pounds Engine: 1.000-horsepower Wright R-1820-52 Maximum speed: 250 mph Service ceiling: 27,100 feet Range: 1,345 miles Armament: two fixed forward-firing 50-caliber machine guns; two rear-firing 30-caliber machine guns, 1.200 pounds of ordnance Crew: pilot and rear-facing gunner Sources: Books: SBD Dauntless in Detail & Scale. Volume 48, by Bert Kinzey. published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-888974-01-X. Photos, three-views, history, and a vintage color photo section highlight this book. Carrier Air War: In Original WWII Color by Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman, published by MBI Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-87938-9834. Includes 176 pages of color photography of most of the WW II US Navy and Marines aircraft. Includes photos of SBDs on pages 14. 22,34,41,43,48,56,74.79.81,82, 110. 125. and 160. It's a great tabletop book and is good for details such as uniform colors, cockpits etc. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. Vol. 2:1940-1949 by retired US Marine Corps major John M. Elliott, published by Monogram Aviation Publications. Sturbridge MA. This book is Library of Congress card catalog number 86-62376. ISBN 0-914144-32-4. It's an excellent book for WW II US naval aircraft. There are 194 pages and 324 photos, including some of the SBD in color. Color chips are included. Douglas SBD Dauntless by Peter C. Smith, published by The Crowood Press Ltd.. 1997, Wiltshire SN8, ISBN 1 86126096 2. There are 192 black-and-white photos throughout, no construction drawings, and a wealth of information about the surviving airframes and where they are now. Has development, history, and units. This book is available from Aeroplane Books. 114 Deer Path Rd., Williamsburg VA 23118; Tel.: (800) 447-8890: Web site: www.aeroplanebooks.com. Bill and Barbara Byrd have a good selection of new and used out-of-print books. SBD Dauntless in Action: Aircraft Number 64 by Rob Stem and illustrated by Don Greer, published by Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-153-9. This book has 49 pages, including line drawings, black-and-white photos, and color side views. U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII by Barrett Tillman and Robert L. Lawson, published by BMI Publishers, ISBN 0-7603-0959-0. The first publication was in 2001. This book has 128 pages and a chapter dedicated to the SBD, as well as the SB2C Helldiver, the TBO Devastator, the TBF Avenger, and many others which weren't as successful. There are many color photos and some black-and-white photos. This book is available from most of the book catalogs. National Museum of Naval Aviation Aircraft Collection, produced by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, available from the Flightdeck Museum Shop at the Pensacola FL Naval Air Station, or call (800) AIR-NAVY. The price is $12. This new volume contains black-and-white photos and a good collection of color photos. The Douglas SBD is featured on page 19. This is another good, reasonably priced reference guide. (The museum contains several aircraft that are the only examples intact.) Contact the museum through www.naval-air.org/muse um_info/museum_info.asp. Photo Documentation: Bob's Aircraft Documentation, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92626; Tel.: (714) 979-8058; Fax: (714) 979-7279. Bob Banka has 10 Foto Paaks for SBD-3, -4, and -5 models, interior and instrument Foto Paaks, and three-views. Scale Plans & Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro NC 27403; Tel./Fax: (336) 292-5239, has three photo packs and three-views. Kits: Diels Engineering, Inc., Box 263, Amherst OH 44001; E-mail: [email protected], has a 20V4-inch-span Free Flight Rubber model kit. Many of the kit-cutting businesses have "wood" kits already cut for the designers who produce the plans. Some also offer fiberglass fuselages. Plans: Jerry Bates Plans, 102 Glenwood St., Mobile AL 36606; Tel.: (334) 478-6720: Web site: www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm. Jerry has two sets of plans for the SBD—'As scale which spans 85 inches and '/s scale which spans 100 inches—multiviews, and documentation. This plan set builds into a nice model. Details on the plans show the flap and dive-brake construction and leading-edge slats. Bob Holman Plans, Box 741. San Bernardino CA 92402; Tel.: (909) 885-3959; Fax: (909) 889-9307; E-mail: [email protected]. Bob has a set of plans for the SBD with a 69-inch wingspan and a 73-inch-span model. Kent Walters has won the Masters several times building models from these modified plans.
