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SBD Dauntless questions


Wm Blecky

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My Google searches have proven rather fruitless, so I am hoping that someone here might be able to answer a few Dauntless related questions for me.

Early / Pre-War Dauntless', SBD-1 and SBD-2, probably more so the SBD-1s, would they have been fitted with the under wing bomb racks?  I have a few of the Starfighter resin conversion sets plus their decal sheet, if that helps with an answer.

Second question, around the time of Midway, what would the bomb load out have been? under wings - 500 lb? center line 1000 lb? or???

Last question, when the Dauntless was parked, did the dive flaps remain closed or did they have a tendency to drop?

Thanks in advance.

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Partial answer, AFAIK 500 and 1000lb bombs were centerline, no idea regarding wing racks presence or absence on SBD-1/2. I can ‘see’ the carrier photos from Midway in my mind, but can’t remember if flaps were down, kinda thinking not, but need to check the photos. Sorry not more help

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http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/DETAILSITE/US/USN/SBD/SBD1/1741.2-mb-13.color.jpgspacer.png

Here is an SBD-1 with wing racks. So there is that. It is my understanding that 250lb or less was the rule for the wing racks though the plane was rated for 2250lbs max. The SBD-1=Marines and SBD-2=Navy.

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AFAIK, 1000 lbs bombs were carried by the VB and 500 lbs by the VS units.

I didn't find any pictures of dropped flaps.

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The Dauntless normally parks with the flaps up as loss of hydraulic pressure allows the flaps to close. It is possible to lock the flaps in any intermediate position by setting the landing flap valve lever to Neutral position, however the Pilot's Handbook instructs not to park the airplane with landing flap selector valve in the neutral position. 

I have photos of a parked SBD and A-24 with the flaps down.

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Jun in Tokyo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/horaburo/albums

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@Junchan,

 

Great photos! Most likely the flaps on carrier or land based USN SBD's were up to avoid buffeting from the wind across the deck as well as corrosion. The A-24 photo looks to be pre-war, as you can see the white crosses painted on some of the aircraft that few in the war maneuvers in North  Carolina. As a matter of curiosity- do you have any idea what that aircraft visible behind the RH wing of the SBD-6 might be? It has a large spinner, tricycle landing gear, and a square-surfaced cowl ring. Might it be one of the BTD-1 Destroyers? IIRC, a few were built by war's end but were not deployed. Just curious!

Mike

 

Did some sleuthing and found out the photo you posted of the SBD-6 on the assembly line, was the 5986th and last Dauntless built; its BuNo was 55035, and was written off on December 10, 1944 on takeoff at Majuro Atoll.

Edited by 72modeler
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1 hour ago, TISO said:

Any info on the last photo?

It is USAAF A-24, but where was it taken?

Could have been Louisiana, North, or South Carolina during the GHQ military maneuvers of 1941. See the link to a description of the campaign. There are a lot of b&w and color photos of the USAAF and USN aircraft used by both sides wearing the colored crosses used to ID the opposing forces" I have seen photos of SBC's, F4F's, P-38's, P-39's, P-40's, A-20's, B-25's. and O-47's with red or white crosses.

Mike

 

https://www.historynet.com/relax-its-only-a-maneuver.htm

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Thanks i thought so (white markings on fuselage).

From what i gather early war A-24's (like 27.BS (lt.) on Java) were more or less identical to SBD-2 with bigger tailwheel. 

Which brings me to ask if anyone knows the colour of flap interior on these early A-24's ? Was it red as with navy SBD's or interior green/yellow as was normally for Army planes?

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I am guessing that the A-24's would have much the same interior colors as the USN/USMC counterparts, with the exception of the tailwheel and arrestor hook, as you already mentioned, plus maybe the deletion of the chart board and life raft container. See the link to an A-24 preserved at the Natonal Museum of the Air Force. it shows the interior surfaces of the dive brakes as red, but it also shows the wheel bays in interior green, whereas I'm pretty sure they would have been in the undersurface color, like the USN/USMC examples. You know the danger when using a restored museum aircraft as a color reference, but I offer it for you to make up your own mind as to ts accuracy. Maybe @Dana Bell  might know more about the A-24's.

Mike

 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196307/douglas-a-24/

 

IIRC, all of the flyable SBD's and the AFM example are  A-24's, with the exception of the SBD-5 in the Planes of Fame collection, which is a genuine dash five that also saw combat with the RNZAF. (Thanks, @LDSModeller); the only genuine preserved SBD-3/5's are  static displays. The CAF's example was an ex-Mexican AF A-24, if memory serves.

Edited by 72modeler
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8 hours ago, 72modeler said:

IIRC, all of the flyable SBD's and the AFM example are  A-24's; the only genuine preserved SBD-3/5's are  static displays. The CAF's example was an ex-Mexican AF A-24, if memory serves.

Hi Mike,

 

Assuming it's still flying, the Planes of Fame SBD-5 Dauntless (fuselage anyway)

is a bona fide WWII War Veteran

The Aircraft served with RNZAF 25 Squadron in the Pacific campaign as NZ5062.

NZ5062 (SBD-5) flew bombing missions against the Japanese at Rabaul.

 

Regards

 

Alan

Edited by LDSModeller
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Alan,

 

I stand corrected! Evidently the POF Dauntless is the only flyable example- all others being based on A-24 airframes. Thanks for the information; I will amend my post to delete the incorrect data. Wow- did not know their example was a former RNZAF combat veteran!

Mike

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On ‎11‎/‎03‎/‎2020 at 16:53, 72modeler said:

I am guessing that the A-24's would have much the same interior colors as the USN/USMC counterparts, with the exception of the tailwheel and arrestor hook, as you already mentioned, plus maybe the deletion of the chart board and life raft container. See the link to an A-24 preserved at the Natonal Museum of the Air Force. it shows the interior surfaces of the dive brakes as red, but it also shows the wheel bays in interior green, whereas I'm pretty sure they would have been in the undersurface color, like the USN/USMC examples. You know the danger when using a restored museum aircraft as a color reference, but I offer it for you to make up your own mind as to ts accuracy. Maybe @Dana Bell  might know more about the A-24's.

Mike

 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196307/douglas-a-24/

 

IIRC, all of the flyable SBD's and the AFM example are  A-24's, with the exception of the SBD-5 in the Planes of Fame collection, which is a genuine dash five that also saw combat with the RNZAF. (Thanks, @LDSModeller); the only genuine preserved SBD-3/5's are  static displays. The CAF's example was an ex-Mexican AF A-24, if memory serves.

Interestingly National museum example had flap interiror in gray before (pic's of plane outside of hangar pic no.8)

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2 hours ago, TISO said:

Interestingly National museum example had flap interiror in gray before (pic's of plane outside of hangar pic no.8)

It appears it was repainted after the photos of it outside were taken. If you look at the demarcation between the OD and the neutral grey on the cowling and forward fuselage, it is not the same as the photos taken inside the museum. In addition, the OD is faded and patchy  in the outdoor photos compared to the inside photos. I really don't know which color on the inner surface of the dive brakes is correct- neutral grey or red. Maybe looking at available color photos of Curtiss A-25 Shrikes in USAAF colors and markings might be useful, to see what color the inner surfaces of their dive brakes are.

Mike

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