11/18/2023 0 Comments Sb2cs helldivers![]() In his opinion, the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair fighter-bombers were better suited to the job. John McCain, who commanded the fast carrier task force (TF 38) for the last year of the war, declared that there was “no place for a plane with the performance of the SB2C” on the carriers. In early 1944, deliveries of the SB2C-3 brought great improvements (with some pilots using “The Beast” nickname affectionately), but the airplane was unable to completely shed its bad reputation. The Army took delivery of only about 900 A-25s before deciding it did not need a dedicated dive bomber, while both the Australians and the British quickly decided the Helldiver was unsuited to service and canceled their orders. Nevertheless, the Helldiver’s problems proved too much trouble for these additional customers. ![]() Army Air Forces ordered some three thousand as the A-25 Shrike (which omitted the wing fold and tailhook, along with other minor differences from the SB2C). ![]() Navy was the primary customer, both the British navy and the Australian air force placed orders for Helldivers. Overall, the Helldiver made a poor first impression among both aircrew and maintainers, earning it the pejorative nicknames “The Big-Tailed Beast” (often shortened to just “The Beast”) and “Son of a Bitch, 2nd Class” (a play on the SB2C designation and the Navy’s enlisted rank abbreviations).ĭespite the problems, some of which only emerged well after it entered service, initial demand for the Helldiver was high, leading the Navy to assign additional construction to Fairchild Aircraft’s Canadian branch (with these aircraft designated the SBF) and the Canadian Car & Foundry Company (designated the SBW). In addition, the electrical and hydraulic systems required a lot of maintenance on parts that were difficult to access. Once assigned to carriers, it had tailwheel and hook failures that limited it to service ashore until the problems were addressed. It had aerodynamic problems, while the changes added another three thousand pounds to the airplane’s weight. Though Curtiss had made numerous changes, the -1 production model still suffered from a number of difficulties. ![]() The first production SB2C-1 Helldiver did not fly until June 1942, with the first deliveries to fleet squadrons at the end of that year. ![]()
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