Aircraft Improvements

[Akuma]

What were the most overbuilt aircraft of WWII?

 

[P-39 Expert]

Do you mean too many were produced? Or the plane was overweight?

 

[Akuma]

Do you mean too many were produced? Or the plane was overweight?

An aircraft that was of an over-complex design and / or construction. Note: Either of these would usually, naturally lead to an overweight aircraft.

 

[SaparotRob]

Brewster SB2A.

 

[pbehn]

An aircraft that was of an over-complex design and / or construction. Note: Either of these would usually, naturally lead to an overweight aircraft.

There were many. The requirements on the Short Stirling to carry bombs, cargo and people, plus other requirements meant it wasnt really good at anything.

 

[GrauGeist]

The He177 comes to mind

 

[SaparotRob]

Not the HE-177. There were never enough of them, for whatever reason. I'm thinking the OP is, what was a lot of something that was built then either pushed into a landfill or used for target practice.
Maybe the Roc or the Brewster Buccaneer/Bermuda(?).

 

[GrauGeist]

I understood the OP to mean a type that was overly complex, as the He177 was.

 

[SaparotRob]

It could also mean built like a brick outhouse. On that point, I can't think of any plane except anecdotally ie. something from Grumman Bridge and Ironworks.

 

[SaparotRob]

Ok Akuma, what do you mean? Overly complex, built way over spec, or "why did we build so many of these?"

 

[Akuma]

Brewster SB2A.

While I agree generally with your choice, to be fair it must be remembered that the Brewster people really did not have a lot of experience designing aircraft. Looking at it a different way; if they were in a position to hire a really good aircraft designer, he might have been able to simplify and improve the SB2A to a point where it would have had much greater performance than it's originals and it's competitors.

 

[Akuma]

Ok Akuma, what do you mean? Overly complex, built way over spec, or "why did we build so many of these?"

Yes, overly complex and over specifications. Another area might be the German penchant for trying to make a dive bomber out of everything.

 

[SaparotRob]

While I agree generally with your choice, to be fair it must be remembered that the Brewster people really did not have a lot of experience designing aircraft. Looking at it a different way; if they were in a position to hire a really good aircraft designer, he might have been able to simplify and improve the SB2A to a point where it would have had much greater performance than it's originals and it's competitors.

Then it wouldn't have been the Buccaneer. As an actual, "this is what we wound up with airplane", too many were made. As to overly complex, the HE-177 does come to mind. With that said the crew positions on B-36 look incredibly complex. Was there any one to assist the flight engineer?

 

[Akuma]

Then it wouldn't have been the Buccaneer. As an actual, "this is what we wound up with airplane", too many were made. As to overly complex, the HE-177 does come to mind. With that said the crew positions on B-36 look incredibly complex. Was there any one to assist the flight engineer?

Imagine Brewster hiring someone of the same ability as Kurt Tank and telling him "While the Navy people like the F2A they want it to be better. Why don't you give it a try?" I would be curious to see what that might have been. I'm still not sure what advantages they thought they were gaining with the HE-177 design.

 

[SaparotRob]

What were the most overbuilt aircraft of WWII?

I was just going by this sentence when I nominated the SB2A. More were built than were needed. GrauGeist went with too complex. The HE -177 was a very complex machine.
If Kurt Tank designed a plane for Brewster it would have been great, so long as someone else built it.
I don't want to be taken to the woodshed for "what iffery" by ShortRound6.

 

[special ed]

More B-32s were built than needed. Many (most) went from factory to bone yard.

 

[Akuma]

I was just going by this sentence when I nominated the SB2A. More were built than were needed. GrauGeist went with too complex. The HE -177 was a very complex machine.
If Kurt Tank designed a plane for Brewster it would have been great, so long as someone else built it.
I don't want to be taken to the woodshed for "what iffery" by ShortRound6.

That's a valid point. It's not just a matter of a good designer, but of a company that knows how to run a good production line.

 

[Big Jake]

That's a valid point. It's not just a matter of a good designer, but of a company that knows how to run a good production line.

Or have the right political connections (see Curtiss with their on going process of squeezing the P-40 design to the last drop with the enthusiastic politicians cheering them on. )

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yes, overly complex and over specifications. Another area might be the German penchant for trying to make a dive bomber out of everything.

With that in mind, the He-177 is a damned good example. Not just with the dive/glide attack designed in, but the crummy engine setup.

The B-29 had incredible specs for the era, and it was very complex, but it at least had the benefit of working once the bugs were ironed out.

The Me-262 would also be a good example of trying to make a complex, or in that case, novel design to work with materials which just weren't up to the task.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I was just going by this sentence when I nominated the SB2A. More were built than were needed. GrauGeist went with too complex. The HE -177 was a very complex machine.
If Kurt Tank designed a plane for Brewster it would have been great, so long as someone else built it.
I don't want to be taken to the woodshed for "what iffery" by ShortRound6.

Bend over and smile!