Aviation myths that will not die

Greg Boeser · Aug 18, 2016

Oft repeated Marauder Myth: "The first 201 B-26 Marauders were used for testing and training only. The B-26A was the first model to see action, at Midway."

Fact: Well over 100 B-26 "straights" were deployed to combat theaters, the first 13 departing for Alaska in January, 1942. Five crashed enroute, but by the end of May, 1942, thirty-one were on strength with the 77th and 73rd BS (M) of the 28th Composite Group. Additionally, the entire 22nd Group was shipped to Hawaii with ca. 60 a/c that were then assembled and flown to Australia by the island hopping route. (Three wrecked in Hawaii, three lost enroute, one shot down, one written off at Midway) An additional 23 were shipped directly to Australia to be assembled as replacement aircraft. The 22nd introduced the type to combat with a raid on Rabaul on 6 April, 1942, coincidently the combat debut of the B-25C, which hit Gasmata. (Not enough range to reach Rabaul.)
No B-26A flew combat with the USAAF, but many flew with the RAF as the Marauder I in the MTO, starting in late 1942.

nuuumannn · Aug 23, 2016

GregP said:
At least, that was our experience and we barred volunteers from working on them because a bit of ham-handedness could cause damage that a P-51 would shrug off.

Problem is, Greg, Spitfires weren't designed for museums and ham-fisted volunteers. I worked at a museum once with a Spit XVI with a ding in the lower rudder. When I asked how that happened, one of the guys said that they were pushing it around outside and the smoko hooter went and they all left the aircraft standing with one bloke hanging on to it and it rolled down a slope.

Idiots! I would'a bokked the lot of them with a pair of chocks!

Robert Porter · Dec 27, 2016

An SR-71 Climbed so high it went into orbit and never returned...

GregP · Dec 28, 2016

The ham-handedness usually comes from people used to working on aircraft with skins of 2024-T3, usually 0.040" thick or so, even 0.032" will shrug off most accidental abuse. Spitfires are delicate by comparison, and that is all I'm saying, nolthing about whether or not tougher is better.

I KNOW tougher is heavier, and everyone who flies the Spitfire comments on lightness. I am not under the impression it won't take as many g's as ours, it's just more delicate. That's all. I've never heard of a Spitfire being fragile structurally unless it was damaged first by flak or enemy fire of some sort. Definitely a great aircraft if ever there was one.

I've never thought very much of the British stick that breaks halfway up the control stick, but mmy friend Bob Deford has one (a Spitfire original) in his Marcell Jurca Spitfire replica and says he likes it after flying it. I take his word for it and have sat in the cockpit. It seems to feel natural, so impressions from a picture aren't always the same as trying the real thing first hand. There's not much to dislike about a Spitfire other than the cost of owning it, unless it has a tropical filter on the front. Then it needs cosmetic surgery to restore its good looks (assuming you don't actually NEED it, that is).

tyrodtom · Dec 28, 2016

Robert Porter said:
An SR-71 Climbed so high it went into orbit and never returned...

Whoever put that myth out there has no clue what the SR-71 capabilities are and what low earth orbit is .
SR-71 highest record was less than 90,000 feet, I'm not sure what the lowest orbiting satellite is , but Sputnik I was around 130 miles up, and it didn't stay up long because of the resistance of what little air is even at that altitude.

Even if the SR-71 could get to 100,000 ft, that would still leave it 110 miles short of a altitude that wasn't high enough to let the Sputnik I stay up very long.

Not to mention that it's about 20,000 mph short of the velocity it would need to orbit.

Shortround6 · Dec 28, 2016

Never let facts get in the way of a good story.

Peter Gunn · Dec 28, 2016

tyrodtom said:
Whoever put that myth out there has no clue what the SR-71 capabilities are and what low earth orbit is .
SR-71 highest record was less than 90,000 feet, I'm not sure what the lowest orbiting satellite is , but Sputnik I was around 130 miles up, and it didn't stay up long because of the resistance of what little air is even at that altitude.

Even if the SR-71 could get to 100,000 ft, that would still leave it 110 miles short of a altitude that wasn't high enough to let the Sputnik I stay up very long.

Not to mention that it's about 20,000 mph short of the velocity it would need to orbit.

No...you're wrong, I read it on the internet so it HAS to be true...

WAIT! I just read your version on the internet as well...GAH!!!

Robert Porter · Dec 28, 2016

tyrodtom said:
Whoever put that myth out there has no clue what the SR-71 capabilities are and what low earth orbit is .
SR-71 highest record was less than 90,000 feet, I'm not sure what the lowest orbiting satellite is , but Sputnik I was around 130 miles up, and it didn't stay up long because of the resistance of what little air is even at that altitude.

Even if the SR-71 could get to 100,000 ft, that would still leave it 110 miles short of a altitude that wasn't high enough to let the Sputnik I stay up very long.

Not to mention that it's about 20,000 mph short of the velocity it would need to orbit.

That does not appear to deter folks that repeat these myths. Facts are simply an inconvenience. But same fellow that I heard that from also claims to have invented MS-DOS and that Bill Gates stole it from him... Elevator conversations, you just never know what you are going to hear.

stona · Dec 28, 2016

A new one for me, very recently. FW190s had reinforced leading edges for ramming attacks...bollocks.
Cheers
Steve

soulezoo · Dec 28, 2016

a thread so good one almost wants to make up new myths just to keep the thread going!

GregP · Dec 28, 2016

It works better if you sharpen the leading edges of the wings so they cut more easily ... and also speed up some to help with momentum. You know, get into the spirit of the task. Maybe you should sharpen the prop leading edges, too. I'd probably sharpen the spinner, too, and put a spike on top of the canopy just to hurt the victim a bit more.

Oh, and fire the retro-commode rocket as you pass through to empty the septic tank at the victim. It robs them of the will to continue the attack.

Seriously, there are some off-the-charts stories out there making the rounds, and nobody much seems to question them, as amply noted above.

MiTasol · Dec 28, 2016

What - something like politicians are human?

GrauGeist · Dec 28, 2016

Actually, it was the A-12 that had a max. operating altitude of 95,000 feet while the SR-71 had a max. of 85,000 feet. What may be misleading to the general public, is that many photos have been taken from the SR-71 that appears to place it at the edge of space.

However, there's still a long way to go before reaching space and the SR-71 (or A-12) would run out of usable quantities of oxygen for it's engines long before it even reached a position to enter space and gravity would become a big factor at that point.

Here's a cool infographic that puts the A-12 side-by-side with the SR-71:

Old Wizard · Dec 28, 2016

herman1rg · Dec 29, 2016

Peter Gunn · Dec 29, 2016

Always liked the look of the A-12 front end (without the chine) better for some reason, but liked the boat tail on the SR-71 better. Eye of the beholder I guess.

fastmongrel · Dec 29, 2016

On Facebook just bumped into that age old myth "The P51 beat the Luftwaffe and won the war" .....Yeah I am sure all the other aircrew who battled the LW must love hearing that.

Shortround6 · Dec 29, 2016

What a maroon, everybody knows that the P-51 just shot down the P-47s leavings and the P-47 destroyed the Wehrmacht too, Patton and Montgomery just swept up the remains.

Shortround6 · Dec 29, 2016

On a more serious note, how about accounts that the US refused to export turbo superchargers to the British (and French?) and that is why the P 322 was built?
Accounts are all over the place but the general drift seems to be more to do with common engines with the long nosed P-40s ordered at the same time and General Electrics inability to make timely delivery of turbos for the US aircraft. French and British in 1939/early 1940 wanted planes as soon as possible, not planes delivered 2 years down the road.

fastmongrel · Dec 29, 2016

Shortround6 said:
What a maroon, everybody knows that the P-51 just shot down the P-47s leavings and the P-47 destroyed the Wehrmacht too, Patton and Montgomery just swept up the remains.

Dont forget Monty was just a stuck up arrogant cowardly moron who deliberately prevented Patton from winning the war in August 44. It must be true Hollywood said it was so.

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Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung

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