Thank you for this research. This is great stuff. Where do you get these plans from?
So did these modifications by Chapansis only happen for a short time before the B-17E and before the spring release modifications?
In quote that is taken from Chapanis' autobiography, it says that(attahced)
The easiest and cheapest way to get access to the microfilm is through a subscription to Air Corps Library:
Classic Aircraft Blueprints, Drawings & Manuals | AirCorps Library They are a great resource, but their archives are incomplete. Despite this, their microfilm scans are some of the best quality you'll find.
From what that article says, I'd say that it is partially, or mostly, made up. I'm no expert on the P-47 or B-25, but I'm doing a little quick research.
Very quickly, I can say that this is very unlikely in a P-47. The flap and gear levers move on two separate planes, 90 degrees to each other. Flaps are actuated by moving a lever forward, and gear is operated by moving a lever sideways. Not only do they move in two completely different directions, they would feel very different as well. The gear lever has a large ball on the end, while flaps is a small cylinder. Of course this may just be a later model, but since it's first test flight was in 1941 and it stopped production in 1945, I have my doubts about gear and flaps ever being confused, especially in 1943 (although it IS possible). Additionally, the P-47's gear doesn't retract directly upwards, it swings in. While on the ground, the gear leg is at a slight outward angle, to prevent being pushed back in and retracting accidentally. I don't know if this would prevent a gear retract or not, but it seems harder to do from a mechanical standpoint.
As for the B-25, it seems to be the most likely, if only, candidate for messing up the two controls in 1943. The levers are both on the center console, right next to each other. THe gear lever is lower than the flaps lever, so it's less likely to make the mistake, but it could happen. See image.
My conclusion, is that by 1943, none of the B-17s had had this problem for over two years, and the earlier built aircraft were likely already out of combat and been rebuilt or sent to a training field. If the P-47s ever had the problem, it probably wouldn't be present in 1943. The B-25 likely
did have these issues.
It would seem that the article is bending the truth a little bit to make a point about Chapanis, or at the very least greatly over exaggerating and omitting information. I've personally come to that conclusion because of the date given and my knowledge of the B-17's design... By then, only two year + outdated airplanes would have the issue, and those planes wouldn't be in combat anymore, whereas the article makes it sound like all of the type had the issue, and it was still a current flaw happening all the time. For older aircraft used for training, with an inexperienced pilot, the accident rate is going to up, no matter the design of the aircraft.
I'm sure this led to the standardization of the shapes, but I don't think that they were used much during the war. On surviving B-25s, although I've only been in a few, I've never seen different shaped knobs on those two levers, which would indicate that they weren't changed. There's no reason to change the knob shapes back, if they are wartime. I have some doubts about making a widespread modification that required rubber, as well. Especially in England where most of the modification would be needed, rubber was in short supply, because it was needed urgently for tires, tanks, hoses, and airplane fuel tanks. Painted or even plain wood is a better and more realistic alternative. The article never mentions how many aircraft, or which types, were modified and when. I'd guess one or two were modified, and after the war it was pushed to standardize.