Douglas XTB2D Skypirate

[evangilder]

One of my favorite sites "How to be a Retronaut" had a few photos and a short writeup on this rare airplane.

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate, 1945 | Retronaut

 

[oldcrowcv63]

Can kinda see the genetic lineage to the AD-1. Is that a third crewman canaopy under the vertical stabilizer fairing? Really cool site! Especially if you like zepplins!

Colour photographs of the Hindenburg interior, 1930s | Retronaut

Construction of the USS Macon Airship | Retronaut

 

[evangilder]

The third crewman would have been in the back in a turret. The turret was not on the two prototypes. So the rear cockpit are where it slopes down toward the tail fairing is where the turret would have been placed.

That site is a lot of fun. They have all kinds of cool stuff on it.

 

[oldcrowcv63]

The retronaut site is indeed fun:

From wikipedia about the SkyPirate:

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Douglas received a contract for two prototypes, designated TB2D, receiving the official name: "Skypirate".[1] The TB2D was powered by a Pratt Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major driving contra-rotating propellers. Four torpedoes or equivalent bomb load could be carried on underwing pylons. Defensive armament consisted of two 20 mm (.79 in) cannon in the wings and .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns mounted in a power-operated dorsal turret.[2]

Very large for a single-engined aircraft, the TB2D would have been the largest piston-engined carrierborne aircraft at the time if it had been deployed. It could carry four times the weapon load of the TBF Avenger and was larger, heavier and faster than a B-25 Mitchell bomber. With only limited support from the US Navy, and facing a recommendation for cancellation on 20 May 1944 due to the aircraft being designed only for the CVB and CV9 carriers, the TB2B project was in peril even at the design and mock-up stage."

I was actually curious about the greenhouse aft of the turret position... that seemed particularly odd to me. Here is a plan drawing from the wiki site:

 

[Thorlifter]

I like that retronaut site Eric. Pretty cool stuff.