Picture of the day. (2 Viewers)

[syscom3]

Curtiss SOC-3 scout-observation floatplane stripped for maintenance in the hangar of
the light cruiser USS Savannah (CL 42), around 1938. The plane's engine is a Pratt &
Whitney R-1340 nine-cylinder radial.

 

[syscom3]

50 years ago today, Dec 26 1972. President Harry S. Truman passes away at age 88. Born May 8 1884. A key architect of
the post war world.

 

[GreenKnight121]

Survivors?? WOW!!!

Wow hard to believe anyone got out of that B-26!

Survivors: Co-pilot, navigator (acting as waist gunner in aft fuselage), radioman (same), tail gunner.

Deceased: Pilot, bombardier, mechanic (upper turret gunner in aft fuselage)

 

[GreenKnight121]

Note the skin wrinkles at the corner of the bombardiers canopy, both planes. Every time you show a B-18A, I'm so thankful we had the Boeing B-17 when we went to war.

Want to see wrinkles on a "fuselage" - try the Apollo lunar module - presumably gained during the stresses of landing on, and then taking of from, the surface of the moon.
The LM brought a whole new meaning to the term lightweight structure:

Ripples appear along the fuselage of a US Navy (USN) E-2C Hawkeye aircraft assigned to the "Seahawks" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 126 (VAW-126), due to the tremendous amount of torque and pressure exerted on the aircraft while landing on the flight deck of the US Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) 11 January 2005.

The ripples only appear during the initial touchdown impact period, and disappear as soon as the fuselage is no longer stressed.

This is why carrier aircraft airframe life is listed in both landing cycles and flight hours - with landing cycles having priority.

 

[syscom3]

Douglas B-18 Bolo bombers flying over San Quentin, California. October 1939.

 

[Wurger]

 

[cammerjeff]

This must have been a fun ride! Result of an engine failure at take off, note the bombs that broke loose during the aborted takeoff!

Source The Misjudged B-26 Marauder

 

[Wurger]

 

[SaparotRob]

An one you can walk away from is a good one.

 

[Gnomey]

Good shots!

 

[syscom3]

Douglas B-18A Bolo's of the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron over Langley Virginia 5 April 1940.

 

[cammerjeff]

While reading a book about RAF operations from Malta I read about the Martain Maryland's Observer/Bombadier's position having auxiliary flight controls. I don't remember that detail of the A/C. And looked for some pictures & sure enough found this showing the stowable control column and flight instruments, Throttle, mixture, & Prop controls, and what may be a rudder pedal bar. I learned 2 things today! Very good day!

Source
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cockpits/comments/80rb84/martin_xa22_bombardiers_compartment/

 

[SaparotRob]

Cool! I love auxiliary bridges.

 

[DBII]

It's a battle bridge. I thought the secondary controls were removed early in production.

 

[SaparotRob]

That's even better!

 

[cammerjeff]

The book referenced a Recon version of the Maryland that was part of the French order taken over by the RAF. The observer talked about practice flying the Maryland in case of injury to the Pilot. But also stated that he sometimes used them to direct the photo runs. I am only about a 1/4 of the way thru the book so I don't know if any other references are made to the controls, or if they were deleted in the later batch's of the Marylands delivered to the RAF.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

While reading a book about RAF operations from Malta I read about the Martain Maryland's Observer/Bombadier's position having auxiliary flight controls. I don't remember that detail of the A/C. And looked for some pictures & sure enough found this showing the stowable control column and flight instruments, Throttle, mixture, & Prop controls, and what may be a rudder pedal bar. I learned 2 things today! Very good day!

View attachment 700496
Source
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cockpits/comments/80rb84/martin_xa22_bombardiers_compartment/

It would be interesting to do a landing from there!

 

[Wurger]

 

[syscom3]

B-18 Bolo's of the 7th Bomb Group in formation on September 18 1938. Note the turret like contraption on the plane in front.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Retractable dorsal turret. The hottest thing in 1930s technologies. All the cool planes had them. lol