Worst aircraft of WW2? (1 Viewer)

CurzonDax · Jan 30, 2006

FLYBOYJ said:
CurzonDax said:

This brings to mind for me the teething problems the B-26 had, the so called Widowmaker. If you did not follow procedure and did not flip the engine management systems that were located behind the Pilot, then yes the plane tended to fall from the sky. :{)

Click to expand...

Engine Management system?!? Explain that one????

Sorry my techno-speak got ahead of the technology. If I remember, and I have been thinking about this on and off all day, some of the swtiches that controlled the engines were located on a panel behind the pilot. In the beginning of the B-26's deployment many pilots because of poor training would forget about this panel, take off, the engines would freak out and earth and plane would collide. Therefore it was called the widowmaker because pilots thought it was unflyable and a danger. But Jimmy Doolittle proved, with training, that it was a fantasitic aircraft. In fact during a demonstration he even buzzed the field on one engine!

:{)

FLYBOYJ · Jan 30, 2006

CurzonDax said:
FLYBOYJ said:

CurzonDax said:

This brings to mind for me the teething problems the B-26 had, the so called Widowmaker. If you did not follow procedure and did not flip the engine management systems that were located behind the Pilot, then yes the plane tended to fall from the sky. :{)

Click to expand...

Engine Management system?!? Explain that one????

Click to expand...

Sorry my techno-speak got ahead of the technology. If I remember, and I have been thinking about this on and off all day, some of the swtiches that controlled the engines were located on a panel behind the pilot. In the beginning of the B-26's deployment many pilots because of poor training would forget about this panel, take off, the engines would freak out and earth and plane would collide. Therefore it was called the widowmaker because pilots thought it was unflyable and a danger. But Jimmy Doolittle proved, with training, that it was a fantasitic aircraft. In fact during a demonstration he even buzzed the field on one engine!

:{)

The only thing behind the pilot in a B-26 are fuel transfer valves and some hydraulic controls. The FE would deal with those in the event of an emergency. Everything pertaining to the engine is on the front pedestal. I circled the photo to show where the engine controls are including ignition stitches for starting. Its this way on just about every American plane I've ever run across!

Below is a site that actually goes into a B-26 flight.

http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/B-26.html

Gnomey · Jan 30, 2006

Why is the picture called "B-24 cockpit" when it clearly says "Martin B-26 Marauder" on the picture...

Good pic all the same.

wmaxt · Jan 30, 2006

Gnomey said:
Why is the picture called "B-24 cockpit" when it clearly says "Martin B-26 Marauder" on the picture...

Good pic all the same.

There are also only engine control levers for two engines.

wmaxt

FLYBOYJ · Jan 30, 2006

Gnomey said:
Why is the picture called "B-24 cockpit" when it clearly says "Martin B-26 Marauder" on the picture...

Good pic all the same.

My error

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

I stand corrected plus I went back and read Dolittle's account on this and I was mistaken about what the controls were. But still my point is the same, in the beginning of the B-26's deployment, many pilots would forget about this panel and crash thier planes. Because of this the plane was considered "bad".

:{)

evangilder · Jan 31, 2006

It didn't have anything to do with where the controls were. The main problem with the B-26 was training. Pilots were not used to the high landing speed and wing loading of the airplane. This led to accidents that could have been avoided with proper training.

FLYBOYJ · Jan 31, 2006

CurzonDax said:
I stand corrected plus I went back and read Dolittle's account on this and I was mistaken about what the controls were. But still my point is the same, in the beginning of the B-26's deployment, many pilots would forget about this panel and crash thier planes. Because of this the plane was considered "bad".

:{)

I don't know what panel you're talking about - there are no engine controls behind the pilot on the B-26 or any medium bomber. The B-29 had dedicated flight engineers station but all engine contorls on light and medium WW2 bombers are on the center pedistal, this includes starting, magneto, mixture and thottle. The B-26 had electic propellers and there was a feathering button in the overhead, again typical of 90% of WW2 designs. Behind the pilot are usually circuit breakers to be pulled in case of an emergency.

The B-26 had a high accident rate becuase there was not a lot of twin engine training, and the B-26 landed very fast. Once training was improved and simple things were corrected (like using a check list) thngs got a whole lot better...

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

Like I said training. I have also read that the positioning of these controls was also a contributing factor. I mean its a horrible place to place to put fuel transfer valves and hydraulic controls.

:{)

FLYBOYJ · Jan 31, 2006

CurzonDax said:
Like I said training. I have also read that the positioning of these controls was also a contributing factor. I mean its a horrible place to place to put fuel transfer valves and hydraulic controls.

:{)

Actually its not - you use those in case of emergency and usually the Flight engineer is the one who uses them on command from the pilot and again all US medium and light bombers are set up that way. Even today many light twin engine aircraft are set up the same way. Transfering fuel is something to be done in cruise using a checklist. If you look at that training video some of the valves are safety wired with break away wire so the only time you use them is in case of emergency. For its day the B-26 was a complicated aircraft and many pilots were first taught to memorize things instead of using a checklist. Those who tried to "wing it" usually wound up dead...

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

Maybe thats is what I am thinking of. I stand corrected then. Lesson to all, don't rely on memory from material you have read a zillion years ago and are away from your sources. Thank you for setting me straight.

But again my point is the same, at first the B-26 was thought to be a horrible aircraft and pilots did not want to fly them. My whole argument is that there were aircraft that started out as "the worst" and ended up being the best with training and/or modification.

:{)

Hunter368 · Jan 31, 2006

FLYBOYJ said:
CurzonDax said:

Like I said training. I have also read that the positioning of these controls was also a contributing factor. I mean its a horrible place to place to put fuel transfer valves and hydraulic controls.

:{)

Click to expand...

Actually its not - you use those in case of emergency and usually the Flight engineer is the one who uses them on command from the pilot and again all US medium and light bombers are set up that way. Even today many light twin engine aircraft are set up the same way. Transfering fuel is something to be done in cruise using a checklist. If you look at that training video some of the valves are safety wired with break away wire so the only time you use them is in case of emergency. For its day the B-26 was a complicated aircraft and many pilots were first taught to memorize things instead of using a checklist. Those who tried to "wing it" usually wound up dead...

Yeh I just read a book where some pilots loved them and called them the best planes in WW2 and some pilots hated them, called them death traps.

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

Oh by the way, the B-26 website that you suggested is blocked by my school system because its considered:

a: Adult Oriented material
b. Racist or Hate Oriented material
c. Illegal Material
d. School Cheating material

Its just so future B-26 pilots in my school can't cheat on thier solos so when they fly against the "damned Nazis/Japs/Abortion Clinics/Republicans/Democrats/Napster/Kazaa Lite Ressurction". An then they wonder why Johnny can't learn. I am sure it was a kick-ass site.

:{)

FLYBOYJ · Jan 31, 2006

CurzonDax said:
Oh by the way, the B-26 website that you suggested is blocked by my school system because its considered:

a: Adult Oriented material
b. Racist or Hate Oriented material
c. Illegal Material
d. School Cheating material

Its just so future B-26 pilots in my school can't cheat on thier solos so when they fly against the "damned Nazis/Japs/Abortion Clinics/Republicans/Democrats/Napster/Kazaa Lite Ressurction". An then they wonder why Johnny can't learn. I am sure it was a kick-ass site.

:{)

Oh that's hilarous!!! I logged on yesterday, it has a B-26 trining film!! I'm at an airbase and it let me in with no problem...

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

Believe it or not many aircraft sites are blocked including the PBS 100 Years of Flight documentary site. Also I am teaching western expansion and I wanted to know what the settlers carried in thier wagons. Several sites even in this subject were blocked.

:{)

FLYBOYJ · Jan 31, 2006

CurzonDax said:
Believe it or not many aircraft sites are blocked including the PBS 100 Years of Flight documentary site. Also I am teaching western expansion and I wanted to know what the settlers carried in thier wagons. Several sites even in this subject were blocked.

:{)

Incredible!!!

CurzonDax · Jan 31, 2006

Welcome to modern teaching.

:{)

Guns!Guns!Guns! · Feb 2, 2006

Anyone yet consider the BoultonPaul Defiant amongst the lousiest ideas ever? I mean this thing was supposed to be a FIGHTER. I can just hear the prospective aircrews now, "Right, I'm supposed to let him get on my six, then my gunner is supposed to splash him withthese little peashooters, without popping my own tail off, all the while he is shooting me with large caliber weapons....RIGHT! Now why didn't I think of that!"

FLYBOYJ · Feb 2, 2006

Guns!Guns!Guns! said:
Anyone yet consider the BoultonPaul Defiant amongst the lousiest ideas ever? I mean this thing was supposed to be a FIGHTER. I can just hear the prospective aircrews now, "Right, I'm supposed to let him get on my six, then my gunner is supposed to splash him withthese little peashooters, without popping my own tail off, all the while he is shooting me with large caliber weapons....RIGHT! Now why didn't I think of that!"

Nope...

Welcome!

loomaluftwaffe · Feb 3, 2006

the lancaster kicks ass said:
Jesus Villamor, the first filipino ace flew a P-26, does that make them great too?

see, i do pay attention in the other threads

the P-26 is just strange, CurzonDax said that he had balls of steel thats why he can fly the plane right? so u fly the p-26 with ur balls

jk i suck

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