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Curtiss SBC Helldiver
The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last combat military biplane procured by the United States Navy. Delivered in 1937, the aircraft became obsolete before the start of World War II.
There was controversy in the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) in the early 1930s regarding two-seat fighter planes, monoplanes and the retractable undercarriage. In 1931, the Navy issued Design Specification No. 113, which detailed a requirement for a high-performance fighter with fixed undercarriage to be powered by the Wright R-1510 or Pratt & Whitney's R-1535 radial engine. Seven companies submitted proposals and two companies, the Douglas Aircraft with their XFD-1 and the Chance Vought with their XF3U-1 were given contracts for one prototype each. Both of these aircraft were two-seat biplanes. The Navy then asked Curtiss to supply a prototype of a two-seat monoplane which was technically more advanced.
On 30 June 1932, BuAer signed a contract with Curtiss to design a two-seat monoplane with a parasol wing a retractable undercarriage and powered by a 625 hp (466 kW) Wright R-1510-92 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. This fighter was designated XF12C-1.
The SBC was an all-metal, two-seat scout-bomber biplane with "I"-type interplane struts. It was the last combat biplane the Navy purchased and the last combat biplane manufactured in the United States. The two crewmen, pilot and radio operator/gunner, were housed in tandem cockpits enclosed by a sliding canopy and the turtle deck behind the rear cockpit could be folded down to allow the gunner to use his machine gun. The wings, rudder, elevators and flaps were fabric-covered. The main landing gear retracted into wheel wells in the fuselage just forward of the lower wing and the tailwheel retracted into the fuselage.
This aircraft was initially powered by a Wright R-1510-92 engine but this was unsuitable so the aircraft was re-engined with a 775 hp (578 kW) Wright R-1670 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine, which was also unsatisfactory. Both of these engines were prototypes and neither went into production. Finally, the 700 hp (520 kW) Wright R-1820-80 nine cylinder, single row, air-cooled radial engine was installed and the resulting aircraft, designated XF12C-1 flew in 1933. Designed for aircraft carrier usage, the parasol wing folded back, a new feature for the Navy, for storage and the aircraft had an exposed tail hook for carrier landings. The first flight was in July 1933 but in September 1934, the parasol wing failed in the dive bomber tests.
After testing, the XF12C-1 was rejected as a fighter, and on 7 December 1933 this aircraft was redesignated in the scout category as the XS4C-1 and re-engined with a 700 hp (520 kW) Wright R-1820-80 radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. In its role as a scouting aircraft, bombing equipment for a 500 lb (230 kg) bomb had to be designed and provided.
In January 1934, the designation "Scout Bomber" (SB) was introduced and the aircraft was finally redesignated XSBC-1. In early 1934, flight tests, especially dive-bombing, began. On 14 June 1934, this aircraft crashed- attributed to wing failure-[by whom?] in Lancaster, New York, about 6 mi (9.7 km) from the Curtiss plant, during one of the tests, and it was destroyed.[citation needed]
Curtiss-Wright made a proposal to the Navy to build one replacement aircraft which would be a staggered-wing biplane, would not have folding wings but would have leading-edge slots and the lower wing would have full-span flaps. It was an all-metal aircraft with fabric-covered control surfaces. It was powered by a 700 hp (520 kW) Wright XR-1510-12 fourteen-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled engine driving a constant speed Curtiss Electric three-blade propeller, and it featured an enlarged canopy, an enlarged vertical fin and rudder, and a retractable tail hook. The XSBC-2 had to engage in competitive tests against the Great Lakes Aircraft's XB2G-1 and the Grumman Aircraft Engineering's XSBF-1. The XSBC-2 won and a contract for this aircraft was signed in April 1935; it made its first flight on 9 December 1935.
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Curtiss SBC Helldiver
The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last combat military biplane procured by the United States Navy. Delivered in 1937, the aircraft became obsolete before the start of World War II.
There was controversy in the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) in the early 1930s regarding two-seat fighter planes, monoplanes and the retractable undercarriage. In 1931, the Navy issued Design Specification No. 113, which detailed a requirement for a high-performance fighter with fixed undercarriage to be powered by the Wright R-1510 or Pratt & Whitney's R-1535 radial engine. Seven companies submitted proposals and two companies, the Douglas Aircraft with their XFD-1 and the Chance Vought with their XF3U-1 were given contracts for one prototype each. Both of these aircraft were two-seat biplanes. The Navy then asked Curtiss to supply a prototype of a two-seat monoplane which was technically more advanced.
On 30 June 1932, BuAer signed a contract with Curtiss to design a two-seat monoplane with a parasol wing a retractable undercarriage and powered by a 625 hp (466 kW) Wright R-1510-92 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. This fighter was designated XF12C-1.
The SBC was an all-metal, two-seat scout-bomber biplane with "I"-type interplane struts. It was the last combat biplane the Navy purchased and the last combat biplane manufactured in the United States. The two crewmen, pilot and radio operator/gunner, were housed in tandem cockpits enclosed by a sliding canopy and the turtle deck behind the rear cockpit could be folded down to allow the gunner to use his machine gun. The wings, rudder, elevators and flaps were fabric-covered. The main landing gear retracted into wheel wells in the fuselage just forward of the lower wing and the tailwheel retracted into the fuselage.
This aircraft was initially powered by a Wright R-1510-92 engine but this was unsuitable so the aircraft was re-engined with a 775 hp (578 kW) Wright R-1670 fourteen cylinder, two row, air-cooled radial engine, which was also unsatisfactory. Both of these engines were prototypes and neither went into production. Finally, the 700 hp (520 kW) Wright R-1820-80 nine cylinder, single row, air-cooled radial engine was installed and the resulting aircraft, designated XF12C-1 flew in 1933. Designed for aircraft carrier usage, the parasol wing folded back, a new feature for the Navy, for storage and the aircraft had an exposed tail hook for carrier landings. The first flight was in July 1933 but in September 1934, the parasol wing failed in the dive bomber tests.
After testing, the XF12C-1 was rejected as a fighter, and on 7 December 1933 this aircraft was redesignated in the scout category as the XS4C-1 and re-engined with a 700 hp (520 kW) Wright R-1820-80 radial engine driving a two-blade propeller. In its role as a scouting aircraft, bombing equipment for a 500 lb (230 kg) bomb had to be designed and provided.
In January 1934, the designation "Scout Bomber" (SB) was introduced and the aircraft was finally redesignated XSBC-1. In early 1934, flight tests, especially dive-bombing, began. On 14 June 1934, this aircraft crashed- attributed to wing failure-[by whom?] in Lancaster, New York, about 6 mi (9.7 km) from the Curtiss plant, during one of the tests, and it was destroyed.[citation needed]
Curtiss-Wright made a proposal to the Navy to build one replacement aircraft which would be a staggered-wing biplane, would not have folding wings but would have leading-edge slots and the lower wing would have full-span flaps. It was an all-metal aircraft with fabric-covered control surfaces. It was powered by a 700 hp (520 kW) Wright XR-1510-12 fourteen-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled engine driving a constant speed Curtiss Electric three-blade propeller, and it featured an enlarged canopy, an enlarged vertical fin and rudder, and a retractable tail hook. The XSBC-2 had to engage in competitive tests against the Great Lakes Aircraft's XB2G-1 and the Grumman Aircraft Engineering's XSBF-1. The XSBC-2 won and a contract for this aircraft was signed in April 1935; it made its first flight on 9 December 1935.