Worst aircraft of WW2?

[CurzonDax]

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

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!

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[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by CurzonDax

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!

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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]

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]

Originally Posted by Gnomey

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]

Originally Posted by Gnomey

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]

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".

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[evangilder]

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]

Originally Posted by CurzonDax

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".

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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]

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.

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[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by CurzonDax

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.

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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]

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.

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[Hunter368]

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

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]

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.

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[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by CurzonDax

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.

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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]

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.

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