My Dad was mostly on destroyers in WWII as a gunner, but he was inspired by these aviators to learn to fly. So he hitched a few rides on pby's, and eventually got his private pilot license in the Philippines. Then in the early 60's got his commercial rating and rotorcraft rating. He owned his own business as a helicopter ag pilot, and retired from flying in 1972. He went to work at a hardware store after that. Pretty amazing he achieved all that wit a 9th grade education. I love you Dad, and I miss you ❤️😢 RIP. See you later 🙏👍🇺🇸
@@tomelmore8431 That was some generation. I miss my Dad too. Private pilot too. Navy WW2. Saw combat South Pacific. Rose to Fire Chief in major US city. All on a 10th grade education. That generation worked their way up, no handouts. He taught me how to fly too.
My pop was a USN Helldiver radioman. He would laugh at the bad press - which continues to be hurled at this airplane to this day. It was a nearly impossible ship built to a ridiculous set of design standards and required a lot of teething. Compared to Avengers and Dauntlesses, it was HUGE - with fuel and armament capacities to match - and yet it had to operate from the same relatively small carrier decks, launching without deck-catapult assistance. Although late to the theater, the Helldivers quickly racked up more Japanese shipping tonnage than any other type. They represented a significant advance in piston-driven attack weaponry. Latter day criticism, let alone ignorant dismissal, of the SB2C is completely absurd - and inevitably the arm-chair quarterbacks will also rain their yap on the P-40 and C-46 as well - both not only successful aircraft, but in the case of the faithful old P-40, the BEST, most reliable and predictably-combat-ready pursuit plane fielded by the US military at the outset of the war. As my Navy dad - who often worked on the Army Tomahawks at stateside Curtiss-Wright installations - would say about it, "The P-40 was a great airplane and we were lucky to have it. Not a hangar queen like the P-38 always requiring more maintenance...." It's always fascinating to watch the "piling-on syndrome" so common on TH-cam comment threads...
My Dad was an engineer on both the P-40 and The Helldiver, he was proud of the work he and his team did with both airplanes, he was especially proud of the continuous improvement they did with the wing on The Helldiver, as you stated so perfectly it was a dam good attack platform later in the war and proved its worth!!!!!!
Napolean was short, Hitler escaped to Argentina, chemtrails, Roswell, organised religion etc etc..... stupidity is the ultimate shape changer, appears in countless forms.
The SB2-C has a great memorie for me and my "preteen " model building days. I had the model with retractable gear, folding wings, sliding canopy.( I THINK it was a ""REVELL"" kit.) We had a neighborhhod drunk that my Mom would give plates of food to when he couldn't make it home and would stop by to chill before STAGGERING on home down the block. Anyway, he liked my models, but one Sunday in July, Ill never forget it, it was hot as "All b goddamn" and i had just finished my model and he came by. I had it out on front porch ledge to let paint dry, and I swear, to this day, that man sobered up and CRIED. Right then snd there. After he composed Hiself, he told me he had actualy main tained THAT particular PLANE IN THE WAR! He recognized by decal markings, and paint scheme, said I had it down to a TEE. That's when i first heard nsme;"Ess Bee Deuce E". He says she was a bitch, but he loved the challenge and his particular one was still flying when he was discharged. Like I said, he was the area drunk, but after that day, I had new respect for his past, and I saw him in new eyes and I NEVER saw him drunk again. I was his "Buddy Boy" after that. I was about 13, at the time. We moved from area week I was 17, and last i heard he past on as deacon in church. MR.ALBERT ROSE, R.I.P. my freind, your memories still linger in me. 👍🏿
I have a soft spot for this much-maligned beast, my cousin test flew them at the factory in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Fort William in those days. He was the mildest mannered man ever, but once he got into a Helldiver he turned maniac and flew the living crap out of it. He liked to take folks for a ride - 100% record of them losing their lunch.
I really enjoyed seeing this aircraft in person. Part of our history that is only remembered by a few. My dad flew Avengers in the pacific so dive bombers are my favorite.
No disrespect meant in anyway, the Avenger was a torpedo bomber, which required completely different yet awesome set of flying skills then dive bomber pilots.
@@roberteamoore The SB2c was a Dive Bomber or a Torpedo Bomber. E.E.Taylor AMR2c Radioman, Gunner VB75 of the FDR. Your correct that it Required different Tactics between a Dive Bomber and a Torpedo Plane, but the plane was the same Except they took the Bomb Bay Doors off to fit the Torpedo. Look for my Dad on UT, he's the plane falling off the Bow of the FDR on it's Maiden Voyage. Cause Reported, Catapult Failure.
My uncle Robert was a radioman/gunner on the Helldiver. He and his pilot were shot down and KIA in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. My dad kept the telegram which said the aircraft was attacked by a Japanese fighter and seen going down trailing smoke. They were never recovered.
sweet! my dad was an aviation radioman in sbds and sb2cs and fought in all the major engagements of the pacific war..he won 3 air medals and a dfc...he was a really good shot and i never could best him on the skeet range lol
Beautifully restored Helldiver. All the old WWII photos I've seen of these airplanes, they always look like crap. But then, the crew were probably busy doing more important things than washing the birds.
My ex-wife had a second cousin who flew them after flying Dauntlesses. He HATED them. They were sluggish, had very high stick forces and were hard to bring aboard. He always said if the Japs didn't kill him that airplane would. He managed to survive both fortunately.
Somebody always hates "SOMETHING," I guess. But apparently your ex-wife's second cousin lived to tell somebody what he hated. (My pop hated THE WAR til the day he died. "Boys - don't ever let anyone tell you that was a good war....") Every pilot has heard the old shiboleth, "any landing you can walk away from is a GOOD landing." Carrier aviation is uniquely hazardous business - and arguably MORE hazardous then than now. If I recall the written history correctly, more pilots and planes were lost to accidents than to enemy action. All of this STILL doesn't explain the bizarre and apparently endless yap-yap against the Helldiver. I can testify from dad's stories that, back home, constant, feverishly concentrated work was being done to improve the platform - and history tells us that work paid off.
I know the Helldiver had problems when compared to the Avenger and Dauntless but something about the larger tail makes me like it's appearance more than the SBD
Turning the big radial engine over cold with the ignition turned off - pumping oil up into the cylinders - then firing her up and letting the oil burn out of the combustion chambers...
No independent trolley accumulator/generator for these old types ? Isn't this making a rod for the pilots back ? Surely a trolley acc would help maintain the voltage. When the engine is cranked, the first thing to drop is voltage due to the current draw. And if the voltage drops magnetos don't experience enough potential difference to generate a decent spark at the plugs. Hence the interminable fluffing on engine start.
Not much. Max Continuous power on the 2600 is about 100hp less than the 2800 (1,600 vs 1,500hp) An R-3350 with ~2,000hp would have made a difference, but those were all spoken for. Max HP/Takeoff power on the 2600 was at 44Inches/mercury pressure. They probably could have pushed that close to 60" like most of the rest of the engines running the 100/130 octane fuel, and it's likely the crew chiefs did that. They did good work for what they were, determined pilots count for a lot.
@@erickleven1712 - Every bit helps. For a pilot whose Helldiver is settling into the ocean off the bow of the carrier, it could make a difference. But if the Navy got the extra power, it would probably have demanded changes, IE increased armor, bomb load... WEIGHT! Curtiss Wright got a lot of flak over this bird but many of the issues originate with the unrealistic specs that the design had to conform to as well as requested changes.
I was watching the 'dark skies' video yesterday on the 'beast' (it was full of stock footage (and you cannot blame them for using it)) and it was this morning I remembered 'diamond 32' I have seen footage of her restoration watched her in passing (warbird/aviation junkie). th-cam.com/video/_8NCveRqkg4/w-d-xo.html
I wish the Helldiver pilots and radiomen would get more of the credit that they deserve.
Yes, there were a lot of people involved that never get noticed or mentioned.
My Dad was mostly on destroyers in WWII as a gunner, but he was inspired by these aviators to learn to fly. So he hitched a few rides on pby's, and eventually got his private pilot license in the Philippines. Then in the early 60's got his commercial rating and rotorcraft rating. He owned his own business as a helicopter ag pilot, and retired from flying in 1972. He went to work at a hardware store after that. Pretty amazing he achieved all that wit a 9th grade education. I love you Dad, and I miss you ❤️😢 RIP. See you later 🙏👍🇺🇸
Man - I miss my dad like crazy!
@@tomelmore8431
That was some generation.
I miss my Dad too. Private pilot too.
Navy WW2. Saw combat South Pacific. Rose to Fire Chief in major US city. All on a 10th grade education. That generation worked their way up, no handouts.
He taught me how to fly too.
My pop was a USN Helldiver radioman. He would laugh at the bad press - which continues to be hurled at this airplane to this day. It was a nearly impossible ship built to a ridiculous set of design standards and required a lot of teething. Compared to Avengers and Dauntlesses, it was HUGE - with fuel and armament capacities to match - and yet it had to operate from the same relatively small carrier decks, launching without deck-catapult assistance. Although late to the theater, the Helldivers quickly racked up more Japanese shipping tonnage than any other type. They represented a significant advance in piston-driven attack weaponry. Latter day criticism, let alone ignorant dismissal, of the SB2C is completely absurd - and inevitably the arm-chair quarterbacks will also rain their yap on the P-40 and C-46 as well - both not only successful aircraft, but in the case of the faithful old P-40, the BEST, most reliable and predictably-combat-ready pursuit plane fielded by the US military at the outset of the war. As my Navy dad - who often worked on the Army Tomahawks at stateside Curtiss-Wright installations - would say about it, "The P-40 was a great airplane and we were lucky to have it. Not a hangar queen like the P-38 always requiring more maintenance...."
It's always fascinating to watch the "piling-on syndrome" so common on TH-cam comment threads...
My Dad flew the Hell Diver during WW2, with VB-14.
My Dad was an engineer on both the P-40 and The Helldiver, he was proud of the work he and his team did with both airplanes, he was especially proud of the continuous improvement they did with the wing on The Helldiver, as you stated so perfectly it was a dam good attack platform later in the war and proved its worth!!!!!!
Napolean was short, Hitler escaped to Argentina, chemtrails, Roswell, organised religion etc etc..... stupidity is the ultimate shape changer, appears in countless forms.
Happy to hear this.
The SB2-C has a great memorie for me and my "preteen " model building days.
I had the model with retractable gear, folding wings, sliding canopy.( I THINK it was a ""REVELL"" kit.)
We had a neighborhhod drunk that my Mom would give plates of food to when he couldn't make it home and would stop by to chill before STAGGERING on home down the block.
Anyway, he liked my models, but one Sunday in July, Ill never forget it, it was hot as "All b goddamn" and i had just finished my model and he came by.
I had it out on front porch ledge to let paint dry, and I swear, to this day, that man sobered up and CRIED.
Right then snd there.
After he composed Hiself, he told me he had actualy main tained THAT particular PLANE IN THE WAR! He recognized by decal markings, and paint scheme, said I had it down to a TEE.
That's when i first heard nsme;"Ess Bee Deuce E".
He says she was a bitch, but he loved the challenge and his particular one was still flying when he was discharged.
Like I said, he was the area drunk, but after that day, I had new respect for his past, and I saw him in new eyes and I NEVER saw him drunk again.
I was his "Buddy Boy" after that.
I was about 13, at the time.
We moved from area week I was 17, and last i heard he past on as deacon in church.
MR.ALBERT ROSE, R.I.P. my freind, your memories still linger in me. 👍🏿
An amazing coincidence if true. Among My fav top birds from similar age, 1st did the Airfix model @ 12 yrs, kid in the mid 70s
I have a soft spot for this much-maligned beast, my cousin test flew them at the factory in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Fort William in those days. He was the mildest mannered man ever, but once he got into a Helldiver he turned maniac and flew the living crap out of it. He liked to take folks for a ride - 100% record of them losing their lunch.
I really enjoyed seeing this aircraft in person. Part of our history that is only remembered by a few. My dad flew Avengers in the pacific so dive bombers are my favorite.
No disrespect meant in anyway, the Avenger was a torpedo bomber, which required completely different yet awesome set of flying skills then dive bomber pilots.
@@roberteamoore Thank you. I do know the difference but thanks for pointing that out.
@@roberteamoore The SB2c was a Dive Bomber or a Torpedo Bomber.
E.E.Taylor AMR2c Radioman, Gunner VB75 of the FDR.
Your correct that it Required different Tactics between a Dive Bomber and a Torpedo Plane, but the plane was the same Except they took the Bomb Bay Doors off to fit the Torpedo.
Look for my Dad on UT, he's the plane falling off the Bow of the FDR on it's Maiden Voyage. Cause Reported, Catapult Failure.
@@roberteamoore Avengers were also used for bombing.
@@pat36a was your dad rescued?
My uncle Robert was a radioman/gunner on the Helldiver. He and his pilot were shot down and KIA in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. My dad kept the telegram which said the aircraft was attacked by a Japanese fighter and seen going down trailing smoke. They were never recovered.
sweet! my dad was an aviation radioman in sbds and sb2cs and fought in all the major engagements of the pacific war..he won 3 air medals and a dfc...he was a really good shot and i never could best him on the skeet range lol
This is always an impressive plane to see fly, the size and scope is just amazing. one of my favorites.
Beautifully restored Helldiver. All the old WWII photos I've seen of these airplanes, they always look like crap. But then, the crew were probably busy doing more important things than washing the birds.
My ex-wife had a second cousin who flew them after flying Dauntlesses. He HATED them. They were sluggish, had very high stick forces and were hard to bring aboard. He always said if the Japs didn't kill him that airplane would. He managed to survive both fortunately.
Somebody always hates "SOMETHING," I guess. But apparently your ex-wife's second cousin lived to tell somebody what he hated. (My pop hated THE WAR til the day he died. "Boys - don't ever let anyone tell you that was a good war....") Every pilot has heard the old shiboleth, "any landing you can walk away from is a GOOD landing." Carrier aviation is uniquely hazardous business - and arguably MORE hazardous then than now. If I recall the written history correctly, more pilots and planes were lost to accidents than to enemy action. All of this STILL doesn't explain the bizarre and apparently endless yap-yap against the Helldiver. I can testify from dad's stories that, back home, constant, feverishly concentrated work was being done to improve the platform - and history tells us that work paid off.
Beautiful-imagine a deck full of these starting up ready for an op.
..you mean for a sortie.
@@warplanner8852 - A sortie is one flight by a single aircraft.
I know the Helldiver had problems when compared to the Avenger and Dauntless but something about the larger tail makes me like it's appearance more than the SBD
very impressive . dog of an aeroplane but amazing to see
Fantastic
Fortunatly, this bloody Cesna did'nt ruin that noble noise !
What a Bird. I'm WW2 Planes buff. Thanks a lot.
Wonderful video!
Man so huge compared to the SBD. Awesome video and aircraft
That start up reminded me of the movie The Flight Of The Phoenix
go go go go!
I was thinking the exact same thing!
Turning the big radial engine over cold with the ignition turned off - pumping oil up into the cylinders - then firing her up and letting the oil burn out of the combustion chambers...
No lie, I thought self same thing, well you know, Great Minds Think Alone and all that.
No independent trolley accumulator/generator for these old types ?
Isn't this making a rod for the pilots back ? Surely a trolley acc would help maintain the voltage. When the engine is cranked, the first thing to drop is voltage due to the current draw. And if the voltage drops magnetos don't experience enough potential difference to generate a decent spark at the plugs. Hence the interminable fluffing on engine start.
The two magnetos are independently powered internally so the voltage drop from using the starter would not affect them.
That was great but way too short.
legend says in the right hands she could out turn a zero...
what a beauty
ただただかっこいいの一言！
レシプロは最高です！
One of the things I've always wondered is if we built these engines with the technology we have today how would the planes perform?
We'll never know, the industry is still building new planes with 40s & 50s technology engines 😂😂😂
I wonder how much the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 would have improved performance.
Not much. Max Continuous power on the 2600 is about 100hp less than the 2800 (1,600 vs 1,500hp) An R-3350 with ~2,000hp would have made a difference, but those were all spoken for. Max HP/Takeoff power on the 2600 was at 44Inches/mercury pressure. They probably could have pushed that close to 60" like most of the rest of the engines running the 100/130 octane fuel, and it's likely the crew chiefs did that.
They did good work for what they were, determined pilots count for a lot.
@@erickleven1712 - Every bit helps. For a pilot whose Helldiver is settling into the ocean off the bow of the carrier, it could make a difference. But if the Navy got the extra power, it would probably have demanded changes, IE increased armor, bomb load... WEIGHT! Curtiss Wright got a lot of flak over this bird but many of the issues originate with the unrealistic specs that the design had to conform to as well as requested changes.
its always a joy to fly it on fhsw
Are those mags ok?
E P I C
I was watching the 'dark skies' video yesterday on the 'beast' (it was full of stock footage (and you cannot blame them for using it)) and it was this morning I remembered 'diamond 32' I have seen footage of her restoration watched her in passing (warbird/aviation junkie). th-cam.com/video/_8NCveRqkg4/w-d-xo.html
Yep. If you want a lotta' half-cocked yip-yap, Dark Skies is the place to get it alright...
Man this engine burned some oil on start up.
All radial engines do.
/me salutes son of a bitch second class
Greta’s favorite plane…
Who is Greta? The Helldiver was a terrible aircraft. This is a great restoration BUT it's safe to say the SBD was much better liked by carrier pilots.
Son of a Bitch 2nd Class
What this was at the caf at Atlanta regional airport! I didn’t even know she came in for a visit