Possible SB2C to be developed.......

[Quicksand]

Okay guys. Here's the deal. I've talked to one of the major developers for FSX, and they are considering doing a model of a Helldiver IF the technical photos of details like the interior and such things necessary to do a top notch model can be found. I have very little info on the SB2C, but I know some of you guys have tons of photos and drawings of every aircraft imaginable. Here's our chance to see the SB2C get a little stick time in FSX. Please post what you find here. Thanks.

Edit: To put things in perspective, this would be a payware project. I was not detailed by anyone to do the research for it. I volunteered to help to see if there was enough info available to allow the developer to produce an accurate model, as they strive for accuracy in all their projects. I am asking for SOH's help because I know there are others here who would love to see this plane done, and there are many folks here who are fans of Naval Aviation who may have a source of info that would help this project. I approached the developer with the request to make this plane. It may or may not happen. I'm sorry I was not more specific in my post. Thanks for your understanding.

[Quicksand]

Okay, I'll start with my findings first...The first link is to some drawings of the cockpit layout. The second link is the intro page for two pages of detailed photos of the CAF's Helldiver. The second one is good stuff!

http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/sb2c/sb2c_pit.shtml

http://www.ipmsusa2.org/Walkarounds/04-01-18-SB2C%20Helldiver/Intro.htm

[Roger]

Good work! I'd like to see a Helldiver for FsX:salute:

[BOOM]

Fantastic!!! I believe we have the good fortune of having a WWII Naval Aviator here in the forums who actually flew a Helldiver!! I believe he goes by the same name,I hope he'll report in as I'm sure he'd have a wealth of knowledge.

ps I'd be very interested in buying this product!:salute:

[Quicksand]

I think there many of us here who would line up to buy this one....

[stiz]

wonder how many pictures helldiver has ..?

[Quicksand]

I'll bet he could help. He went offline just as I was posting this thread. Maybe he'll pop back in here soon...

[Z-AZ1USN]

"The SB2C Hell diver was the most successful dive bomber of the War. Because of its poor handling and stability, the pilots referred to it as the ""SOB 2nd Class ...

[stansdds]

"The SB2C Hell diver was the most successful dive bomber of the War. Because of its poor handling and stability, the pilots referred to it as the ""SOB 2nd Class ...
That should get Helldiver's attention. I'm going to duck under this table. :running:

[stiz]

yup, run for cover everybody! :icon_lol:

[Reddog]

Not to put the Helldiver down, it did turn into a good airplane, but the most successful of WW2 I think would be the SBD as far as tonnage sunk.

[expat]

yup, run for cover everybody! :icon_lol:


but the most successful of WW2 I think would be the SBD as far as tonnage sunk.

Oh boy. Someone get the popcorn . . :d

[Javis]

Some more walk arounds:

http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/sb2c/sb2c_walk.shtml

http://martinsammodels.com/Webpage/Pages/Real%20Aviation/Walkarounds/Helldiver/Helldiver.htm

http://www.air-and-space.com/Curtiss%20SB2C%20Helldiver.htm

Nice bumpmap :) :
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver_CAF.jpg

Cheers,
Jan

[MudMarine]

I'd buy it! For two reason's: (1) I love WWII Naval aviation. (2) Our Helldiver! I think it would be a fitting reward for a man that has given so much for his country. God bless the cranky oldman! It's beyond value having someone with REAL WORLD knowledge like Helldiver around, he's been there and done that!! :applause::icon_lol::salute:

[Guruswarmyoz]

Not to put the Helldiver down, it did turn into a good airplane, but the most successful of WW2 I think would be the SBD as far as tonnage sunk.
& i wonder where the Ju87 would fit in that statement???? :)

[SkippyBing]

& i wonder where the Ju87 would fit in that statement???? :)

Or the Fairey Swordfish?

[c87]

I'd love to see the SB2C - anything WWII is fine in my book. Ultimately I'd like to see it up to the standards of developers like Vertigo with their recent SBD, anything A2A makes and MilViz.

[Lateral-G]

Will the tail fall off on landing like the real one? :icon_lol:

just trying to add some levity here...I'd love to see a Beast for FSX.

-G-

[Reddog]

& i wonder where the Ju87 would fit in that statement???? :)

Sorry I should have said the best American made for tonnage sunk.

[Helldiver]

Thank you Quicksilver for giving a great airplane your artistry. I'll be glad to work with you where ever you need me.
As far as tonnage sunk by SBD, it goes without comment. Its active time was 1942.
Again, I thank you sir,

[Piglet]

Flight manuals can be had from
flight-manuals-on-cd.com (http://flight-manuals-on-cd.com)

[raptor19]

The SB2C would be another very nice addition for FSX especially as no one else seems to have picked up on it yet. It would most definitely fill another warbird slot and I amongst many would be very interested in adding it to the collection.

[Quicksand]

I'm glad to see this thread grow in my absence, for which I apologize.. I've been on the road since Sunday with no internet until now. I have not spoken with the developer since then, but I am hoping they're watching this thread too. Thanks for the excellent links, Jan and Piglet, and all the positive input, guys. Let's see if we've generated the interest necessary to see this project take off....:medals::mixedsmi::salute:

PS: Helldiver, I couldn't ever attempt a project like this. I am only attempting to drum up the support and drive to persuade the afore-mentioned developer:mixedsmi: to take on this task. I appreciate them for even considering it. You, my friend, are the one we should all be thanking..:medals::icon29::salute::USA-flag:

[Pips]

Just as a follow up, did anything eventuate with the SB2C? Sure would be a shame if it slid off the map.

[Paul K]

I'd like to see a Helldiver for FsX:salute:

Me too. As a rule, I stick with the civilian stuff in FSX, but a good model of one of the less glamorous warhorses is always very welcome. I wish developers would do more of them.

[Prowler1111]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b26/Prowler1111/7-1.jpg

Still working on it

Prowler

[CP1207]

On the off chance that you need just ONE more person to commit to this bird in order to finish it,
I'm in!:salute:

(and I'll even buy SLUF v.2 at the same time)

Love the first A-7 release.

[Helldiver]

I know that your working on it Prowler. But I'll be 83 in a couple of months. My eyes are not improving. Besides Macular Degeneration I have cataracts in both eyes and am going to be operated on next month.
So if you could speed things up on the plane I would appreciate it before they plant me.
Although I don’t want to be a part of a bunch guys that say the SBD sank more Japanese shipping, or that the SB2C was poor handling aircraft. It was a piece of military hardware and nobody thought it flew like a J-3 Cub. The planes nowadays can't sustain flight without a computer. I never saw a tail fall off of any SB2C and I watched, and been part of, a lot of landings.
Plus any one that insists on calling it a "SOB 2<SUP>nd</SUP> Class is merely repeating what some boob of a writer came up with and was never used by any Navy crewman. Furthermore, I never said that I was a pilot. I was only the guy in back that kept the pilot awake.
As far as the CAF Helldiver, it’s a shame at how bad they’ve let it go. I can tell that the oleo strut on the tail wheel is deflated. The life preserver is gone as is the SCR 522 radios and linear amplifier. The panel is a mess. It’s been hacked over so many times you’d hardly recognize it as being on a SB2C. I don’t know how the FAA let the thing fly.
All I had for detailed drawings, I sent to Prowler1111.

[PutPut]

& i wonder where the Ju87 would fit in that statement???? :)

The Germans sank ships with submarines. The Stuka was used primarily against ground forces. Early in WW2 the German subs were sinking ships faster than Henry Kaiser could build them.

Best, Paul

[W. Bleddyn]

That's not strictly true. It was used as ground attack almost exclusively later in the war but early on it did alot of anti-shipping.

A couple exerpts from John Ward's Hitler's Stuka Squadrons: The Ju 87 at war, 1936–1945:


The Stukas had numerous successes against Allied naval vessels. HMS Bittern was sunk on 30 April. The French large destroyer Bison was sunk along with HMS Afridi by Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 on 3 May 1940 during the evacuation from Namsos. Bison's forward magazine was hit, killing 108 of the crew. Afridi, which attempted to rescue Bison's survivors, was sunk with the loss of 63 sailors.


During the Battle of Dunkirk many Allied ships were lost to Ju 87 attacks. The French destroyer L' Adroit had already been sunk on 21 May. The paddle steamer Crested Eagle was sunk on 28 May 1940. The British destroyer HMS Grenade was sunk on 29 May and several other vessels damaged by Stuka attack. On 29 May, the Allies had lost 31 vessels sunk and 11 damaged. In total, 89 merchantmen (of 126,518 grt) were lost, and the Royal Navy lost 29 of its 40 destroyers (8 sunk, 23 damaged and out of service).


As an anti-shipping weapon the Ju 87 proved a potent weapon in the early stages. On 4 July 1940, StG 2 made a successful attack on a convoy in the English Channel, sinking four freighters, the Britsum, the Dallas City, the Deucalion and Kolga. Six more were damaged. That afternoon 33 Ju 87s delivered the single most deadly air assault on British territory in history, when 33 Ju 87s of III./StG 51, avoiding Royal Air Force (RAF) interception, sank the 5,500 ton anti-aircraft ship HMS Foylebank in Portland Harbour, killing 176 of its 298-strong crew.

I doubt however that it would have come near the tonnage totals of the US carrier-based dive bombers which were used primarily for anti-shipping.

[Pips]

Still working on it

Prowler

You little ripper! :)

[icarus]

I know could not be interesting but after the success of the grumman duck we have started few usa projects including the Helldiver all versions. hope to release before summer.

[Helldiver]

Prowler, Can you show it with out all the weird photographic distortion?. It looks as though the landing gear is a bit spindly and should be fatter. But it's hard to tell with it all out of propotion as shown. The landing gear wells look good.

[mal998]

I know could not be interesting but after the success of the grumman duck we have started few usa projects including the Helldiver all versions. hope to release before summer.

Icarus,
Great to hear the news about the Helldiver. Looking forward to all versions, espcially the early ones.

[Cag40Navy]

Looks like we will have a plethora of Helldivers to choose from!

[FlameOut]

@ Helldiver:

Is this the one you are referring to?

This little baby made a stop in my state while en route to the air show over at Meridian NAS for this weekend. A local news crew did a short blurb about it.
[ the link is prolly only good until the next new story comes along ]


...As far as the CAF Helldiver, it’s a shame at how bad they’ve let it go...

http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/reunion-or-man-and-machine/1205763/Mar-26-2011_10-16-pm/ (http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/reunion-or-man-and-machine/1205763/Mar-26-2011_10-16-pm/)


...I was only the guy in back that kept the pilot awake...

There is a little "jab" in there by the young pilot to place 2nd. class status on the "back seater's". Well, that's how I sorta took it.

Today, and today only is a link over at "Plane-A-Day" for the SB2C Helldiver:

http://www.planeaday.com/

She sure looks purdy don't she! :USA-flag:

[Paul K]

Today, and today only is a link over at "Plane-A-Day" for the SB2C Helldiver:

http://www.planeaday.com/

She sure looks purdy don't she! :USA-flag:

Ummm...no she doesn't. The Helldiver is an interesting aircraft to look at, but pretty / "purdy" she most certainly is not. Still, a significant addition to the FSX-native warbird range. :)

[djscoo]

Looking at the photos and renders has made me curious. How do the rear guns on a Helldiver work? I get that a section of the fuselage folds down, but is that something you would do in-flight?

[Helldiver]

At the risk of being redundant since I mentioned his before. The main canopy is opened, Then you take your guns, pull them out beneath the rear canopy and sling the to the ports side of the aircaft, Then you would go to a wobble pump on the starboard side of the gunners station, turn the valve to Close Canopy and start pumping. It only took about 10 pumps and everything from you to the tail would fold up using four hinges. Then you would release the gunners ring, which was cleverly counter-balanced by bungee cords. It would put you up higher by 10 inches. You then are able to move your guns on the ring.
Then you'd hear how much buffeting you were given the pilot. The pilot didn't like it and you sure were not happy with the bitter cold whipping around your head. So he would very quickly tell you stow your guns. You basically would reverse the process. As far as the guns were concerned, you had very limited field of fire.. You could fire at both sides and vertical but because of the tail ,the wing and the forward fuselage. Your ability to put out any meaningful fire power you were hampered by them.

[djscoo]

Thanks Helldiver!

[Prowler1111]

Some new pics:

43991

More at out forums

Best regards

Prowler

[mal998]

Prowler,

That render looks terrific! Nice work.

I am looking forward to this one!

[Roger]

Excellent!:applause:

[c87]

That's looking mighty fine. Waiting for it's release.

[Pips]

That is looking very, very impressive. :)

[Cirrus N210MS]

wow looking amazing ron! :salute:

[roger-wilco-66]

Fantastic image, Prowler!
Can't wait!

Forum link is http://www.razbam.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=171


:ernae:
Cheers,
Mark

[Helldiver]

With all that optical distortion, it's hard to tell whether he's got it right, For one thing the paint should be glossy and that grease mark on the star would cause some plane captain to recieve a well deserved boot in his tail from his leading chief.
At least it would happen in the Navy I was in.

[jeansy]

Prowler nice work

and any chance of a green one with a sky blue underneath >http://www.adf-serials.com/2a69.shtml

[Prowler1111]

Current renders

44248

44249


these pics are using a realtime dx shader in max so I'd wager it is pretty close to how it will look in FSX

Our site forums and store is down for the moment, we are sorting this SNAFU currently, sorry for the incovenience.

Best regards

Prowler

[jeansy]

awesome

[mal998]

I want it!

[c87]

Man that is looking sweet!

[fliger747]

Looks nice PW!

T

[strykerpsg]

Holy Cr*p Prowler, the pics look fantastic! Even the weathering gives it quite a bit of character and high optempo flavor. I'm not much into WWII birds, but may certainly give this one a try, along with an authentic carrier of the same period, might be room on my HDD for a few more objects.

Looking forward to the release.

Matt