I'm surprised no one is talking about this SB2C..

fholbert

fholbert

Mod's - Please don't edit my posts!
World War II Helldiver plane lifted from Lower Otay Reservoir (San Diego County)


Duane Johnson, the Pine Valley bass fisherman who discovered the plane on his Humminbird fish finder while fishing with his buddy, former Marine Curtis Howard of Alpine, also climbed aboard the plane. The tale seemed to come full circle when Union-Tribune photographer John Gibbins noticed fishing line and a sinker on the plane's prop. Johnson also volunteered and helped ranger-diver Kevin Kidd-Tackaberry control the spread of fluids from the plane.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/20/world-war-ii-helldiver-bottom-lower-otay-lake/


http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-pg-helldiver-recovery,0,1379863.photogallery

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http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-pg-helldiver-recovery,0,1379863.photogallery
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Hopefully it's restored to flying status. If not, at least make her flight ready.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Man they sure don't make em like they used to. We find all kinds of ww2 planes at the bottom of lakes in-tact. Pretty sure most planes these days would just break apart
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

I guess when pilots say, "I've got 'em on the fish-finder", it actually has SOME utility!
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

contactground.9 said:
Man they sure don't make em like they used to. We find all kinds of ww2 planes at the bottom of lakes in-tact. Pretty sure most planes these days would just break apart
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What is different about the aluminum used then versus now?
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

contactground.9 said:
Man they sure don't make em like they used to. We find all kinds of ww2 planes at the bottom of lakes in-tact. Pretty sure most planes these days would just break apart
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That actually makes sense. Back then, they were designed to get shot at, stay together in the air, and have quick easy repairs when they got home. What danger is there to modern aircraft in the air, other than birds? Design them so they break apart on impact, so that they take more of the energy out of a crash, rather than transferring that energy to the passengers. It's the same thing with race cars.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

fholbert said:
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.
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Been talked about it here, just not lately. About a year ago when it was first found....

http://forums.jetcareers.com/general-topics/91879-wwii-helldiver-discovered-san-diego-lake.html

http://forums.jetcareers.com/general-topics/105922-curtiss-sb2c-helldiver-wreck-found.html

As well as this one found off the Oregon coast 6 months later:


But its a good update to the San Diego story though. SB2C was one of those unsung hero planes of WWII.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

XcalibeR said:
That actually makes sense. Back then, they were designed to get shot at, stay together in the air, and have quick easy repairs when they got home. What danger is there to modern aircraft in the air, other than birds? Design them so they break apart on impact, so that they take more of the energy out of a crash, rather than transferring that energy to the passengers. It's the same thing with race cars.
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What danger....other than anti-aircraft fire, surface to air missiles, and both missile and gunfire from enemy aircraft.

But, other than that, you know, there's no danger. Great plan to make 'em break apart to safe the pilot.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

esa17 said:
Hopefully it's restored to flying status. If not, at least make her flight ready.
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Does this count as Flight Time? I'll give you it was a pretty short hop.

Man, that's a big SOB!

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Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Hacker15e said:
What danger....other than anti-aircraft fire, surface to air missiles, and both missile and gunfire from enemy aircraft.

But, other than that, you know, there's no danger. Great plan to make 'em break apart to safe the pilot.
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I'm pretty sure he was talking about non-military aircraft, even though the thread is about a war bird. Everybody :beer: and get along! :bandit:
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Codyjp said:
What is different about the aluminum used then versus now?
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The aluminum then was poorer in quality. The rush to build machines of war meant that although there was a standard for aluminum (24ST for most aircraft skins, equivalent to today's 2024-T3), if you didn't have enough zinc you just got the batch out anyway... I mean the airplane's only supposed to last a few hundred hours.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

As Roger Roger noted SOB 2nd class. SB2C. Not the best airplane but it did the job.
ts
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Stomp16 said:
I'm pretty sure he was talking about non-military aircraft, even though the thread is about a war bird. Everybody :beer: and get along! :bandit:
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Well, sort of. He said

Back then, they were designed to get shot at
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So, I guess they made non-military aircraft a LOT more robust back in the day.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

Smart man to get the Navy to pay for the recovery - rather than the Navy just take over the airplane after you recover it.

Now, if it was an AAC aircraft - he could of kept it.
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

ryan1234 said:
Smart man to get the Navy to pay for the recovery - rather than the Navy just take over the airplane after you recover it.

Now, if it was an AAC aircraft - he could of kept it.
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Sad that he is unable to pass it off as an A-25 Shrike which WAS the Army version.
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The USAF writes off its airplanes. The Navy has repeatedly said (and won in court) that any airplane recovered belongs to the Navy, regardless. And since the Navy does not really want to spend money recovering old machines, who is going to spend the money to have the Navy confiscate their find? (Oh.. and even the USAF has played games at times as evidenced by its taking the P-82 AFTER it was restored to flying condition)
 
Re: I'm surprised no one is talking about this.

ryan1234 said:
Smart man to get the Navy to pay for the recovery - rather than the Navy just take over the airplane after you recover it.
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They are getting the best of both worlds. Navy paid part of the recovery costs (being in the drinking water supply sure helped) AND the museum gets the aircraft.
 
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