By and large, the aircraft that operated from the U.S. Navys aircraft carriers after 1942 were markedly superior to their Japanese counterparts. James W. Newquist and Samar. “We knew this aircraft was meant as a replacement for the SBD Dauntless, which won glory at Midway,” Downey said. What did that historic mission mean to you? After a 12-foot Curtiss Electric three-blade prop proved inadequate, a four-blade propeller from the same manufacturer with the same diameter and with root cuffs was introduced with the SB2C-3 model—the point at which nearly all imperfections in the design had been smoothed out. “You pulled the handle to open the bomb bay doors,” Downey said. To make matters worse, Curtiss was producing the Helldiver at a brand-new plant, which caused its own delays.The first production SB2C-1 Helldiver did not fly until June 1942, with the first deliveries to fleet squadrons at the end of that year. It had aerodynamic problems, while the changes added another three thousand pounds to the airplane’s weight . Accordingly, the new airplane was designated SBD, the Dauntless. The SBC was a biplane design that began in 1933 as a two-seat fighter with dive bombing capabilities (XF11C) and was subsequently revised to scout-bomber specifications. We throttled back to a slow climbing speed to conserve fuel and gain altitude. The lone XSB2C-1 prototype’s maiden flight was December 18, 1940, but it crashed in February 1941 and had to be rebuilt. But while the Helldiver could fold its wings to save space, little could be done about the length: it was only two feet, four inches longer than the Dauntless. That day there was no wind factor to be compensated.”. Subsequently, while further improved SB2C-4 and -5 models (deliveries beginning late 1944 and early 1945, respectively) began living up to the promise of the Helldiver’s design, the era of the dedicated dive-bomber was coming to an end.The Helldiver would remain in Navy and Marine Corps service until 1950, but after the war, the U.S. sold surplus Helldivers to the navies of Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Greece, and France. The SB2C Helldiver The West Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force proudly presents the world’s only flying example of the Curtiss-Wright SB2C Helldiver, the last true Dive Bomber produced for the US Navy. Overall, the Helldiver made a poor first impression among both aircrew and maintainers, earning it the pejorative nicknames “The Big-Tailed Beast” (often shortened to just “The Beast”) and “Son of a Bitch, 2nd Class” (a play on the SB2C designation and the Navy’s enlisted rank abbreviations).Despite the problems, some of which only emerged well after it entered service, initial demand for the Helldiver was high, leading the Navy to assign additional construction to Fairchild Aircraft’s Canadian branch (with these aircraft designated the SBF) and the Canadian Car & Foundry Company (designated the SBW). Nevertheless, the Helldiver’s problems proved too much trouble for these additional customers. After production moved to Columbus, Ohio, from Buffalo, New York, the first production Helldiver flew in June 1942.From the start, the blue warplane garnered a reputation for poor stability, structural flaws, and poor handling. Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 74148,The Museum’s SB2C-5. Yet, the Helldiver is remembered today mostly as an unpopular latecomer to the war, a less than stellar performer built by an aircraft company in decline.A round, blue tube squatting on a tiny tailwheel carrying a pilot and radioman-gunner in tandem behind a 1,900-horsepower Wright R-2600 radial engine, the Helldiver with its 49-foot, 9-inch wing span, was dubbed the “Son of a Bitch Second Class,” the “Beast,” and worse by many a pilot who paid more heed to the rumor mill in the ready room than to the performance gauges on his instrument panel. The SBC was a biplane design that began in 1933 as a two-seat fighter with dive bombing capabilities (XF11C) and was subsequently revised to scout-bomber specifications. Suitably modified, the aircraft was reclassed as a scout-bomber (SB) around the time Northrop had become Douglas’ El Segundo division. By the end of the war, changes in technology meant other aircraft could deliver an equal or greater ordnance load with comparable accuracy, eliminating the need for a specialized dive bomber. Accordingly, the new airplane was designated SBD, the Dauntless. The Army took delivery of only about 900 A-25s before deciding it did not need a dedicated dive bomber, while both the Australians and the British quickly decided the Helldiver was unsuited to service and canceled their orders.Modified again, Helldivers returned to carriers in May 1943, but performance was still poor. In his opinion, the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair fighter-bombers were better suited to the job. U.S. Navy dive-bomber crews flew the unpopular and flawed Curtiss SB2C Helldiver … This created so many accidents that Admiral ‘Jocko’ Clark rejected the first Helldivers for his squadron on the [carrier],When radioman-gunner Jim Samar learned that he would be occupying the back seat of a Helldiver rather than a Dauntless, his initial reaction was disappointment.

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