Difference between revisions of "Common Questions and Answers"

The wings on the TBM are hydraulically folding and controlled by the pilot from the cockpit. However, manpower is necessary to move them the final few inches to allow the tie back cables to be attached.

Roy Grumman, the TBM’s designer, came up with the idea by sticking two paperclips in a soap eraser.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thruelsen |first1=Richard |title=The Grumman Story |date=1976 |publisher=Praeger |location=New York |pages=124–126}}</ref> Known as the Sto-Wing, it was used on other Grumman designs such as the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, as well as the postwar E-1 Tracer, C-2 Greyhound, and E-2 Hawkeye.

The airplane needed long propeller blades to absorb the power of the large Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. These blades were so long that they would not be able to clear the ground when the plane took off. One solution was that the main landing gear could be lengthened. However, the Corsair was designed to operate off of aircraft carriers – a situation that involves very hard landings. Longer landing gear were less sturdy. Another option was to use a wing mounted low on the fuselage instead of in the middle. This was also unacceptable, as engineers had figured out that there was a distinct aerodynamic benefit to the wing meeting the fuselage at a 90-degree angle, and a traditional low wing would not allow this. So, to keep the landing gear short, the wing at a 90-degree angle to the fuselage, and still have enough clearance for the propeller, the wings were “bent” downward.

The short version is that there were at least 27 B-17s and B-24s lost from bomb groups escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen. At the same time, white fighter groups in the Fifteenth Air Force lost an average of 46 bombers. However, there are many factors that can affect this number, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions, and the end result is that it unclear whether they were any “better” than any of the other fighter groups.

First, it is useful to remember that the military accepted a range of heights and weights. For example, fighter pilots were permitted to be from 5' 4" to 6' tall and weigh 120 to 180 pounds. When it came to bombers, commissioned officers could be between 5' and 6' 4" and 120 to 200 pounds. However, the average airman was 5’ 9” tall and weighed 154 pounds unclothed.

Interestingly, one of the bigger problems that was encountered was not just the size of the individual person, but also the bulk of the flying clothing and equipment they were wearing. Early enclosed gun turrets were designed at a time when airplanes operated at lower altitudes. This meant that relatively little protection was needed from the elements as the temperature there was warm enough and the air was breathable. However, as technological advanced pushed aerial combat higher and higher, the temperature dropped and the air thinned, making heavy clothing and oxygen masks a necessity. Yet turrets were still being designed without consideration for the amount of space that these new provisions were taking up. As an example of bulk of this equipment, the standard uniform, electrically heated suit, and oxygen system alone added just under 30 pounds.

An interesting demonstration of the importance of anthropometrics comes from the experience of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). When they joined there were no women’s uniforms available and as a result they had to make due with oversized men’s mechanics coveralls they nicknamed “zoot suits” after the popular fashion trend of the time.

According to an analysis of casualties suffered by the Eighth Air Force from June to August 1944, the crew position with the greatest chance of being injured or killed was the bombardier followed by the navigator. The tail gunner was third most dangerous and the ball turret gunner was actually the safest position.