WHY?!

Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:21 pm

I was just watching a DVD of "PROFILE OF A FLIGHT TEST PILOT", a film that was shot at the Engineering and Procurenent Flight Section, Wright Field, Dayton Ohio during the war and one of the aircraft shown had a B-17 nose grafted onto a B-24 :shock:

Why?

Also shown was a Curtiss (I think) prototype with a close cowelled radial and a contra prop.............what is it? :?:

The DVD was HISTORIC AIRPOWER Volume 4 and it contains the above wartime training film (Zero and FW 190 in US colours as well, mainly P-51A and B-26), HOOK DOWN-WHEELS DOWN (US Navy history of the aircraft carrier), F-6F HELLCAT, PORTRAIL OF A FIGHTER (Wartime Grumman promo) and FILM REPORT - THE U.S AIRCRAFT CARRIER IN WWII.

If you can find it this is a MUST watch

Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:42 pm

That Curtiss prototype would be the XP-60C, 42-79424.

Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:50 pm

I don't know hairy. Maybe trying to give the B-24 a cleaner nose? It's a little boxy..

Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:57 pm

The reason that the B-17G nose was grafted on to the B-24 was to try and improve its forward defensive armament.

Cheers,
Richard

Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:10 am

I thought that was a pretty strange idea when I saw it, too. Here are some photos...don't recall the source. I think this falls into the category "ugly...but well hung."

Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:38 am

I remember seeing an article in an old magazine ages ago which outlined how they'd tried a B-17 nose on a B-24 and vice versain efforts to combat the german head on attacks.

I don't remember ever seeing the B-17 but I do remember the B-24 though.

Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:53 pm

In the book "Big Bombers of WWII" the text says this plane flew horribly - only once it was so bad if I remember right.

Tom P.