P-66 question !

RMB · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 1:19 am

cvairwerks wrote:

It's not going to be that simple to do. It would require a complete rebuild of the center section to provide enough support structure for the gear, plus it would reduce your fuel tankage by about 75%. And that's just to put in the retract gear. The steel tubing section would have to have significant mods to handle the 1830 and to be reprofiled for the correct aft fuselage lines. In real life, the BT and the P-66 shared only a few parts such as cockpit furnishings, a few mechanical items and some electrical equipment. I've already looked at converting a BT and it will be quicker to just scratch build the P-66. I've got a complete set of P-66 drawings and they are not covered by current NASM drawing rules and policies.

Where did you get these drawings if I may ask? Do you think you have enough info to construct a P-66 from them?

airnutz · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 3:39 am

oooooo!!...please say they're original Vultee "prints"....pleeezzzz??????

Stoney · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 10:12 am

The P-66 and BT were built on the same set of jigs, the center section and wings are very close. You would have to replace EVER rivet as the P-66 is flush riveted. Flaps are different and so is the hoz and vert hinges. Tubular and engine mount would have to be new as they are very different. Take a look at the BC-51/BC-3 in the book "Vultee Aircraft 1932-1947".

Cvairwerks · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 5:25 pm

My set of drawings is complete, including a significant amount of engineering data and flight test data. It is is all in microfilm form right now. Yes, there is enough stuff there to start replicating them.....a future project.

As to the assertion that the center sections are close to the same....look again. The BT center section is mostly two wet bays with only the very center bay being dry. The P-66 has most of the same area taken up with the gear and it's wells. There is no way that they were built using the same tooling. Not even the center section steel tubing is anywhere close to the same. About the only parts that are interchangable are things like wobble pumps, instruments, rudder pedals, brake master cylinders and the like.

Stoney · **Posted:** Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:27 am

Lay the P-66 drawing over a BT drawing (exterior) and you'll see what I mean. I have a bunch of photos and drawing from the Smithsonian and the center section looks the same on the outside, inside is different.

Cvairwerks · **Posted:** Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:48 pm

I don't have any BT manuals here at the house, but I do have access to a center section near my hangar. I'll do a quick measurement when I go up there next week. I do know that the BT has a span of 42' (+ 2" according to some sources) and the 66 is 35' 10" with a centersection width of 208". Also besides having different dihedrals in the center and outer panels on the 66, it also has some sweep to the entire wing. I think the BT has constant dihedral and no sweep.

One of the guys that I have been talking with over the years knew one of the factory P-66 guys that was in India as the tech rep for the P-66 during the war. I'll have to resurect the computer that those notes are on and print them off when I get a chance.

Cvairwerks · **Posted:** Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:50 pm

I don't have any BT manuals here at the house, but I do have access to a center section near my hangar. I'll do a quick measurement when I go up there next week. I do know that the BT has a span of 42' (+ 2" according to some sources) and the 66 is 35' 10" with a centersection width of 208". Also besides having different dihedrals in the center and outer panels on the 66, it also has some sweep to the entire wing. I think the BT has constant dihedral and no sweep.

One of the guys that I have been talking with over the years knew one of the factory P-66 guys that was in India as the tech rep for the P-66 during the war. I'll have to resurect the computer that those notes are on and print them off when I get a chance.

Dan K · **Posted:** Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:48 pm

Hey Craig,

I don't mean to change the subject, but, umm, well... a while back you said you'd post some photos of the AT-21 by Christmas (or something like that

) and, well, ummmm... it's just about Christmas (and Mrs. K. says I've been nice 'n naughty :roll:

), so...

Can we see some photos of the Gunner?

Cvairwerks · **Posted:** Sat Dec 25, 2004 3:00 am

I'll try and see what I can do. I've got to do some hangar cleaning and re-arranging so that I can get my 650 gallon air pig out and moved to the house. By then it might be possible to get some shots that actually show something recognizable amoungst all the stuff packed into the hangar. We are making history at work this year...for the first time since 1942 we have completely shut down flight ops and flight line ops for the Christmas break, so I've got 10 days of down time. Talk about feeling weird.......

As soon as I get a 6' wall of adjustable shelves in and a set of CD shelves installed, I get to spend almost all of the rest of my time off playing with my airplanes.

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