Mystery device on TBD Devastator

[Scott Rose]

Any body have any idea what this devise is? I assume it's some sort of instrumentation.

[Dan K]

Fairchild H-1 Gun Camera

http://snyderstreasures.com/images/usmi ... meraLO.jpg

[rwdfresno]

This is a Fairchild gun camera.

Similar to the gun camera placement on this aircraft, although this one has the more standard 16MM camera that you see through the war mounted in many aircraft.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26549&start=0

[Fouga23]

I was thinking this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_cooler

[Jerry O'Neill]

I was gonna say a gun camera?

[Richard W.]

After I saw the OP I dug out the old Squadron/Signal TBD Devastator in Action and came up empty.

First time I can recall not finding an answer in one of those marvelous little books.

[tom d. friedman]

i just sold 1 some months back to chris prevost for his grumman f3f. it was still in the wood storage case marked VB-7. no clue if it still works, but needed for that little tweak to make it a little more historically accurate aircraft. not to many of those cameras around anymore. mine was near cherry condition too!

[gary1954]

I was thinking this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_cooler

Fouga.....you are a blast, that was a good one

[Dan K]

i just sold 1 some months back to chris prevost for his grumman f3f. it was still in the wood storage case marked VB-7. no clue if it still works, but needed for that little tweak to make it a little more historically accurate aircraft. not to many of those cameras around anymore. mine was near cherry condition too!

That'll be a cool addition, Tom.

And that high-wing mount is distinctive enough for folks to notice.

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss32 ... F004-1.jpg

[Pogo]

Since everybody around here just happens to know everything there is to know about TBD's .... .... I have always wondered how that tilted-back open pilot's canopy thing works? It really tends to make scale models look amateurishly fitted, and is a curious feature in any case.

Scott, seriously cool picture -- wouldja mind reposting the original without the photoshopish indicator additions?

[Larry Kraus]

Kurt,I think that these pictures that were posted by Mark Allen show the track that the canopy operating mechanism follows.As you can see,it rises as the canopy moves aft.The picture of the right side of the cockpit also shows the hand crank that the pilot used to operate the mechanism.

[Russ Matthews]

It wasn't just mounted on the TBD-1. You can see one attached to a Northrop BT-1 in this photo ...

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/286a3c259451a27d_large

and on a Curtiss SBC-3 here ...

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/99d275586ac9ec92_large

[Pogo]

Hi Larry, I saw the canopy rails, but not like that -- thanks for the very cool pics. I'm still curious as to the idea behind it, though. Looks like a wind-catcher if opened inflight, too.

[The Inspector]

As opposed to the torpedo hanging down @ a 30 degree nose down angle? The cowling was modified and the canopy was raised and domed to allow the addition of a rollover structure and improved pilot visibility requested by the evaluation team.
With the entire canopy opened (front and back) I bet it didn't catch much wind but did provide a no cost Bernoulli cooling effect for the crew. None of the rivet counters are commenting on the standard pre war aluminum lacquer interior paint?

[shrike]

A bit of a necropost to be sure.
Anyone interested in another gun camera?