On balance, the SB2C-3 was a delight to fly.
---VAdm D.D. Engen
(VB19, 1944)
I thought it was great as a dive bombing aircraft. On a scale from 0 to 10 I
would rate it as a '7' considering all aspects-maintenance, diving, etc.. As I
recall, it was a bit of a maintenance nightmare.
---Capt S.C. Walls (VB14,
1944)
...they were soon known throughout the fleet as the "The Beasts", a name which stuck with that airplane throughout its service life. Whenever I use that term, it is always with great respect and admiration because I always considered the Helldiver to be a wonderful flying machine.
---Capt Don Monson (VB80 and VB75)
Those of us who had flown the SBD preferred the SB2C as far as flight
characteristics were concerned. However, the SB2C-1A had an achilles heel. It
was a mechanical booby trap.
---LtCol J.H. Clark (CO VMSB454, 1944)
I believe that throughout the original design, for which Mr Ray Blaylock was
almost totally responsible, he carefully and conscientously tailored the design
to meet the specific requirements and suggestions of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
I believe, in general, this advice was sound and resulted, ultimately, in a very
effective weapon.
---Mr R.W. Holmes (SB2C Project Engineer, Curtiss-Wright,
Columbus)
Our statistics show that the largest percentage of mechanical failures in new
type aircraft which we ferry occur in General Motors TBM-3s and FM-2s
---CO
VRF-1, 1945
It's been a long time since I worked on the SB2C and I don't remember too
many specifics. I do remember that the R-2600 engine could be a recalcitrant son
of a gun to work on especially if you were on a work-stand on the flight line.
Everything seemed easier to do when you had that big bird in the hangar shielded
from the sun. We had to run-up and pre-flight each of the squadron's aircraft
assigned to us every morning. As I recall, the SB2C was easy to start and the
pre-flight checks went smoothly most of the time. However, It could be a bear to
taxi with the wings folded. Of course we were fortunate to have a big ramp and
plenty of wing men to assist.
---Joe Genne (AMM2c CASU-1/FASRON 11, Ford
Island, 1945/6)
My experience with the SB2C models I flew is that they were fine, reliable aircraft and dependable for combat. ---Ens. R.J. Barnes (VB20, 1944/5)
Additional views and comments are welcome.
