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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1085.PDF
••1 DIVING BRAKES WHEN the Blackburn Skua two-seater fleet fighter dive bomber was introduced it was announced in Flight that this aircraft was fitted with special flaps which could be used to restrict the speed in a bombing dive. Since that time the presence of this device has, for some inex plicable reason, been shrouded in a fog of official secrecy, though from abroad comes report after report of somewhat similar arrangements to limit diving speed. These are being fitted in addition to, or in place of, reversible-pitch airscrews, which also give a retarding effect. Discussing the air brakes fitted to their Ju.87 two- seater dive bomber (actually small flaps just behind the leading edge), the Junkers concern explain that "this means for limitation is not incorporated as a protection against structural failure, as requisite possibly in other designs of dive bomber, but solely in thorough appre ciation of tactical requirements for effective employ ment of dive bombers. The brake makes it possible to approach the target closely without the crew ex periencing excessive acceleration when levelling out and suffering deterioration in aiming. The aircraft can be pulled out of the fastest dive with full load and with diving brake off, in perfect safety." A similar brake is fitted to the twin-engined Fokker Gi, restricting its speed to about 300 m.p.h. Incidentally, it is claimed that during a 3,000-toot dive this machine can do a 180-degree aileron turn. The U.S„ Navy, which sets great store by dive bombers, is going in for '' double-split'' flaps on the trailing edge. It appears from the limited information available that the two halves of these flaps diverge like the leaves of an opened book. On certain machines, notably the Douglas (Northrop) and Brewster monoplanes, the flaps are perforated, pre sumably to give a better airflow over the tail. The first perforated flaps—of the normal split trailing-edge variety—were fitted on Northrop attack machines, but were not used as diving brakes. "Double-split" flaps are also fitted on the Curtis biplane dive bombers used by the U.S. Navy. FLIGHT. APRIL 13, 1939 (Left) "Double-split" flaps on the trailing edges of the lower wings retard the diving speed of the Curtiss SBC-3 dive bomber. Limiting the Speed of Dive Bombers : Special Flap Arrangements (Below) The Fokker Gi (two Bristol Mercury or Perseus) diving with air-brakes applied. (Below) The speed-reducing flaps on this Brewster dive bomber are of the "double-split" perforated variety.
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