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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0404.PDF
• T40 FEBRUARY 13TH, 1941. A DAY OU AME U.S. Aircraft Arm WHAT'S THE VERDICT? (Above)Aircraftmen of the R.A.F. cast critical eyes over the new arrivals. In theforeground is the Brewster Buffalo, next the Grumman Martlet and,farthest away, the Douglas Boston. NEWLY FLEDGED ? (Right) Arnob'le crane lifts a P40 fuselage, complete with engine, out of itspacking case. /4T the invitation of the Ministn /-% of Aircraft Production Flight •*• •*• has paid a visit to one of the reception aerodromes where American aircraft help for this country arrives either by air or in crates. Its whereabouts is, of course, a secret, a secret despite . its' knowledge by thousands of people who make up the staff. For those of our readers who are impatient to know our opinion of the machines that are arriving, let us say at once that there is a lot of very good stuff coming into this country every day of the week. You will hear reports to the contrary, reports of engine trouble, reports of insufficient speed and of insufficient armament. In the phraseology of the country from "which the aircraft are coming, "forget it." We will confine our comments to the types which we saw or have seen. The Lockheed Hudson, of our own know- ledge, culled from critical pilots at Coastal Command stations, is doing a first-class job of work every minute of the war, both by day and night. From Norway to Bor- deaux constant patrol is kept, and on many occasions it has shown itself to be a doughty fighter. We are aware that the fitting of a Boulton Paul power-operated turret has much to do with its capabilities as a fighter. Never- theless, the mere fact that the Hudsons are arriving here across the Atlantic, under their own steam, at this time of the year speaks volumes for their robustness. Re-erection At the station which we visited we were able to see Mohawks (Curtiss P36 A's with 1,100 h.p. Pratt and Whit- ney twin Wasp engines), and Tomahawks (Curtiss P40S, with 1,050 h.p. Allison engines) being uncrated and erected in multiple rows in enormous hangars. The Tomahawk can be considered as a development of the Mohawk. Apart from the installation of the liquid-cooled Allison engine, it has, of course, been cleaned up in many ways. The fuselages arrive in easily knocked-down crates, each one containing a complete body with engine already installed. The wings, which arrive in separate cases, are in two sections which bolt together down the centre line. T complete span is then offered up under the fuselage and the top surface of the centre section becomes floor of the pilot's cockpit. Nearly all the machines arrive with self-sealing tanks already in place. Both of the Curtis types are from French orders trans- ferred to Britain and, as would be ex- pected, the instrument dials have metric markings and are worded in French language. The numbers being turned out—incidentally erection and conversion occupy some 300 man hours per machine—may appear insignifi- cant when compared with what our own production has reached. How- evei, a little help is worth a lot of pity, and it does one's heart good to see large numbers of Tomahawks and SOME FERRY : Air Vice-MarshalR. H. Peck talking to American and Caiadian pilots and radio operatorswho have been ferrying machines across the Herring Pond.
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