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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1781.PDF
?• AUGUST 7TH, 1941. Thirty-first of the Series FLIGHT FRIEND or FOE? Two American. Dive-bombers The Chesapeake and the Northrop VOUGHT-SIKORSKY CHESAPEAKE : Low-wing with taperand dihedral from centre-section. Radial engine, no spinner. Long, transparent cover over both cockpits. Undercarriageretracts backwards from leading-edge. Diamond-shaped tail- plane. Tall, tapering fin and rudder with small, rounded apex. BOTH these machines are well-tried designs, theI Chesapeake having first flown in 1937 and theNorthrop in 1936. The former was in production for the French Air Force early in the present war, but the orders were transferred to Great Britain when France threw in the towel. Its American designation is the VS-156 and, in its native country, it is classed as a scout-bomber. The Northrop A 17-A was also one of the first American types to be acquired when we needed more machines in a hurry, the first consignment being a batch released from service in U.S.A. and which were more or less obsolescent models. As in the case of the Mohawk and Vanguard fighters described last week, these two dive-bombers so closely resemble each other that, when seen in the air under any but really helpful conditions, the chances of the spotter being able to recognise one from the other are decidedly slim—not that it matters much, since they both belong to the " friend " category—and he will need to be in a position to observe one or more certain small differences in design if he is to pin the right name on either of these machines. Even their respective wing plans are strikingly similar, both having a flat, parallel centre-section and outer panels with dihedral and taper on both edges. From the nose to the back of the second cockpit the two fuselages are almost indistinguish- able from each other, except that the pilot's ' office" is a little farther forward on the Chesapeake than it is on the Northrop ; this. however, would hardly provide a ueans of establishing dentity unless the :wo machines were seen flying close to- CHESAPEAKE I NORTHROP A 17-A : Low-wing ot similar plan to Chesa-peake but set well forward with bulges at leading-edge roots to accommodate wheels of inwardly retracting undercarriage.Radial engine, no spinner. Wireless mast between covered cockpit;:. Sharply tapered tailplane. Large fin and rudder. gether. Aft of the cockpit cover, however, we find some- thing much more positive and capable of fairly easy differentiation at respectable distances ; as in the case of many otherwise very similar-looking aircraft, these two dive-bombers by no means match each other in the matter of tail unit design, as a glance at the G.A. drawings will show. Dealing first with the vertical surfaces, the fin and rudder of the Chesapeake form what may be termed an inverted " V" with a small, rounded apex, while those of the Northrop, which appear broader at the base, have a straight slope to the leading-edge, a well-rounded apex and a vertical trailing-edge. As for the tailplanes, that of the Chesapeake is set well back in relation to the fin and is a definite diamond shape. The Northrop tailplane, how- ever^1 has a distinct " bite " between the elevators to allow movement for the projecting rudder; both edges- are well tapered, but the root of the leading-edge is set level with the base of the fin. From the head-on view the chief point of difference is sup plied by the leg fairings of the Chesa- peake's backwardly retracting under carriage (of a similar type to that of the Mohawk described last week), which can be seen below the centre-section near where the dihedral begins. The wheels of the Northrop fold inwards, but are not completely hidden in their recesses when retracted and are set so near the leading- edge that it has bulges at the roots to accom-. modate their dia- meter. Next week: The Baltimore and the Martin B-26, NORTHROP A 17-A
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