warbird pilot,

You have a VERY nice Helldiver. That boy looks fantastic! Kinda makes me wish I had bought the plans some time ago.

The Helldiver's bad reputation, as I recall, was a reflection of the unreliable flap mechanisms which were electrically driven and malfunctioned frequently. Sometimes only one flap would deploy causing some very interesting changes in roll, picth and yaw which would make an interesting carrier approach or dive attack. Not exactly an endearing feature to a flight crew!

The other complaint regarding the Helldiver was its lack of power. This made take-offs with a full load challenging and a wave-off from a poor landing approach would be particularly risky.

While the SB2C was considered more advanced than the SBD it replaced, many aircrew preferred the Speedy D for its reliablity and stability in the dive which made it a superior bombing platform.

One question I have for you: whose retracts did you use on your Helldiver and how do you like them?

Al