WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

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Old No7
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WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by Old No7 »

OK, here's another quiz related to the WWII aircraft that my late father served on... He's been gone 10 years ago next week -- so I guess I'm getting rather sentimental these days, looking at a lot of old photo's too...

So here's my dad in an early model P51 Mustang. From this image alone, even without all the code letters being visible (my dad was Flight Chief for WD A through WD I of three-three-five squadron) the historian of the 4th Fighter Group recently told me -- at the group's 75th Reunion back in October -- "Oh neat, that's WD C! That's Col. Don Blakeslee's plane for sure!" When I asked how he knew with such confidence, he said it was because "Col. Don didn't just let any 'ground-pounder' chauffeur his plane around on the ground, so as chief for A Flight, your dad got the nod; and we also know it was always parked by the flag near three-three-five's revetment."

And today's question is:

* What is the name for the special canopy used on this B Model?

* And as bonus questions: Where was it made, and what is the material?

img118 (Small).jpg

Cheers to all!

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Last edited by Old No7 on Fri Jan 26, 2018 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy"

Post by GunnyMack »

Bubble
Not idea where
Plexiglas
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy"

Post by kragluver »

Malcom hood - it was a British design added to a lot of P-51B’s to improve rearward visibility.
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy"

Post by Old No7 »

And... We have a winner!

The bulged Perspex frameless canopy that slid to the rear on rails was known as a "Malcolm Hood", and it gave the pilots much more room; but also the huge "goldfish bowl" gave them a better view down and back, almost directly to the rear. It was made by the British firm of "R. Malcolm & Co.".

I remember my father telling me that after some of the gun-jam problems common to the early P51 B/C series were fixed -- which was after the true "bubble topped" P51D models came out -- some pilots thought the modified B/Cs with reliable guns and fitted with a Malcolm hood were a better fighter than the newer Ds, but eventually all of "three-three-five" and the other squadrons on the base converted over to the D models.

Malcolm Hoods were also fitted to late-model Spitfires too -- see below -- and my dad said it was "very common" for pilots to rob the Spitfires of their rear-facing mirrors (mounted on top of the windscreen) and move them to the Thunderbolts, and then to the Mustangs. In fact, I've added a picture of WD A from A Flight with TWO mirrors up top. :wink:

Spitfire 03.jpg

WD A in WWII.jpeg

Cheers!

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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by Rusty »

Very interesting. thanks for posting!
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by Sixgun »

#7,
Very, very neat and historical pics. Since I've retired I've had lots of time to review the history of WW2 and the machines that brought us to victory.

I have a weird question and maybe it's because I'm half Italian why I don't know the answer. ------when the pilot is sitting in the airplane while it's stationary and even on take off...how does he see where he is going as the plane is tilted down in the back? O.K., edumacate me on 101 flying.----6
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by GunnyMack »

Six,
A tail wheel airplane ( like the P51/P47) is a bit harder to see forward when moving around on the ground. Pilots are taught to use the rudder, push left allows you to see down the side of the aircraft then push right. This fishtail gives fair visuals. Once the aircraft is on a take off roll the tails get lift first and that allows the pilot to see directly ahead.
Ground crew were also important in preventing accidents, they played traffic cop.
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by kragluver »

The D model was a bit heavier than the B/C so it lost a little agility versus the B.
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by KWK »

A canopy with a blown "bubble" was fitted to the earliest Spitfires. Headroom was lacking in this airplane. It was later adapted to the Mustang and Corsair as well as a few Thunderbolts. These planes weren't lacking for headroom, but visibility was improved with it. Well, one might say head room was lacking, but that was because the seat was so low visibility was hampered, and there was a desire to raise the pilot up for a better view. This was especially bad in the Corsair, where a relatively late change in specs lead to the cockpit being moved rearward several feet leaving the pilot a much longer than average nose to look over. Later designs, such as the Bearcat, raised the pilot up as part of the initial design.

Most piston fighters suffered from a poor field of view forward. The leading German ace, when he found a fighter on his tail, pushed his plane down hard and entered a tight turn. The plane following would loose sight of him long enough to improve his odds of escape. The unusual, rear engined P-39 was better than average in terms of forward visibility, both in the air and on the ground.

On the ground, pilots weave the big taildraggers to get glimpses ahead, but accidents still happen. At an airshow not long ago (Oshkosh?) one WW-II fighter rolling out on landing ran up the tail of another ahead of him on the runway. During the war other such accidents happened. An older gent I knew told me of a nasty accident at Goodyear's Corsair factory where he had worked. A mechanic had run up the engine and wanted to taxi it. A couple guys in a jeep had stopped in front of the plane. The results weren't pretty.
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Re: WWII Aircraft Quiz #2: "Name the Canopy" (answered)

Post by piller »

It sure is interesting to see the development of some of the mechanical marvels of the past.
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