The Consolidated XB2Y was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

prototype single-engined dive bomber of the 1930s. It was intended to meet a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

requirement for a carrier-based dive bomber, but was unsuccessful, only a single example being built.

Design and development

In 1932, the

issued a specification for a two-seat carrier-based dive bomber capable of carrying a bomb.Donald 1997, p. 467. Orders were placed for competing prototypes of designs to meet the Navy's requirement with

Consolidated Aircraft The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was ...

and the

Great Lakes Aircraft Company Great Lakes Aircraft Company is an aircraft manufacturer known for the 2T-1A Sport Trainer biplane. The company has a long history of building both private and military aircraft. Origins In 1929, the Great Lakes Aircraft Company (GLAC) was for ...

in June 1932.Wegg 1990, p. 67.Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 193. Consolidated's proposal was the Model 24 (or XB2Y in the US Navy's designation system), a single- bay biplane developed from a basic design prepared by the Navy's

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...

with detailed design led by Consolidated's B Douglas Thomas, formerly Chief Designer of Thomas Morse Aircraft, which had become part of Consolidated Aircraft in 1929.Wegg 1990, p. 14. Consolidated XB2Y-1 aft June 1932

In order to withstand the high g-forces experienced during pullup after a dive attack, much of the aircraft's center-section was cut from a solid steel block.O'Bannon, Mark
"Model 24 XB2Y-1"
. ''Consolidated Aircraft History''. Retrieved 30 January 2011. It was powered by a similar Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

as used by the Great Lakes design, and had a fixed

tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

. The crew of two sat in tandem in separate cockpits, with the observer in the rear cockpit armed with a single flexibly mounted machine gun, and the pilot with a single fixed synchronized machine gun firing through the aircraft's propeller arc. Its bombload was carried on a crutch under the fuselage that swung down to ensure the bomb would clear the propeller when dropped in a steep dive.

Operational history

The prototype XB2Y-1 (serial number ''9221'') was completed in 1933, being delivered on 28 June 1933. Testing was unsuccessful, with the aircraft's performance being unsatisfactory,''Flight'' 14 February 1935, p. 179. while the aircraft also proved very expensive to build. The US Navy preferred the Great Lakes design, with 60 being ordered as BG-1s. The XB2Y-1 was modified to a scout configuration, removing the bomb crutch. This allowed it to reach a height of , and it was used by

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for pilot view tests."Nasa Images:Consolidated XB2Y-1"
. ''

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''. Retrieved 30 January 2011.

Specifications (XB2Y-1)

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Donald, David (editor). ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Leicester, UK:Blitz Editions, 1997. . *Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London:Putnam, Second edition 1976. .
"United States Navy Aircraft"
''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'', 14 February 1935. pp. 178–179. *Wegg, John. ''General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors''. London:Putnam, 1990. .

External links

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