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AirshowDave β A-26B Douglas Invader
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#2016 #douglas #fame #invader #planes #a26b
Published: 2016-06-12 02:50:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 1062; Favourites: 52; Downloads: 0
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A-26B Douglas Invader, Planes of Fame 2016.Related content
Comments: 12
The Widowmaker.
Great aircraft but a stickler for exact air speed to fly. Thing was it changed so easily crashes were common. This B version not as much as long as both engines ran.
I watched a B-26 Invader crash just south of Odessa Texas back in the late 90s. Belonged to the CAF.
They had been working on the engines and were on a test flight. 4 on board. Two mechanics with pilots.
Had engine problems and saw me in the road. I could tell they were having engine issues by the sound. I could tell they needed to land and fast. They waved the wings. I knew they needed to land. So I blocked the road turning on my emergency lights on my patrol car waving as they flew past and making sure the road was cleared. He waved his wings showing he saw it and banked to come in. The engines sputtering loudly as he tried to keep the air speed up as he banked. I thought to my self not too much banking keep that speed up. The banking killed his airspeed just enough. She came down nose first about 200 yards from me in the pasture.
All I could do was call it in and wait at the scene.
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Sometimes I think people confuse the B-26 Invader (A-26 in WWII) with the Martin B-26 Marauder. Why they gave them the same number back then is beyond my understanding.
Early on, the B-26 did have a bad rep due to crashes in training. It was called the Widowmaker and the Flying Prostitute. It went on to be an outstanding medium bomber with the lowest combat loss rate of any AAF aircraft in the war. The A-26, was even better, and a truly classic design, yet had the same engines. My father was an aircraft mechanic in the CBI theater and he worked on all of the types except the B-29. He could tell the A-26 was very advanced...I miss all of his knowledge he had stored up in his head about these old birds. It is extremely sad to hear of the crashes and loss of life, however.Β
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My bad. I missed that A designation.
Thanks for the correction
Nice shot. I just love to hear those piston jobs in flight.
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Challenging to fly, especially for inexperienced crews but a very high performance aircraft. The term widowmaker gets thrown around a lot with cutting edge aircraft during early development and deployment. Advances in aviation can be quiet dangerous, more often than not the widowmakers go onΒ to have outstanding combat records.
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They did have a great history but were known for critical air speed especially landing. That crash was a bad situation that got worse. I feared when she turned she would loose air speed and lift. He was trying to save the plane. A hard crash landing would have tore her up. He was a highly trained pilot with years of flying and experience with this plane. It was flown by his father in WWII. His dad saved her from the scrap heap.
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An unfortunate setΒ of circumstances that led to tragedy.
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