Welcome.
This
website has been
set up to serve as a repository for and analyses of WWII era aircraft
weight that I have been collecting over the years. Currently
the
data collected focuses primarily on US aircraft, including
US built aircraft that served with foreign air forces. Eventually, if I
can find any additional similar data on aircraft from other nations I
hope to include them as well.
A major focus of the analyses of
these weights centers on trying to find "design trends" within the
data that may help to either;
Demonstrate
whether the data for a given design falls close to the trends exhibited
by other similar aircraft
Assist
a user in assessing the potential estimated weigths of other aircraft
might have been including possible "never-built" or "what-if" designs
Curently
the primary
references for weight data of WWII era aircraft are;
The book
"America's Hundred Thousand" by Francis H. Dean, published by Schiffer
Publishing Ltd, copyright January 6,1997.
Society
of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE) Paper No. 3174 entitled "Weight and
Design Data for World War II - Era United States
Military Aircraft" by Dudley Cate in 2016
National Advisory Committe for Aeronautics (Predecessor to NASA) Technical Publications, including;
NACA
Research Memorandom L7E15 "Compilation of Test Data on 111
Free-Spinning Airplane Models Tested in the Langley 15-Foot and 20-Foot
Free-Spinning Tunnels" by Frank S. Malvestuto Jr, Lawrence J. Gale and
John H. Wood, from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory,
Langley Field, VA
NACA Wartiime Report RB No. 4C13
"Some Effects of Propeller Operation on the Distribution of the Load on
the Vertical Tail Surface of a Typical Pursuit Airplane", dated March
1944, by Harold W. Sweberg and Richard C. Dingledein, of the Langley
Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (ADB183044.pdf)
NACA
Technical Note 2899 "Measurements of the Flying Qualities of an
F-47D-30 Airplane to Determine Longitudinal Stability and Control and
Stalling Characteristics", dated February 1953, by Christopher C.
Craft, R. Fabian Gorenson and John P. Reeder, of the Langley
Aeronautical Laboratory
NACA Technical Note 2675
"Measurements of the Flying Qualities of an F-47D-30 Airplane to
Determine Lateral and Directional Stability and Control Characteristics", dated July 1952, by R. Fabian Gorenson and Christopher C. Craft Jr., of the Langley Aeronautical
Laboratory
The "WWII Aircraft Performance" website, developed by Michael Williams and Niel Stirling', which includes numerous WWII era aircraft documents including;
Document
SD-235-3-1B entitled
"Detailed Specification for Model F4F-3 Airplane" from the Grumman
Aircraft Enginering Corporation
Document
SD-235-4-3A entitled "Detailed Specification for Model F4F-4 Airplane"
from the Grumman Aircraft Enginering Corporation, dated 10/21/42
Document
SD-261-1-1B entitled "Detailed Specification for Model F4U-1 Airplane"
from the Chance-Vought Aircraft Company, dated 4/1/43
Document
SD-261-1D-1B entitled "Detailed Specification for Model F4U-1D Airplane"
from the Chance-Vought Aircraft Company, dated 2/15/45
Document
SD-261-4B entitled "Detailed Specification for Model F4U-4 Airplane"
from the Chance-Vought Aircraft Company
Report Number 2422B entitled "Detailed Specification for Model F6F-3 Airplane"
from the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, dated May 1,1944
Document
6595-A entitled "Detailed Specification for Curtiss Hawk 75-A Airplane"
from the Curtiss Wright Corporation
Technical
Order No. 01-25CB-1, "Handbook of Operation and Flight Instructions for
the Models P-36A and P-36C Pursuit Airplanes", dated February 15,1940
Memorandum
Report L-602 "Measurements of the Flying Qualities of a Bell P-39D-1
Airplane" by Harold I. Johnson, C.J. Liddell, and H.H. Hoover
The Aircraft Engine Historical Society Website (AEHS Home)
Technical publications linked from the "WW2 Aircraft.Net" Forums including;
AN 01-25CN-2 "Erection and Maintenance Instructions for Army Model P-40N Series", dated 30 August 1944
"Pilot Training Manual for the P-40" (Reprint), Originally published by Headquarters AAF, Office of Flying Safety
Technical Order No. 01-25CH-2, "Handbook of Service Instructions for the Model P-40F Airplane", dated July 20, 1942
Summary of Performance of Various Marks of Kittyhawk
"Design Analysis of the Bell Airacobra - From Cannon to Tail", by E. Eugene Miller, reprinted from Aviation Magazine 1943.
T.O. No. 03-20-1 "List of Propellers and Governers for Service Aircraft", dated 15 May 1945
AN
01-60F-2 "Handbook of Erection and Maintenance Instructions - USAF
Model T-6 & USN Models SNJ-3, SNJ-4, SNJ-5, SNJ-6 Aircraft, revised
15 February 1951"
Wikipedia(Wikipedia)
[Although many people criticize using Wikipedia as a source, it is
often provides a very good source to source documents, including links
that are saved at the Wayback Machine site. As such it can be a
very useful tool for helping to put an individual on the track of
useful data.]
The book
"America's Army and Air Force Airplanes - Post World War I to the Present" by Francis H. Dean, published by Schiffer
Publishing Ltd, copyright 1997.
Notes:
This website
has been developed with a number of low cost or free programs including
Hot Metal Pro, KompoZer, Microsoft Designer and Da Button Factory.com
