I╒m the head of a biomedical research laboratory in Montpellier (south of France), private pilot, aviation and flight sims lover. I spend a part of my free time
in designing geographical environments and new aircrafts for X-Plane.
I use Macintoshes since 1985 (now PowerMacs) for professional and personal uses.
You can contact me at : bataille&u376.montp.inserm.fr
happy flights !
Dom
╩
Douglas B-26 ╥Invader╙
Engines : 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, 18 cylinders, 2100 HP each
Characteristics of the X-Plane model :
-Max speed 323kts/600 km/h @ 7000 ft (fuel flow 2x905 pph), 345 kts/640 km/h @ 17000 ft (fuel flow 2x830 pph)
-Short history: the Douglas A-26/B-26 ╥Invader╙, which shares with the Martin ╥Marauder╙ -another twin engine medium bomber of the same period- the same ╥B-26╙ number -a curiosity in the aviation history due to the fact that the Invader was initially an attack aircraft (╥A-26╙) and was later also used as a bomber (╥B-26╙)- first flew in July 1942. It is a medium bomber, of the same category as the B-25 ╥Mitchell╙. It is a bit heavier but much more slender looking, with engine nacelles which look, in comparison, overdimensioned. They carry very powerful (2000 HP or more) 18-cylinders P&W Double Wasp engines which, in the most speedy versions, allowed almost 320kts (close to 600 km/h) at sea level. They were used both in attack and bombing operations. The typical change in fuselage diameter behind the cabin (up and down) was used for placing viewing windows and/or machine guns (sometimes in turrets). For ground attack, many (up to 10) .50 machine guns were placed in the front (in the nose and/or laterally), or four 20 mm cannons for the night attack version (which was bearing a radar). After WWII, several versions of the ╥Invader╙ was used in the Korea conflict and later in other theaters including Africa. The ╥Invader╙, after having dropped its bombs load, was agile enough to be better than a prey for enemy fighters and several victories were obtained by B-26 crews, including a ╥probable╙ Me-262 (WWII) and MIG-15s (Korea). It was said by several WWII B-26 pilots that ╥the turning rate of the Invader was better than that of ME-109s╙ and that ╥they were not that afraid of enemy fighters╙, a testimony of the wonderful handling quality of the bird. Its speed, agility and efficiency was used in the sixties for developing a VIP transporting version. They were also used for fighting forest fires in Canada.
The model here, in its original painting scheme, was use by the canadian society ╥AIRSPRAY╙ for fighting fire in the huge canadian forest.
