(Douglas) TBD Devastator @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Douglas TBD-1 Devastator
    Douglas TBD-1 Devastator
  • The original Douglas XTBD-1 The original Douglas XTBD-1
    The original Douglas XTBD-1
  • Santa Monica, 1938 Santa Monica, 1938
    Santa Monica, 1938
  • Devastators of VT-5 at NAS North Island, circa 1939 Devastators of VT-5 at NAS North Island, circa 1939
    Devastators of VT-5 at NAS North Island, circa 1939
  • Douglas TBD of VT-4 (USS Ranger - 1942) Douglas TBD of VT-4 (USS Ranger - 1942)
    Douglas TBD of VT-4 (USS Ranger - 1942)
  • A Douglas TBD of VT-3 at NAS Kaneohe Bay (May 1942) A Douglas TBD of VT-3 at NAS Kaneohe Bay (May 1942)
    A Douglas TBD of VT-3 at NAS Kaneohe Bay (May 1942)
  • A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 damaged on USS Yorktown in 1940 A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 damaged on USS Yorktown in 1940
    A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 damaged on USS Yorktown in 1940
  • Douglas XTBD-1 (with flat canopy) - 1935 Douglas XTBD-1 (with flat canopy) - 1935
    Douglas XTBD-1 (with flat canopy) - 1935
  • Douglas TBD-1<br>on Enterprise<br>elevator<br>(1942) Douglas TBD-1<br>on Enterprise<br>elevator<br>(1942)
    Douglas TBD-1
    on Enterprise
    elevator
    (1942)
  • Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 circa 1939 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 circa 1939
    Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of VT-5 circa 1939
  • TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6<br>on USS Enterprise (1941) TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6<br>on USS Enterprise (1941)
    TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6
    on USS Enterprise (1941)
  • A Devastator of VT-6 (USS Enterprise) A Devastator of VT-6 (USS Enterprise)
    A Devastator of VT-6 (USS Enterprise)
  • The only Douglas TBD-1A (1941) The only Douglas TBD-1A (1941)
    The only Douglas TBD-1A (1941)
  • Douglas TBD of VT-8 on USS Hornet (May 1942) Douglas TBD of VT-8 on USS Hornet (May 1942)
    Douglas TBD of VT-8 on USS Hornet (May 1942)
  • The Douglas XTBD-1 (1935) The Douglas XTBD-1 (1935)
    The Douglas XTBD-1 (1935)
  • A Devastator of VT-6 (1938) A Devastator of VT-6 (1938)
    A Devastator of VT-6 (1938)
  • A TBD-1 of VT-8 at NAS Norfolk, in 1942 A TBD-1 of VT-8 at NAS Norfolk, in 1942
    A TBD-1 of VT-8 at NAS Norfolk, in 1942
  • TBD-1 TBD-1
    TBD-1
  • A Douglas TBD-1 in flight testing at Anacostia, in 1937 A Douglas TBD-1 in flight testing at Anacostia, in 1937
    A Douglas TBD-1 in flight testing at Anacostia, in 1937
  • Douglas TBD-1 of evaluation sqn VN-5D8, Pensacola 1939 Douglas TBD-1 of evaluation sqn VN-5D8, Pensacola 1939
    Douglas TBD-1 of evaluation sqn VN-5D8, Pensacola 1939
  • TBD-1 of VT-6 at Oakland in 1938 TBD-1 of VT-6 at Oakland in 1938
    TBD-1 of VT-6 at Oakland in 1938
  • A TBD-1 of VT-6, circa 1938 A TBD-1 of VT-6, circa 1938
    A TBD-1 of VT-6, circa 1938
  • A TBD-1 of VT-6, over Hawaii, circa 1938 A TBD-1 of VT-6, over Hawaii, circa 1938
    A TBD-1 of VT-6, over Hawaii, circa 1938
  • The Douglas TBD-1A (1939) The Douglas TBD-1A (1939)
    The Douglas TBD-1A (1939)
  • TBD Devastators of USS Enterprise TBD Devastators of USS Enterprise
    TBD Devastators of USS Enterprise
  • Devastators of VT-2, circa 1938 Devastators of VT-2, circa 1938
    Devastators of VT-2, circa 1938
  • A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6 on USS Enterprise (1942) A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6 on USS Enterprise (1942)
    A TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6 on USS Enterprise (1942)
  • A TBD of VT-3 in experimental camouflage (1940) A TBD of VT-3 in experimental camouflage (1940)
    A TBD of VT-3 in experimental camouflage (1940)
  • A Douglas TBD of VT-6 over Wake Island, 1942 A Douglas TBD of VT-6 over Wake Island, 1942
    A Douglas TBD of VT-6 over Wake Island, 1942
  • Over Florida, in 1942 Over Florida, in 1942
    Over Florida, in 1942
  • SBDs and TBDs about to take off on USS Enterprise (1942) SBDs and TBDs about to take off on USS Enterprise (1942)
    SBDs and TBDs about to take off on USS Enterprise (1942)
  • TBDs of VT-6 on USS Enterprise, during the Battle of Midway TBDs of VT-6 on USS Enterprise, during the Battle of Midway
    TBDs of VT-6 on USS Enterprise, during the Battle of Midway
  • TBDs of USS Yorktown over Huon Gulf - March 1942 TBDs of USS Yorktown over Huon Gulf - March 1942
    TBDs of USS Yorktown over Huon Gulf - March 1942

Douglas TBD Devastator

The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any navy in the world. However, the fast pace of aircraft development quickly caught up with it, and by the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the TBD was already outdated.

The Devastator performed well in some early battles, but earned notoriety for its catastrophically poor performance in the Battle of Midway, in which the 41 Devastators launched during the battle produced zero successful torpedo hits and only six survived to return to their carriers. Vastly outclassed in both speed and maneuverability by the Mitsubishi Zero fighters they faced, the vast majority of the force was wiped out with little consequence except to distract the Zeros from the much more capable (and survivable) SBD Dauntless dive bombers that eventually sank four Japanese carriers and a heavy cruiser. Although a small portion of the Devastator's dismal performance was later attributed to the many well-documented defects in the US Mark 13 torpedo, the aircraft was immediately withdrawn from frontline service after Midway, being replaced by the Grumman TBF Avenger.

Design and development

Ordered on 30 June 1934, and entered into a US Navy competition for new bomber aircraft to operate from its aircraft carriers, the Douglas entry was one of the winners of the competition. Other aircraft ordered for production as a result of the competition included the Northrop BT-1 which would evolve into the SBD Dauntless, the Brewster SBA and the Vought SB2U Vindicator.

The XTBD Devastator, which flew for the first time on 15 April 1935, marked a large number of "firsts" for the US Navy. It was the first widely used carrier-based monoplane as well as the first all-metal naval aircraft, the first with a totally enclosed cockpit, the first with power-actuated (hydraulically) folding wings and in these respects the TBD was revolutionary. A semi-retractable landing gear was fitted, with the wheels designed to protrude 10 in (250 mm) below the wings to permit a "wheels-up" landing which might limit damage to the aircraft. A crew of three was normally carried beneath a large "greenhouse" canopy almost half the length of the aircraft. The pilot sat in front; a rear gunner/radio operator took the rearmost position, while the bombardier occupied the middle seat. During a bombing run, the bombardier lay prone, sliding into position under the pilot to sight through a window in the bottom of the fuselage, using the Norden Bombsight.

The normal TBD offensive armament consisted of either a 1,935 lb (878 kg) Bliss-Leavitt Mark 13 aerial torpedo or a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb, to be carried semi-recessed into a fuselage bomb bay. Alternatively, three 500 lb (230 kg) general-purpose bombs (one under each wing root and one inside the bomb bay), or twelve 100 lb (45 kg) fragmentation bombs (six under each wing root), could be carried. This weapons load was often used when attacking Japanese targets on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in 1942. Defensive armament consisted of a .30 in (7.62 mm) Browning machine gun for the rear gunner. Fitted in the starboard side of the cowling was either a .30 in (7.62 mm) or .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun.

The powerplant was a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-64 Twin Wasp radial engine of 850 hp (630 kW), an outgrowth of the prototype's Pratt & Whitney XR-1830-60/R-1830-1 of 800 hp (600 kW). Other changes from the 1935 prototype included a revised engine cowling and raising the cockpit canopy to improve visibility.

The XTBD had a flat canopy that was replaced on production models by a higher, domed canopy over a rollover bar. Other than requests by test pilots to improve pilot visibility, the prototype easily passed its acceptance trials that took place from 24 April-24 November 1935 at NAS (Naval Air Station) Anacostia and Norfolk bases. After successfully completing torpedo drop tests, the prototype was transferred to the USS Lexington for carrier certification. The extended service trials continued until 1937 with the first two production aircraft retained by the company exclusively for testing.

A total of 129 of the type were purchased by the US Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer), and starting from 1937, began to equip the carriers USS Saratoga, Enterprise, Lexington, Wasp, Hornet, Yorktown and Ranger. In prewar use, TBD units were engaged in training and other operational activities and were gradually approaching the end of their useful service life with at least one aircraft being converted to target tug duty. By 1940, the US Navy was aware that the TBD had become outclassed by the fighters and bombers of other nations and a replacement was in the works, but it was not yet in service when the US entered World War II. By then, attrition had reduced their numbers to just over 100 aircraft. The US Navy assigned popular names to its aircraft in late 1941, and the TBD became the Devastator, although its nickname "torpecker" was commonly used.

The TBD is prominently featured in the 1941 film Dive Bomber.

Operational history

In the early days of the Pacific war, the TBD acquitted itself well during February and March 1942, with TBDs from Enterprise and Yorktown attacking targets in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, Wake and Marcus Islands, while TBDs from Yorktown and Lexington struck Japanese shipping off New Guinea on 10 March. In the Battle of the Coral Sea Devastators helped sink the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō on 7 May, but failed to hit another carrier, the Shōkaku, the next day.

Faults were discovered with the Mark 13 torpedo at this point. Many were seen to hit the target yet fail to explode; there was also a tendency to run deeper than the set depth. It took over a year for the defects to be corrected. These problems were not fixed by the time of the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.

At Midway, a total of 41 Devastators, the majority of the type still operational, were launched from Hornet, Enterprise and Yorktown to attack the Japanese fleet. The sorties were not well coordinated, in part because Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance ordered a strike on the enemy carriers immediately after they were discovered, rather than spending time assembling a well-coordinated attack involving the different types of aircraft - fighters, bombers, torpedo planes - reasoning that attacking the Japanese would prevent a counterstrike against the US carriers. The TBDs from Hornet and Enterprise lost contact with their escort and started their attacks without fighter protection.

The Devastator proved to be a death trap for its crews: slow and hardly maneuverable, with light defensive weaponry and poor armor relative to the weapons of the time; its speed on a glide-bombing approach was a mere 200 mph (320 km/h), making it easy prey for fighters and defensive guns alike. The aerial torpedo could not even be released at speeds above 115 mph (185 km/h). Torpedo delivery requires a long, straight-line attack run, making the aircraft vulnerable, and the slow speed of the aircraft made them easy targets for the Mitsubishi A6M Zeros. Only four TBDs made it back to Enterprise, none to Hornet and two to Yorktown, without scoring a torpedo hit.

Nonetheless, their sacrifice was not completely in vain, as several TBDs managed to get within a few ship-lengths range of their targets before dropping their torpedoes, being close enough to be able to strafe the enemy ships and force the Japanese carriers to take sharp evasive maneuvers. By obliging the Japanese to keep their flight decks clear and to continually cycle and reinforce their combat air patrols, they prevented any Japanese counter-attacks against the American carriers, just as Spruance had anticipated. These windows of opportunity were exploited by the late-arriving Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers led by Lieutenant Commander C. Wade McClusky and Max Leslie, which dive-bombed and fatally damaged three of the four Japanese carriers about one hour after the first TBD torpedo attacks had developed. While the Devastators faced the stiff defenses of the carriers and their fighters, their attacks served to distract the Japanese attention from the Dauntlesses, resulting in relatively lighter resistance and more effective attacks that crippled the Japanese carriers.

Obsolescence

The Navy immediately withdrew the 39 remaining TBDs from frontline units after the debacle at Midway. The surviving Devastators in VT-4 and VT-7 remained in service briefly in the Atlantic and in training squadrons until 1944. Many were relegated to training duties for pilots and mechanics or were destroyed following use as instructional airframes for firefighting training. By late 1944, no TBD Devastators were left in the US Navy inventory. The original prototype finished its career at NAS Norman, Oklahoma; the last TBD in the US Navy was used by the Commander of Fleet Air Activities-West Coast. When his TBD was scrapped in November 1944, there were no more. None survived the war and there are none known to exist on dry land today.

In fairness to the Devastator, the newer TBF Avengers were similarly ineffective in 1942, losing five out of six aircraft without scoring a hit during the Battle of Midway. The Avengers' only successes in 1942 would be against the light carrier Ryūjō and the battleship Hiei In the initial part of the Pacific War, the poor performances of US torpedo bombers was due to the vulnerability of that type in general against fire from anti-aircraft artillery and defending fighters, plus the inexperience of American pilots and lack of coordinated fighter cover, as well as serious defects in US torpedoes which were not discovered and corrected until the fall of 1943. It took growing American air superiority, improved attack coordination, and more experienced pilots, before the Avengers were able to successfully accomplish their roles in subsequent battles against Japanese surface forces.

Variants

  • XTBD-1 : Prototype powered by a 800 hp (600 kW) XR-1830-60, one built.
  • TBD-1 : Production variant powered by a 850 hp (630 kW) R-1830-64, 129 built.
  • TBD-1A : One TBD-1 modified with twin floats.

Operators

  • United States Navy.
  • United States Marine Corps.

Survivors

There are no surviving aircraft in museums or private collections, nor are there any currently under restoration. However, below are four crashed aircraft that are known to exist and are the closest to a complete airframe in the world. It is not known if anyone will recover and restore these aircraft, as there has been no news on the recovery off San Diego since 2011.

  • TBD-1, Bureau Number 0298 : Ex-VT-5 / USS Yorktown (CV-5) "5-T-7", Jaluit Lagoon, Marshall Islands.
  • TBD-1 BuNo 0353 : Ex-NAS Miami, Atlantic Ocean, Miami, Florida.
  • TBD-1 BuNo 1515 : Ex-VT-5 / USS Yorktown (CV-5) "5-T-6", Jaluit Lagoon, Marshall Islands.
  • TBD-1 BuNo 0377 : Ex-VT-2 / USS Lexington (CV-2) "6-T-7", Pacific Ocean, Mission Beach, California.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas TBD Devastator of Wikipedia ( authors )

Douglas TBD Devastator

  • Role : Torpedo bomber.
  • National origin : United States.
  • Manufacturer : Douglas Aircraft Company.
  • First flight : 15 April 1935.
  • Introduction : 3 August 1937.
  • Retired : 1942 (from active service) / 1944 (completely).
  • Primary user : United States Navy.
  • Produced : 1937–1939.
  • Number built : 130.

    • Specifications (TBD-1)

  • Crew : 3 (Pilot, Torpedo Officer/Navigator, Radioman/Gunner).
  • Length : 35 ft (10.67 m).
  • Height : 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m).
  • Wingspan : 50 ft (15.24 m).
  • Wing area : 422 ft² (39.2 m²).
  • Empty weight : 5,600 lb (2,540 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 9,289 lb (4,213 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 10,194 lb (4,624 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 206 mph (179 kts, 331 km/h) at 8,000 ft (2,400 m).
  • Cruise speed : 128 mph (111 kts, 206 km/h).
  • Range : 435 mi (700 km) (378 nmi, 700 km) with Mk XIII Torpedo, 716 mi (623 nmi, 1,152 km) with 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs.
  • Service ceiling : 19,500 ft (5,945 m).
  • Rate of climb : 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Pratt & Whitney R-1830-64 Twin Wasp radial engine.
  • Power : 900 hp (672 kW) each.
  • Armament :
    • Guns :
      • One forward-firing 0.30 in (7.62 mm) or 0.50 (12.7 mm) machine gun.
      • One 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun in rear cockpit (later increased to two).
    • Bombs :
      • One Mark XIII torpedo or
      • One 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb or
      • Two 500 lb (227 kg) bombs or
      • Twelve 100 lb (45 kg) bombs.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas TBD Devastator of Wikipedia ( authors )
Douglas TBD Devastator : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).