I first learned of the big Curtiss walking through a grocery of all places. The cover of a magazine caught my eye and it was love at first sight. Now the full scale had quite a checkered history, so building a replica of it would probably make for a sketchy model.
Despite that, when I finally got to the point in the hobby to build my first heavy iron warbird, it was an easy choice. The goal was to build a model comparable to the popular G-62 powered Ziroli warbirds. Jerry Bates' 100" SB2C plans were a perfect fit. I sourced the cowl and canopy from Jerry as well. My friend and mentor, Carl Bachhuber, was kind enough to build a set of 85-degree retracts for it. Bob Holman provided the laser-cut flap skins so I didn't have to drill all of the 2504 holes.
It took me about 4 years to build the model, and 2 days to wreck it. I test flew the model on a Friday in preparation for the Fond du Lac Fun Fly the following day. The model flew very well so I was confident about taking it to the event. The first flight there went well and I was asked to join a warbird gaggle later on. Unfortunately, I made the classic rookie mistake and let it come off the ground too early and slow. I fought the subsequent stall as long as possible but lost in the end.
I spent the rest of the summer making repairs and was able to re-maiden it in time for the annual Northern Alliance Military Fly-In. Here is video of one of the flights made there.
In 2007, I was presented with the opportunity to display my model alongside the last flying Helldiver at EAA Airventure. This was an absolute dream come true. A huge thank you to the West Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and my good buddy Mike Huth for connecting all the dots to make this happen.
After 4 seasons and 79 flights, I sold the Helldiver to pursue other projects. I regret selling it this day. Maybe there is another in my future.
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