Original Northrop BT-1 Navy Dive Bomber Photo 8x10
SBD Dauntless Ancestor 1930s
Head-On, Perforated Flaps Visible, Douglas El SegundoDESCRIPTIONOriginal period photograph of a U.S. Navy Northrop BT-1 dive bomber, shown head-on on the ramp with its two-blade propeller, the radial engine visible inside the cowling and the deep gear pods under the wing center section, each stenciled NO STEP. The white caption in the lower left reads 4162 DOUGLAS EL S. DIV. A pencil notation on the reverse reads BT-1. Oil derricks dot the hills in the distance behind the aircraft.The print measures approximately 8 x 10 inches and comes from a period Douglas and Northrop factory photograph album, carefully released from its album page. It is undated, but the Douglas El Segundo Division caption and the aircraft type place it in the late 1930s. Scanned at 600dpi, so the rivet lines, the gear pods and the rows of holes in the dive flaps under the wing stay sharp.The BT-1 was Northrop\'s carrier dive bomber for the Navy, which ordered 54 of them in 1936. They joined the fleet in 1938 aboard USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise. Look under the center of the wing and you can see the perforated split flaps that served as dive brakes, a feature that carried over to the Dauntless.Those holes have a story. Early dive tests shook the tail violently, and Northrop engineer Ed Heinemann rode along as an observer to see it for himself. On advice from NACA, Northrop punched rows of holes in the flaps so air could bleed through, and the buffeting stopped. Heinemann went on to design the Skyraider and the A-4 Skyhawk.The BT-1 itself was not a success. Its low speed handling was poor, a serious flaw for a carrier aircraft, it was prone to unexpected rolls, and several were lost in crashes. In 1937 Douglas took over Northrop\'s company and its El Segundo plant became the Douglas El Segundo Division, the name on this print\'s caption. One BT-1 was reworked as the XBT-2, which first flew in April 1938 with a Wright Cyclone engine and fully retracting landing gear, and after wind tunnel testing and more changes it became the Douglas SBD Dauntless.More than 5,900 Dauntlesses were built, and at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 Navy SBDs sank or fatally damaged all four Japanese fleet carriers present. This print shows the aircraft that line began with, made by the same Douglas El Segundo Division that went on to build the Dauntless.Every effort is made for fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you\'re unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I\'ll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONOriginal period photographic print, approximately 8 x 10 inches, not a modern reprint. The image is sharp with good contrast, and the white caption lettering is crisp. The surface shows fine hairline scratches below the caption in the lower left and a few small light and dark specks. The dark patches on the ground are part of the original scene. The cream border has light toning, light corner wear, a few tiny nicks and paper fibers along the top edge, a few small crimp marks near the upper right and small tufts of gray album paper along the left edge. The reverse is covered in amber album adhesive with gray album paper fibers along the edges, an irregular lighter patch along one edge where the adhesive layer has lifted, and a pencil notation reading BT-1. The residue is on the reverse only. No tears, folds or emulsion loss are visible in the scans. Please review all photos closely, as they are part of the description.
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