Quote:
Originally Posted by Graebarde
Found what I was looking for in the WW2 aircraft with LCG in the nose.. Bell P-39 had a 37mm firing through the rotor hub. Don't ask me how.. just what it says... knew that I saw something on one somewhere... Not may built, and I know there were some in service in PAO.. met an old timer at church years back that flew them, then transfered to P-38 Lightning. He was on the Yamamoto raid flying top cover for them. Funny old guy too... said he was shot down three times... but got five of them.. "Oh your an ace." says I. "That's not how my wife pronounces it." says he.
FB
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircr...ircraft_id=140 |
The engine on a P-39 is mounted behind the pilot and the propeller shaft is offset below the hub of the prop (runs the prop through a gear housing) the barrel of the cannon runs right through the center of the housing. Needless to say, it is a maintenance nightmare!
The early models of the P-38 were designed with a 37mm cannon, that was replaced with a 20mm somewhere around the D/E model. There was also a
B-17 variant that mounted one in the nose for anti-fighter duty, never official, but there are a couple of pics and a old war story of it being used in Europe.
My high school shop teacher was a Confederate Air Force Colonel and we got extra credit for "assisting" the regular mechanics on the old warbirds.