WW II Hellcat & Fabric Covered Stab. Why ?

[Bob]

Hello,

Saw a video on the WW II Hellcat, and on the walk-around it was
mentioned that the Stab. was fabric covered.

Not sure if anything else was.

Really surprised.
Why did they use fabric on the Stab. ?

Was fabric covered surfaces "common" on US WW II fighters ?
Why ?

Thanks,'Bob

[John Szalay[_2_]]

Bob > wrote in :

> Hello,
>
> Saw a video on the WW II Hellcat, and on the walk-around it was
> mentioned that the Stab. was fabric covered.
>
> Not sure if anything else was.
>
> Really surprised.
> Why did they use fabric on the Stab. ?
>
> Was fabric covered surfaces "common" on US WW II fighters ?
> Why ?
>
> Thanks,'Bob
>

fighters, transports , also on Bombers,

Short answer...

before the days of hydraulic assisted surfaces, it took
a great deal of strength to move those surfaces.
fabric covered made the work a little easier.


(my aunt was a seamtress prior to the war, and during the war she
sewed fabric for Grumman)

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
John Szalay <john.szalayatatt.net> wrote:

> Bob > wrote in :
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > Saw a video on the WW II Hellcat, and on the walk-around it was
> > mentioned that the Stab. was fabric covered.
> >
> > Not sure if anything else was.
> >
> > Really surprised.
> > Why did they use fabric on the Stab. ?
> >
> > Was fabric covered surfaces "common" on US WW II fighters ?
> > Why ?
> >
> > Thanks,'Bob
> >
>
> fighters, transports , also on Bombers,
>
> Short answer...
>
> before the days of hydraulic assisted surfaces, it took
> a great deal of strength to move those surfaces.
> fabric covered made the work a little easier.
>
>
> (my aunt was a seamtress prior to the war, and during the war she
> sewed fabric for Grumman)

The stab and fin were usually metal (or wood), while the control
surfaces were fabric-covered, which made for lightweight structures
(easier to mass-balance, to counteract flutter). Even the P-51 had a
fabric-covered rudder; the B-29 had all control surfaces fabric-covered.

Early models of the Corsair had fabric-covered outer wing panels ans
wooden-framed, fabric-covered ailerons.