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Old January 1st 07, 08:53 PM posted to rec.aviation.misc
David Lesher
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Posts: 224
Default P39 elevator & aileron construction?

Orval Fairbairn writes:


I recently visited the Niagara Aerospace Museum (thumbs up!) and got the
opportunity to see a P39 Airacobra close-up...and I noticed that the
elevator and ailerons (& possibly the rudder as well) were
fabric-covered, instead of aluminum like the rest of the plane. Is this
the way they were built?


Yup. The P-51 also had a fabric-covered rudder; early-model Corsairs had
a fair amount of fabric on the wings, too.


Interesting. I seem to recall reading in Douglas Bader's book how
they jumped the queue to get the more effective aluminum rudder/ailerons
on their aircraft by flying to the factory for the instalation.

A year+ later, the bill arrived and he suggested past squadron
leaders as the ones to ask; one was dead, another a POW, etc..
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