The redesign changed the fuselage, wings, landing gear, canopy, engine, controls, and arresting system while retaining the dive brakes. Heinemann credits Navy project officer Ed Claxon for helping the team obtain a substantially new aircraft without another full prototype competition. Adjustable hinges allowed repeated testing of rudder, aileron, and elevator balance, including twenty-one elevator configurations. Close collaboration between Douglas engineers and Navy officers produced the first SBD-1s in 1940.
Chapter · 4:00:35-4:05:06
Ed Heinemann's account of the SBD Dauntless
Heinemann's memoir shows how the XBT-2 became a nearly new aircraft and then the SBD without another full prototype competition.