Curtiss SBC Helldiver

what is it?

The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last combat military biplane procured by the United States Navy.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 10.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 377 km/htop speed
• size 3,211 kgmax take-off weight
• built 257made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 91 years ago, in 1935.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.4 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1935-12-09

introduced

1938

retired

1943

status

retired

number built

257

role

dive bomber

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Curtiss-Wright, Curtiss

engines

1× Wright R-1820-34

crew

2

length

8.6 m

wingspan

10.4 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

3,211 kg

top speed

377 km/h

cruise speed

282 km/h

range

—

ceiling

7,315 m

wings

biplane

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.