Curtiss SO3C Seamew wheeled version 1/72 SWORD 72049

Curtiss SO3C Seamew wheeled version 

1/72 aircraft scale plastic model kit

SWORD 72049

Manufacturer: Sword (Czech)
Scale: 1/72
Material: Plastic
Condition: New in Box

The Curtiss SO3C Seamew was developed by the Curtiss-Wright Corporationas a replacement for the SOC Seagull as the United States Navy's standard floatplane scout. Curtiss named the SO3C the Seamew but in 1941 the US Navy began calling it by the name Seagull, the same name as the aircraft it replaced (the Curtiss SOC a biplane type), causing some confusion. The British Royal Navy kept the Curtiss name, (Seamew), for the SO3C that they ordered. One of the US Navy's main design requirements was that the SOC Seagull's replacement had to be able to operate both from ocean vessels with a single center float and from land bases with the float replaced by a wheeled landing gear.From the time it entered service the SO3C suffered two serious flaws: in-flight stability problems and problems with the unique Ranger air-cooled V-shaped inline engine. The stability problem was mostly resolved with the introduction of upturned wing tips and a larger rear tail surface that extended over the rear observer's cockpit. The additional tail surface was attached to the rear observer's sliding canopy and pilots claimed there were still stability problems when the canopy was open. The canopy was often open because the aircraft's main role was spotting. While the in-flight stability problem was eventually addressed (although not fully solved), the Ranger XV-770 engine proved a dismal failure even after many attempted modifications. Poor flight performance and a poor maintenance record led to the SO3C being withdrawn from US Navy first line units by 1944. The older biplane SOC was taken from state-side training units and restored to first-line service on many US Navy warships until the end of World War II.Lettice Curtis, in her book "Forgotten Pilots", stated 'that although its standard fuel tanks held 300 gallons, it would only just take off with the eighty gallons' fixed as the maximum forAir Transport Auxiliary trips. In addition the tail needed to be raised before becoming airborne, as 'it was possible to take-off in an attitude from which it was both impossible to recover and in which there was no aileron control'. The final comment from this experienced pilot was 'it is hard to imagine how, even in wartime, such an aircraft could have been accepted from the factory, let alone given valuable cargo space across the Atlantic'

SO3C Seamew
Role	Observation floatplane
Manufacturer	Curtiss
First flight	6 October 1939
Introduction	1942
Retired	1945
Primary users	United States Navy Fleet Air Arm
Number built	795