Introduction to Dive Bombing

In dive bombing, much the same relation exists between the good dive bomber and the expert. The expert or the champ will get the smallest average error, but every dive bomber can be good enough to hit. And in combat, a hit on the stern of the ship is as good as one in the center. There are only a few who can hit the target with almost every bomb. But every dive bomber can improve his bombing enough to hit the target a majority of the time. Dive bombing, first developed by the United States Navy many years ago, is now recognized as one of the most accurate and destructive forms of air attack. Any pilot can bomb somewhere near the target, but the expert dive bomber knows where his will hit. Any pilot who carefully studies and then applies the principles of dive bombing in their logical order will soon find that his hitting average is climbing up there with the rest of the experts. so that the bomb will hit the target. But in dive bomb and overlapping are necessary to show all the important fundamentals. In this film, we will see a generalization of the fundamentals. And in the films that follow, we will see the detailed application of principles as they affect different phases of the practice and combat dive. In dive bombing, the airplane is the gun. The bomb is the bullet. There are certain factors which must be considered in dive bombing just as there are in ordinary shooting. Let's consider them one at a time. Let's assume we're in a stationary airplane over a stationary target with no wind and no air resistance. A bomb is released. As gravity acts upon it, the bomb falls at a constantly increasing rate of speed. During each second it falls, the bomb speed is increased about 32 ft pers until the bomb hits the target. Let's repeat the scene and watch it more closely. The bomb falls 16 ft the first second, approximately 48 ft the second second, 80 ft the third second, and so on until it strikes the Earth. Under the conditions we've assumed, the bomb will fall straight down and hit the target. Now let's assume that instead of being stationary, the airplane is in horizontal flight. Again, we release the bomb. Gravity still pulls the bomb toward the Earth with the same acceleration as before, but now the bomb has the airplane's forward speed also. Since two forces gravity and forward speed are acting on the bomb at different angles, the bomb has to move in two directions at the same time, down and forward. As the force of gravity accelerates the bomb, it follows a curved path called the trajectory. Because of the curve of the trajectory, it's necessary to release the bomb some distance short of the target in order to score a hit. If gravity and the airplane's motion were the only two forces acting on the bomb, the bomb would always strike the ground directly under the airplane. But the path of the bomb is also affected by a factor known as trail. Trail is caused by air resistance which slows the motion of the bomb and makes it fall short. These three major factors working together, forward speed, gravity, and air resistance make it necessary to correct the aim to hit the target in range. So in horizontal bombing we must allow for the pull of gravity on the bomb, the speed of the airplane and the effect of air resistance in finding the proper position for the release of the bomb. If we release too soon, our bombs will undersshoot the target. If we release too late, our bombs will overshoot the target. If we release at the right time, we hit the target. So far, we've been considering an airplane in level flight. Now, let's put the airplane in a vertical dive over the target and see what happens. The speed of the airplane, the pull of gravity and air resistance are now working in the same direction. So by aiming the airplane at the target, we have eliminated any need for correcting the range. The bomb will hit where we aim whether we release early or late. This ability to hit by flying the airplane at the target and releasing the bomb whenever our aim is on is the foundation for dive bombing. You will see later that we can hit where we aim without diving vertically and that a shallower dive is actually better than a vertical dive for practical purposes. To keep the bombs from falling under or over the target, we must be aimed correctly for range. Whether in a shallow dive or a steep dive. In dive bombing, we correct the aim in range by pulling or pushing the stick just as we do in horizontal flight. This raises or low