Quote:
Originally Posted by JtD
So you mean it was useful, because it was pressed into service (even though it basically was unfit for the job), and the fact it saw service, made it useful.
I'll have to think about that. Admittedly they aircraft didn't fall out of the sky all the time when spotting, but they earned the nickname "Sea Cow" and were pulled from service after a good year, not meeting the requirements.
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He means the SO3C was 4mph faster in cruise and had nearly 50% more range than the OS2U and although it had a 10mph cruise speed deficit to the SOC (it had a 7mph top speed advantage) it had nearly double the SOC's range. The range being the most important thing the navy was after at this point in time. The unfit part really comes into play with the SO3C's engine (the crappy stability having been *mostly* worked out). Though it wouldn't normally cause problems that would interfere with the completion of any given sortie it required constant work and parts and difficulty was found in maintaining serviceability. The SO3C was withdrawn and the SOC was recalled from training units, the navy trading away range for lawn mower like reliability.
As a side note the SO3C couldn't make a water takeoff at full fuel load, but then it was expected to be catapult launched.