SB2U-3 Vindicator Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions

The first all-metal, carrier-based dive bomber in the U.S. Navy, Vought’s SB2U-3 Vindicator entered service in 1937. The plane also flew with the U.S. Marine Corps beginning in March, 1941. By that time the SB2U-3 was widely considered obsolete, and derisively dubbed “the Vibrator”. Between 1937 and 1942, the plane served aboard five different carriers, although once the war broke out it was used primarily as a trainer. In June of 1942 however, land-based USMC planes flew missions against the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Midway. The plane was retired in 1945. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy and Vought, this handbook provides a glimpse inside the cockpit of this warbird. Originally classified “Restricted”, the manual was declassified and is here reprinted in book form.