SBD Dauntless

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The Douglas Dauntless dive bomber sank more enemy ships than any other Allied bomber, and is best remembered as the bomber that delivered the fatal blows to Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942.  Descending on their targets at a steep angle, Dauntless pilots would drop their bombs, then pull up sharply.

Source/ more information: Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor

Photographer Lyle Jansma started creating 360º views of cockpits in 2005, and has documented historic aircraft in several collections, including the Heritage Flight Museum, Museum of Flight, Erickson Aircraft Collection, Evergreen Air & Space Museum, and the National Museum of the Air Force. A full set of his cockpit views is available on the ACI Cockpit360º App for iOS and Android. Keep visiting this site (airspacemag.com/cockpits) as we add to the gallery below.