[WWII] Vultee Vengeance dive bomber (USA)

[copeab]

There is a story which I have chosen not to include in the basic write-up because it is probably pure military legend, but it's worth noting separately:

Indian pilots had suffered several fatal crashes during dives they couldn't recover from and complained to the British. A British pilot arrived and berated them for their lack of piloting skills and, grabbing the nearest Vengeance, took off to give them a proper demonstration of flying skill. He couldn't pull out of a dive either and promptly augered the plane into the ground. Only later was the cause of these crashes shown to be the shift of the center of gravity when not carrying a gunner ...