CONSOLIDATED B-24 LIBERATOR GENERAL ELECTRIC TYPE DJII FLAP POSITION INDICATOR

Manufactured by General Electric, this rare Type DJII WWII Flap Position Indicator was installed in the US designed Consolidated B-24 Liberator, four-engined, heavy bomber.

Unlike its main rival, Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress which had rolled of the production line less than five years earlier, the Consolidated Aircraft Company, whilst embracing the advantages of Boeing's four-engined configuration, shunned almost everything else about the B-17.

Where the sleek and streamlined B-17’s engines split the aircraft’s fat wing profile, Consolidated made the decision to keep their ‘Davis' wing’s upper surface undisturbed and suspend the B-24’s Pratt and Whitney engines beneath, with the top of the engine nacelles almost flush with the top of the airfoil.

This gave the B-24’s shoulder -mounted Davis wing an incredible lift to weight ratio and climbing ability, although it did reduce its stall-speed and consequently required a much faster landing speed.

For most pilots who had flown the B-17 or the twin-engined Mitchell bomber with their reasonably sedate landing approach, sitting behind the control column of a B-24 descending to the runway at a significantly faster airspeed was often a very frightening experience.

With the B-24’s Prat and Whitney engines slung beneath, Consolidated were forced to introduce a radical tricycle undercarriage system. Whilst this gave the flight crew fantastic ground visibility, it also only further exacerbated the terrors of the aircraft’s faster landing speed.

Named after the self taught aeronautical engineer, David R Davis who had long been researching the question of what enabled a wing to lift a load in the face of air resistance, the answer was found in the design of what was called a ‘fluid foil’.

This flexible, fully cantilevered, shoulder-wing configuration was the key to the B-24’s success as a heavy bomber and featured an extremely strong and robust box-like construction that enabled the aircraft to remain in the air even if one of its main wing structural members failed.

To this wing were added revolutionary Fowler Flaps which slid back and down the trailing edge of the wings - the forerunners to the modern airliners we are so familiar with today.

The larger and more efficiently placed Fowler flaps were able to counteract the faster landing speeds - giving the pilot greater control.

As a consequence, the Liberator’s new area-increasing flaps offered far superior performance than the split flaps of the B-17.

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator’s extended Fowler wing flaps were controlled by the co-pilot under direction from the pilot. The Flap resting position would then be checked on the General Electric Type DJII Flap Position Indicator.

The indicator provided visual information on the angle of extension of the wing flaps during take-off and landing, measured from ‘Full Up' at 0 degrees to 40 degrees ‘Fully Extended Downward'. 

Preparing for takeoff, the copilot would extend the wing flaps to the 20 degree down position which would be the maximum setting for takeoff lift.

Holding the operating lever in the down position until the aircraft was airborne, once the copilot released it the wing flaps would automatically return to the neutral position

Ensuring the correct take-off and landing Flap position settings was critical to the safe operation of the B-24 so the General Electric Type DJII Flap Position Indicator quickly became one of the most observed instruments on the aircraft’s busy flying panel

This General Electric Type DJII Consolidated B-24 Liberator Flap Position Indicator is a rare collectable of an iconic aviation veteran of WWII.

Mounted on its hundred year old Mango Wood display stand with engraved plaque and highly detailed 1/72 scale custom built model of the rugged B-24 Liberator perched atop its removable magnetic arm, this is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to claim your very own piece of iconic aviation history.

Combine this with a highly detailed and informative laminated Fact Sheet with photos of the Flap Position Indicator mounted in the B-24 cockpit, this Recovery Curios Vintage Aircraft Instrument Collectable would make a fantastic and unforgettable gift for the pilot or aviation enthusiast in your life.

This B-24 Liberator Instrument comes complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in the aircraft cockpit.

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