U.S. NAVY GRAMPAW PETTIBONE CARTOON "DIVE BOMBER CRASHES" WWII PILOT SAFETY TRAINING FILM XD31504d

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In 1943, U.S. Navy Commander Spencer "Seth" Warner created the "Grampaw Pettibone" character. Designed by cartoonist Robert Osborn, the character appeared in the Naval Aviation News and on various naval aviation safety posters. These often featured case studies of pilot mistakes that proved consequential if not outright fatal. The “sage of safety” campaign proved successful enough that the Navy commissioned a series of UPA studio cartoons including this one, "Dive Bombing Crashes." The film urges pilots to be aware of their altitude by conscientiously monitoring their altimeter, and not just the target, during high speed dive runs. At 2:17, Grampaw Pettibone delivers a homily stating how to do a high speed dive -- by the book.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference."
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com

[@TheDevilockedzombie]

I like that the pilot screwed up so bad they made a cartoon out of him and put him on blast

[@allandavis8201]

I am sure most viewers already knew the term “target fixation”, and those that don’t might think that it is not possible, surly any pilot, military or not, would see, without looking at the altimeter that they were getting to close to the ground, but unfortunately some don’t, and don’t live to retell their experience as a salutary tale, and it still happens today, and that might be even more surprising given that most modern aircraft have audible and visual terrain warnings alongside the altimeter and Mk 1 Eyeball 👁, and it isn’t just single seat 💺 aircraft that crash due to target fixation, multiple crewed aircraft have also become victims of the dreaded “target fixation”, and to be fair using the word “target” is slightly misleading, anything that distracts a pilot from doing his job, ie flying the aircraft, can lead to the aircraft crashing, things like navigation issues, in flight emergency, and unfamiliar terrain can and do cause “target fixation” accidents, I believe that it’s now referred to as “situational awareness” as well, the most important thing that needs to be passed on to any trainee pilot is that there are “old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are NO OLD BOLD PILOTS”

[@Existntlangst]

Target fixation. It's a killer for military personnel. Losing situational awareness will cause fatalities

[@oldrango883]

It kills a lot more than just military personnel. Become target a-fixated riding a motorcycle through a canyon and you can die too.

[@kennethjohnson6319]

I never watched this episode of Grampaw pettibone it was a very good cartoon about pulling out of a dive bomb

[@Lockbar]

I think the rear gunner should have been given a repeater altimeter in his rear cockpit so he could yell at the pilot to pull out. They should have thought about that from the begining of the design of the aircraft.

[@Oliverdobbins]

I have a cousin who always tries pulls out at 3,000ft. He has 15 kids.

[@johnfitzgerald2339]

Great joke, but it’d be *1,000-feet. Gramps said 3,000-feet always worked for him.

[@alitlweird]

I’m guessing he’s either a Catholic™️or a Mormon®?

[@josephbingham1255]

In the recent Midway movie the person in the rear kept calling out to the pilot the altitude in the dive.

[@schroedingersdog7965]

On June 25, 1945, my father (who was stationed on Guam at the time) witnessed something like this. He watched a pilot dive his plane nearly vertically at full speed into the Pacific Ocean. Accident? Suicide? Equipment failure? The date was easy to determine because that night he saw a nearly total eclipse of the moon.

[@tomweickmann6414]

Thanks Grampaw. I'll remember that when I'm strafing kitty with my RC '109 in the back yard. Zen I march ze kittys offen to Stalag Felix en Katenbach.

[@robmclaughjr]

AWESOME

[@jeffrose2105]

1 death every other day,Just WoW and so very very sad..

[@earlyriser8998]

what a great video

[@loginavoidence12]

i did something similar by accident as a student pilot some time ago. supposed to slow with full flaps right on the stall speed and sink a little bit, exposes you to an aero stall. kinda nervous about it being new, so i did it and kind of panicked a bit. instructor told me to recover so i did: i shoved the yoke into the instruments and immediately was looking at the ground through the windscreen. cartoon is unfortunately correct, when you get that steep angle you sink very fast

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

Bert Styles, author of "Serenade to the Big Bird" in WW2 and often quoted from his book, died in December 1944 when he flew into the ground in his P-51. A B-17 co-pilot, he transitioned into fighters when his bomber tour was up. Fixated on his first and only shootdown of a German fighter, and followed it into the ground.

[@paulloveless9180]

I assume this is all hand drawn animation? It looks really good for being old fashioned.

[@FeedMeMister]

In 1943 you didn't have much choice not to hand-draw!

[@allandavis8201]

Thanks very much for making me feel decidedly old, I was brought up in the decades before computers 💻💻, and before all this CGI etc, and whilst modern techniques are fantastic they don’t have the personal touch of a talented artist, anyone can learn how to use a computer but you can’t teach someone how to be an artist, it’s something you either have or you don’t have, in addition the physical drawings have an aesthetic quality that a computer 💻 generated image can not equal, not even by today’s standards of graphics or printing. But what do I know, i can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler 📏 or use my mobile phone (I am writing this on my iPad) for anything more than phoning people, and even then I have to get my grandchildren to set it up for me, Lol 😂

[@TheDevilockedzombie]

Pretty sure they made this on an apple computer. Very advanced for its time.

[@markzimmerman7279]

@@TheDevilockedzombie with punch cards?

[@amyyoung2830]

Grampaw Pettibone probably knew General Billy Mitchell.

[@MM22966]

I was just wondering in the middle of this: "How many Dauntless & Helldiver pilots have been dirt-darting in training that they commissioned a safety-gram cartoon specifically to warn against it?" No sooner had I wondered, than answered: "...every other day..." I imagine the reaction if a current air-frame crashed two in a row, mere days apart! They'd stand down the whole fleet/training program! It is the little things like this that remind how different things were even 80 years ago. Completely different attitude towards risk and acceptable casualties. Can't tell if it is better or worse, either...

[@myth-termoth1621]

Yes with two on board one should have been on altimeter watch? And surely by that stage of the war they could have coppied the stukas clever system for auto pullout ?

[@Mishn0]

I don't think that system was tied to the altimeter. It was initiated by the bomb release switch. If the pilot pickles the bomb off too low to recover, the automatic recovery device won't save him.

[@raymondyee2008]

Still relevant today for those who have to do dive bombing: *WATCH YOUR ALTIMETER*

[@robmclaughjr]

When you hit 1000ft, should just keep going?

[@namewitheld]

Yup. I should have pulled up a bit sooner. Dang.

[@mrapache8509]

Happened to by buddy eric once

[@Krazyvet666]

So, 3,000 feet hits the limit between pulling up or face the consequences.

[@earlyriser8998]

for the example plane they were talking about....it would vary among aircraft

[@SergeiPetrov]

Didn't the dive bombers have automatic dive exits?

[@susic1819]

No? The aircraft cannot brake the laws of physics nor can an automatic pilot be installed to a dive bomber and have it be useful.

[@lycossurfer8851]

@01:45.........and STILL missed the target

[@northerniltree]

Target fixation. That's why I've walked headfirst into more than one set of boobs.

[@Wildstar40]

Ensign Name Witheld ? What the hell kind of name is that ? His mother must have been joking.

[@Mishn0]

Sort of like, "I, say your name, do solemnly swear..." Whose this "say your name" guy?

[@f..4269]

❤️💋👍

[@janklaas6885]

🇺🇳3:18 😁

[@wrestlingwithjay3770]

First

[@karguy1720]

... and most useless.

[@technowelliebobs4779]

What do you want a Blue Peter badge?

[@jimcatanzaro7808]

So was his sister’s mouth

[@michaelhowell2541]

They were some of the worst aircraft America built. Just above the torpedo bombers.🤔👁️👁️🇺🇸

[@earlyriser8998]

not true. the dive bombers were very successful and survivable. The torpedo bombers were death traps. See Midway when dive bombers destroyed te japanese carriers

[@jacksons1010]

Let’s please be specific. The aircraft in this video is a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, and most would agree it was a poor replacement for the Douglas SBD Dauntless. I assume the torpedo plane you are referring to is the Douglas TBD Devastator, which was an obsolete aircraft that was retired very early in the war. It’s replacement was the Grumman TBF Avenger - a truly great aircraft.