Pre-B-24 Bomber Concepts

Laying the Groundwork for America’s Most Versatile Heavy Bomber

Before the B-24 Liberator became the most-produced American heavy bomber of World War II, Consolidated Aircraft spent years developing the engineering principles, airframe concepts, and manufacturing techniques that would make such a leap possible.

The B-24 did not emerge from a vacuum — it grew from a series of experiments, prototypes, and strategic decisions that shaped Consolidated’s approach to long-range, heavy-lift military aviation.

This page explores those pre-Liberator foundations: the concepts, lessons, and design philosophies that prepared Consolidated to build a bomber unlike any that came before it.

Early Consolidated Bomber Thinking

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Consolidated was still best known for its training aircraft and maritime flying boats. But even then, Reuben H. Fleet and his engineers recognized that the future of warfare would demand:

greater payload capacity
longer operational range
faster cruise speeds
improved structural efficiency
all-metal airframes
versatile platforms capable of multiple mission types

These requirements shaped the early design philosophy that would later define the B-24.

Influence of Consolidated’s Large Flying Boats

Before Consolidated built land-based heavy bombers, it built large aircraft — extremely large for their time.

Seaplanes such as:

the P2Y Ranger
the XP3Y and early PBY Catalina prototypes

demonstrated:

high-lift wing concepts
large-scale metal fuselage construction
long-endurance flight operations
heavy fuel loads and weight distribution management
ocean-spanning mission capability

This experience was crucial.
Designing a seaplane that could lift enormous loads from the water required many of the same structural principles later applied to the B-24.

Consolidated’s flying boats were its first heavy aircraft — and they paved the way for its heavy bombers.

The Search for Greater Efficiency: The Davis Wing

One of the most important conceptual breakthroughs for Consolidated’s future bomber line occurred before the B-24 was ever proposed:

the adoption of the Davis wing.

This thin, high-aspect-ratio airfoil promised:

lower drag
higher lift coefficients
dramatically improved fuel efficiency
superior long-range performance

Although unproven at first, it offered exactly the kind of performance boost needed for a next-generation bomber.

The B-24 would become the first bomber to fly with this wing — but the concept predates the aircraft itself.

Strategic Pressure from the U.S. Army Air Corps

By the late 1930s, the Army Air Corps recognized a looming problem:

The B-17 Flying Fortress was excellent, but its production capacity and long-range performance would not be enough for a global conflict.

The Air Corps wanted:

a bomber with greater range
heavier payloads
higher speed
and the ability to operate from shorter or rougher airfields

When the Air Corps requested a bomber superior to the B-17, Consolidated already had the engineering foundation — flying boats, long-range philosophy, and the Davis wing — to meet that challenge.

Internal Consolidated Concepts Before the B-24 Proposal

Although not all were built, Consolidated explored several concepts that fed directly into the B-24 design cycle:

large high-lift wings with integrated fuel bays
deep, box-like fuselages optimized for cargo or bombs
tricycle landing gear (a revolutionary choice at the time)
aerodynamic streamlining for speed
modular internal structures for easier mass production

These ideas culminated in the leap from Catalina-scale aircraft to a true long-range heavy bomber.

A Shift from Water to Land

The B-24 represented Consolidated’s first fully committed move into designing a land-based heavy bomber — but everything the company had learned came from operating at massive scale over water.

The lessons carried over:

corrosion-resistant construction
large-span structural strength
long-range navigation methods
multi-crew operational workflows
fuel management over very long flights

In many ways, the B-24 was a flying boat without the boat — a long-range endurance machine built for land warfare.

The Moment Everything Aligned

In 1938, when asked to design a bomber superior to the B-17, Consolidated was uniquely prepared:

years of large-aircraft engineering
a company culture built around innovation
the Davis wing breakthrough
manufacturing growth in Buffalo and San Diego
a deep understanding of long-range missions

The result was the B-24 — conceived, designed, tested, and put into mass production at unprecedented speed.

What began as a series of pre-war engineering concepts became the backbone of the bomber that would help win the war.