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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0645.PDF
APRIL 14TH, 1949 FLIGHT cruiser news from Mr-. Harold Mansfield of Boeing. Tests at in- creased gross weights have just been concluded, he said, and his company hopes to receive authori- zation for an extra 2,000 lb, rais- ing the take-off wing loading to 84 lb/sq ft. Against this very as high value must be set a power ft loading at maximum take-off out- "$ put of 10 lb/h.p. The sea-level stalling speed, at 110,000 Ib, is 93 m.p.h. "Boredom," it was observed in the brief-sheet, '' is alleviated with unrestricted movement." Surveying the main (upper deck) cabin from the foremost bulkhead, one saw a fairly conventional in- terior with a greater number of seats, a wider gangway, and more head-room than is usual. The alleviation, we decided, is to be f. sought by descending the unob- trusive spiral staircase to the lounge, popularly called the cock- tail bar, though this alleviating amenity is but one of its features. Here, with cargo holds fore and aft, one may consort in intimate comfort with thirteen fellow-passengers. A small stateroom, forward of the main cabin, can be booked separately by those wishing to be alone. For the less sensitive remainder, the sleeper version offers 28 upper and lower berths, and five seats. The galley, fairly described by a P.A.A. publicist as being the size of an average household kitchenette, can serve 75 passengers and a crew of twelve with three com- plete meals during a 12-hour flight. There are two ovens, each holding 20 meals; four refrigerators; seven six-gallon liquid-containers; and 15 drawers. Coffee is freshly made for each meal. Further stimulation is to be found in 120 miniature (4^-oz) bottles of Scotch, 40 of rye, 30 Man- hattans, the same quantity of Martinis, and 25 of gin. The ratio of liquor to literature, in poundage, works out at 67 :24. Voyagers may relish their refreshment content in the knowledge that any pets are safely disposed in one of the pressurized holds, warmed for livestock, or cooled for other cargoes. Freight and mail can be loaded simultaneously through two large doors while passengers are embarking. Galley supplies go abroad through an upper-deck servicing door. Dressing rooms are located on each side of the central • aisle, on the forward upper deck. The ladies' room has / twin tables, an upholstered settee, and is mirrored through- BOEING 377 STRATOCRUISER Four Pratt and Whitney Wasp Major R-4360, 28-cylinder, four-row, radial engines, each delivering 3,500 h.p. at take-off with water injection, and equipped with General Electric BH-4 turbo-superchargers. DIMENSIONS Span .: ... Mlft 3in Length IIOft4in Height 38ft 3in WEIGHTS Max. take-off weight 142,500 1b. Max. landing weight 121,700 1b Weight empty 83,500 1b CAPACITIES Passenger capacity 61 (75 using lounge) Fuel capacity 7,630 gall Total freight capacity (two holds) 830 cu ft PERFORMANCE Cruising speed at 25,000ft 300-340 m.p.h. Max. rate of climb at sea-level at 142,500 Ib gross weight MOOft/nvn Rate of climb on two engines at sea level at 110,000 Ib gross weight 335 ft/mm Stalling speed at tea-level at 110,000 Ib gross weight 93,m,&.h' Service ceiling at 110.000 Ib gross weight "•°??ft Normal operating height 15,000-25,000ft Max. still-air range (no fuel reserve) with payload of: I0,500lb 4,600 miles 20,0001b 3,550 miles 25,0001b '. ... 3,000 miles A view which accentuates the bulbous " douE o_ of the Stratocruiser and the massive nacelles for the Pratt and Whitney Wasp Major R-4360 turbo-supercharged radials. out, and the men's room, with three wash-basins, holds five passengers at a time. The story of the Stratocruiser's development is lengthy and involved. Briefly, Boeing proposed, in June, 1944, a machine of 120,000 lb gross weight, with engines of 2,200 h.p., a fuel capacity of 5,700 U.S. gallons and a cruising speed of 280 m.p.h. Pan American needed more power and more range: accordingly Wasp Majors were specified (as for the B-50 bomber), room for more than 1,200 U.S. gallons of fuel was found in the wing and the weight crept up to 130,000 lb. A point of special interest is that the original Boeing specification recommended the fitting of mechanical engine- superchargers ; it was felt that these would prove less com- plicated for commercial use than the turbos of the Fortress and Superfortress bombers. "Pan Am.," aware of the latest General Electric developments, and the U.S.A.F.'s success with turbo-blowers in long-range bombers (especi- ally in respect of fuel saving at high altitude) decided upon General Electric BH-4 turbos. " v- Evolution The next major change in the "spec." was an increase of cargo space from 675 cu ft to 830 cu ft. Yet more fuel was added, and the outcome of Boeing/P.A.A. collabora- tion was a very different machine from that originally foreseen—one having a payload and gross weight greater respectively, by 10,000 lb and 15,000 lb; 2,000 U.S. gallons more petrol; and a top speed 60 m.p.h. higher. An extra 5ft on the height of the fin was the principal aerodynamic alteration. Crew training is proving a major undertaking. Especially valuable has been Pan American's Dehmel Trainer or '' flight simulator,'' embodying a complete replica of the Stratocruiser's cockpit. This £50,000 rig reduces the num- ber of hours needed for practice flights. More than forty different emergency conditions can be reproduced, includ- ing undercarriage failure, faulty plugs and carburettor icing. From such brief conversation as one had with the crew it seemed that they are genuinely enthusiastic about the Stratocruiser's flying qualities. Only the rudder is power- boosted (for low-speed flying) but the controls are light enough. The rudder booster, incidentally, shares with the windscreen wipers, nose-wheel steering and brakes the dis- tinction of being the only hydraulically operated equip- ment aboard. During its brief sojourn at London Airport, the Strato- cruiser was fuelled by Esso Affiliates with a special grade of 115/145 octane fuel. This is the first time this grade has been used on an international airline working in Europe, and special stocks have been provided by Anglo-American Oil Co. to meet the demands in the British Isles. B 27
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