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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1626.PDF
FLIGHT 11 December IS 214 The ramjet-powered Leduc 0.1Q (1947) and its "mothership." 215 Largest heavier-than-air craft: the Hughes Hercules of 1947. 1 216 Wellsian in concept was the Northrop YB-49 bomber of 1947. 217 Korean victor: the North American Sabre (1947). 218 (Right) Post-war liner: Boeing Stratocruiser of 1947. THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS . . . (1947 Cont.) * We have recorded the claim that the Lock heed Shooting Star was the first aircraft to fly solely under ramjet power; but France, too, has been active in ramjet research with the Leduc O.10 (214) seen being borne aloft on the back of its Languedoc "mothership." (The Languedoc is a post-war French transport machine.) An improved Leduc, the 0.21, should have a rate of climb of 40,000ft/min and even at 45,OOOft still be able to ascend at 4,00O-5,0O0ft/min. The largest heavier-than-air craft ever built is the Hughes flying-boat, sometimes known as the Hercules and shown at 215. Not the least remarkable aspect of this monster, which has a span of 320ft and a length of 219ft, is its all-wooden construction. The power plant is eight Pratt and Whitney Wasp Majors of about 3,000 h.p. each, and the gross weight about 400,000 lb. Up to 700 passengers might be carried. The boat was launched in November, 1947, and forthwith made its one and only "hop." The smoke-trailing "flying wing" at 216 is Northrop's eight- jet YB-49, a very courageous bomber experiment subsequent to the piston-engined XB-35. Although this jet bomber is the first Northrop product we have illustrated, it must go on record that the makers had been noted for many years previously as constructors of rffgh-performance aircraft. Among these were single-engirted transports and tailless fighters, including one with a prone-pilot position. Current types are the straight-wing, twin- jet Scorpion all-weather fighter, in U.S.A.F. service, and the X-4 swept-wing, semi-tailless research aircraft. German design theory and American constructional and con trol techniques were combined in the North American Sabre single-seater (217) to produce a machine of quite exceptional merit. Of all the Allied fighters available for the Korean campaign, this was the only one which could engage the Russian Mig-15s on equal terms. Design features included 35-deg sweepback on the mainplanes (measured on the 25 per cent chord line) and "sandwich" type wing construction, whereby the structural material was laminated between the inner and outer tapered skins. On the "E" variant the "all-flying" tail was introduced. This expression implies that the tailplane and elevators are linked for co-ordinated movement, thereby giving the better longitudinal control and eliminating the loss in effectiveness of the surfaces due to the heavy loads at extreme speeds. Another innovation on the "E" was the irreversible power- control system, in which none of the actual air loads act upon the control column. For all-weather work the "D" variant has radar—and a retractable launcher for its all-rocket armament. When the Boeing company set about transforming the basic B-29 bomber design into a transport it became necessary to adopt the "double bubble" fuselage configuration, seen in the view of the Stratocruiser at 218. 1948 The Grumman Albatross (219) is similar in lay out to other amphibians, including our own Short Sealand. The Chance Vought Cutlass of the U.S. Navy (220) is the first tail less aircraft to be adopted for service; and last on this page is Britain's experimental three-rotor Cierva Air Horse (221), biggest helicopter of its day. The engine was a Rolls-Royce Merlin. v ' *s *.-i*±*m ..•i^i, «rtS»^ iPPie ' • • 219 The Grumman Albatross (1948) flies from land, water, ice, or snow. 220 Tailless fighter: the Chance Vought Cut/ass of f 948. 221 Largest helicopter of its day: the Cierva Air Horse (1948)
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