Northrop Flying Wings

Northrop Flying Wings PDF

Author: Graham M. Simons

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2013-06-19

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 178383014X

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The aviation historian and author of Memphis Belle presents an authoritative analysis of the groundbreaking, post-WWI series of military aircraft. In the years following the First World War, a new imperative arose in aviation technology: stealth, speed, and precision. American aircraft designer Jack Northrop developed a streamlined craft that did away with superfluous appendages, including the weighty fuselage and tail units. This was an extreme measure, but Northrop was determined to push aircraft design to a new level. Eliminating both the fuselage and tail meant placing the pilot, the engines, and the payload entirely within the wing envelope. The resulting craft, Northrop’s flying wings, were some of the most spectacular machines ever to grace the skies. With barely any vertical surfaces at all, they looked like something from the realm of science fiction. Indeed, one even appeared in the film version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Written off by many as a mere novelty, the development of these unique bombers provided aeronautical innovations that paved the way for a raft of new designs. During the 1970s, when the United States needed a new strategic bomber to replace the B-52 Superfortress, the flying wing design was brought to the fore once again. The B-2 Spirit was born out of this, continuing the legacy of this stealthy design. This craft, along with the B-35, the eight-engined YB-49 and the YRB-49A, are all highlighted in this authoritative history. Detailed analyses of each design, set within a wider historical context, make for a compelling record of this landmark design.

FLYING W/O WINGS

FLYING W/O WINGS PDF

Author: THOMPSON MILTON O

Publisher: Smithsonian Books (DC)

Published: 1999-04-17

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13:

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Written by a a pilot/engineer participant of NASA's lifting body program, this book documents the adventures, triumphs, setbacks, and fun of pioneering a technology that allowed astronauts to accomplish lifting reentries and precise runway landings.

The Wings of Man

The Wings of Man PDF

Author: Vito Borrelli

Publisher:

Published: 2021-07-06

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13:

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The Wings of Man - The Story of Eastern Air Lines as Told by Its People is a collection of over seventy stories written by pilots, flight attendants, management and ground staff of the iconic Eastern Air Lines, an airline that was an industry pioneer for decades. The book recalls Eastern's proud history of aviation firsts, features stories about important events and recollections about the people who built Eastern, including Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, Floyd Hall, Capt. Dick Merrill, CFO Charlie Simons, VP Russ Ray, and President Sam Higginbottom. Besides the stories, the book is chock full of beautiful color and vintage photographs of aircraft and people, as well as images of rare and nostalgic collector's memorabilia. This book has something for everyone.

The Wings of Democracy

The Wings of Democracy PDF

Author: Jeffery S. Underwood

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780890963883

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The air force made a huge impact on the events of World War II, but this new force of men and machines did not simply appear out of the blue. There was a long history leading up to the use of air power in military campaigns. When Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the White House in 1933, the leaders of the Army Air Corps wanted to force him, Congress, and the Army General Staff to create an independent air force. Using Billy Mitchell's tactics of public confrontation, exploitation of the air corps's poor condition, and unproven claims about air power, these officers only antagonized the people who could grant them independence. After the air corps failed to carry the air mail in 1934, a number of air corps officers started a concerted effort to promote themselves as "team players" who had given up the caustic, separatist attitudes of Mitchell. By the beginning of World War II, they had convinced Roosevelt, Congress, and the General Staff of the air corps's efficiency, as evidenced by Roosevelt's air corps expansion programs and the army's war plans. After the war in Europe substantiated many of the claims about air power, especially the ability of land-based airplanes to force unprotected naval forces to withdraw, Roosevelt and his military advisors placed increasing emphasis on the role of the air corps. Jeffery S. Underwood's book moves away from the traditional studies of air power. By examining how the leading officers in the air corps developed political skills and used them to win the trust and support of their superiors, it shows that the political and military leaders of the United States were not suddenly forced to accept the importance of air power by the war in Europe. Rather, they had already been awakened to the potential of air power by the efforts of politically astute air corps officers.

The Women with Silver Wings

The Women with Silver Wings PDF

Author: Katherine Sharp Landdeck

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2021-03-30

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 1524762822

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“With the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, women pilots went aloft to serve their nation. . . . A soaring tale in which, at long last, these daring World War II pilots gain the credit they deserve.”—Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls “A powerful story of reinvention, community and ingenuity born out of global upheaval.”—Newsday When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Cornelia Fort was already in the air. At twenty-two, Fort had escaped Nashville’s debutante scene for a fresh start as a flight instructor in Hawaii. She and her student were in the middle of their lesson when the bombs began to fall, and they barely made it back to ground that morning. Still, when the U.S. Army Air Forces put out a call for women pilots to aid the war effort, Fort was one of the first to respond. She became one of just over 1,100 women from across the nation to make it through the Army’s rigorous selection process and earn her silver wings. The brainchild of trailblazing pilots Nancy Love and Jacqueline Cochran, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) gave women like Fort a chance to serve their country—and to prove that women aviators were just as skilled as men. While not authorized to serve in combat, the WASP helped train male pilots for service abroad, and ferried bombers and pursuits across the country. Thirty-eight WASP would not survive the war. But even taking into account these tragic losses, Love and Cochran’s social experiment seemed to be a resounding success—until, with the tides of war turning, Congress clipped the women’s wings. The program was disbanded, the women sent home. But the bonds they’d forged never failed, and over the next few decades they came together to fight for recognition as the military veterans they were—and for their place in history.

Northrop Flying Wings

Northrop Flying Wings PDF

Author: John M. Campbell

Publisher: Schiffer Military History

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13:

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This new book is an in-depth study covering John K. "Jack" Northrop\s quest for a clean flying machine. Covered are: Northrop\s initial N-1M project, the N-9M, XP-56, through the B-35 project, B-49 project, and the huge bombers planned only on the drawing board.\nIncluded are over 300 black and white and color photographs, as well as drawings and statistical data on all of the Northrop flying wing and tailless aircraft.\nGarry Pape is also the author of Queen of the Midnight Skies: The Story of American\s Air Force Night Fighters. John and Donna Campbell are also the authors of Talisman: A Collection of Nose Art. Both books are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

Northrop Flying Wings

Northrop Flying Wings PDF

Author: Peter E. Davies

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-02-21

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 147282508X

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Half a century before the 'flying wing' B-2 stealth bomber entered service, John K. 'Jack' Northrop was already developing prototypes of a large 'flying wing' strategic bomber, which would have been the most radical bombers of their age. World War II brought a need for very long-range bombers and Northrop received a contract for a 172-ft span bomber, the B-35. Several of these were built, gradually evolving into the definitive XB-35 configuration. Testing revealed that the aircraft was invisible to radar, but engineers struggled to overcome the design challenges and several pilots were lost in crashes. While the program was cancelled in the 1950s, the concept extended into other highly innovative areas, such as the XP-56 and MX-324 Rocket Wing prototype fighters. But the greatest legacy was the first operational flying wing – the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber, which used much of the hard-won experience from the pioneering programs of half a century before.