Boeing B-47 Stratojet & B-52 Stratofortress; Origins & Evolution by Scott Lowther

overscan (PaulMM)

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The famous B-52 Stratofortress has been in service with the USAF for more than 65 years and its iconic shape is known and recognised all over the world. Yet the B-52 and its predecessor, the B-47 Stratojet, started out looking very different indeed. Each aircraft was the end product of a lengthy design process which saw numerous configurations studied – with plenty of diversions taken and missteps made along the way.

In Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress: Origins and Evolution, aerospace engineer Scott Lowther reviews and explains the many different projects put forward for these two iconic aircraft, including a wide variety of rare and forgotten designs.

Providing full-page diagrams, a wealth of new artwork and accurate data, the book will be useful for model makers interested in new and unique projects, aerospace engineers curious about the process of design evolution and those interested in these fascinating aircraft.


Author: Scott Lowther
Imprint: Tempest Books
Category: Aviation
ISBN: 9781911658764
Format: Hardback
Pages: 150
Published: September 29, 2021

 
That should become a reference work for sure. Definitely a must have. Congratulations Mr Lowther.
 
A minor correction (and the reason why I didn't immediately leap into this): The book description has been updated, changing the original "150 pages" to the more accurate "280 pages." I would estimate 250 more likely, but it's still a little unclear *exactly* how long it will be in the end.
 
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Fuselage pylons for Skybolt?
Someone must have heard about the British planning to put six under a Vulcan and declared the US would not be beaten! :p

There's an earlier book covering the evolution of both aircraft in a public library an hour's drive from me. It and they have fascinated me ever since I was a kid, and I think my money's going to have a hard time staying in my pocket.
 
I have no excuse now...he has gone and put it on paper in a hard form that I can hold in my sticky paws..
Can I wait until September? No but guess it will be worth it.
 
I have no excuse now...

If it helps, here is a current *partial* summary of the diagrams. Handwaving a dozen-ish more to be added. Sorry it's not more comprehensive...
In the week we lost Jim Steinman and Michael Collins I am feeling my age. But September is not too many beers away...
Many thanks for giving us all this treat to look forward to.
Seeing those images has me humming the B52 theme from Dr Strangelove and imitating the model B52 flight with my hand. Nurse- the screens!
 
http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=46401

Amazon knows its market

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Does that Amazon AI know me or what?


FYI: Here’s my other computer screen at the moment…

20210507_125923.jpg
 
Hopefully this kind of series would cover older (pre-1945) aircraft.
 
I think he was hoping for more "origins and evolutions" books on pre-1945 subjects actually.
 
I think he was hoping for more "origins and evolutions" books on pre-1945 subjects actually.
Yes, indeed! Far too many monographs on pre-1945 aircraft are basically combat chronicles. In case of American aircraft, a thorough "origins and evolutions" treatment is lacking on many like the F4F, F4U, Martin Baltimore and Maryland, P-40, TBF, F6F and many others. British ones are in general even poorer in coverage.
 
A big part of the difficulty in pre 1945 projects is that the info is difficult to find, and often just plain gone. It was created in secret and then squirreled away until lost.

And on the other hand, some amazing things magically appear. Shrug.
 
Is it? For example, before Calum's book one often heard that such information does not exist. I have a feeling that there are lots of material out there, but either authors or publishers take the short way around and produce another combat chronicle that's the 13th in a dozen instead of a more ambitious approach. A few years ago much hoopla was made of Niall Corduroy's Whirlwind book. When I finally got me hands on it, it was a case of parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. A really awful book.
 
Is it? For example, before Calum's book one often heard that such information does not exist. I have a feeling that there are lots of material out there, but either authors or publishers take the short way around and produce another combat chronicle that's the 13th in a dozen instead of a more ambitious approach. A few years ago much hoopla was made of Niall Corduroy's Whirlwind book. When I finally got me hands on it, it was a case of parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. A really awful book.
There is indeed a lot of info out there. But it is scattered and fragmentary. Some places have large piles of such things, such as the NARA; but even then it's just a fraction of what there once was. And in some cases, such as the NAA archives, data was unceremoniously shredded en masse. And of course "pre 1945" is so long ago that nobody who was there at the time is likely to be of any help to a researcher.
 

Bordering on the Piaggio P.108 look........

Yes and not.
In the P-108B the long "nose" was a true design feature, while in the Boeing project is clearly a piece of an aircraft put into the nose of another one aircraft....
 
Does the book cover the evolution of the design of the B47 and B52 at Boeing only or does it cover the comeptitors' designs as well?
 
I may have photos of the NASA giant test payload thing and the white B-52h if you are interested.
 
My dear Scott,

of course your works are very great and interested as always,and can I ask you if you
include Goodyear Piggyback,which intended to be a carrier for the B-47 in the book ?.
 

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