MARTIN XB-51 DRAGON BIG BIRD AVIATION PUBLICATIONS

Where the HECK did they get the "Dragon" monicker from???

The Martin 234 was known inhouse as the Panther, and even this was never endorsed by the USAF anyway...

Only U.S. "Dragon" I know of is the Douglas B-23. Some sources claim the North American B-21 and B-28 were also called "Dragon" but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of this, so it's probably bull***t.
 
Apparently Mr. Darling runs Big Bird Aviation Publications so I guess he can say anything he wants to. -SP
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Only U.S. "Dragon" I know of is the Douglas B-23. Some sources claim the North American B-21 and B-28 were also called "Dragon" but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of this, so it's probably bull***t.
Click to expand...

Well, there's the Saab 35 Draken and the Dragon Lady (U-2/TR-1 - unofficial). I think "Puff the Magic Dragon" refers to any gunship, not a specific aircraft, though.
 
As I said, "U.S.", so the Draken doesn't apply. "Dragon Lady" was not official at first, but I believe it did become so at some point. As to "Puff", I don't know if it applies to all gunships. Saw it used for the AC-47, myself.
 
Hmmm, surprisingly, no one seems interested in whether the book is any good or not. I am, at least, mildly curious.
 
foiling said:
Hmmm, surprisingly, no one seems interested in whether the book is any good or not. I am, at least, mildly curious.
Click to expand...

Who said that? I didn't. I just think that a book which mislabels an aircraft on the very cover is liable for caution...
 
As far as i know, the best reference out there on the XB-51 is the one in the Ginter series. I am curious about the book, as the plane is obviously of great interest, but the moniker "dragon" in the title makes me suspicious...I hope i'm wrong...
 
Hard to tell from just a handful of pages, but despite a couple of unusual pics, I'm puzzled by such an assertion as: "It would be in America where the greatest efforts were made to develop aircraft with swept wings and jet engines." Obviously any serious researcher of British or Soviet aviation history would object to that.
 
Besides the Steve Ginter one , there are no other books about the XB-51 I think.
So , why not give this one a chance..
 
Book ordered via Lulu...
I'll keep you inforned.
 
I have the book...

To start with :

.....and the reason for titling this monograph 'Martin XB-51 Dragon' is
that the aircraft mock up carried a weapons sporting and fire spitting dragon
decal on the nose.It is also highly unlikely that the rumoured name 'Panther'
would have been applied as the Grumman F9F for the US Navy already
sported this appelation.....

so far Kev Darling.

a brief review later.
 
lark said:
the reason for titling this monograph 'Martin XB-51 Dragon' is
that the aircraft mock up carried a weapons sporting and fire spitting dragon
decal on the nose.
Click to expand...

Isn't this a bit thin to justify their catchy title? With no written evidence of either Dragon or Panther, I think a sensible writer would simply have called the book MARTIN XB-51, period!
Or perhaps played a bit with the supposed name in a subtitle such as "MARTIN XB-51 - The Dragon that never spit fire/The Panther that never leaped into action" or something lame like that...
 
Um. How about "Crouching Dragon, Leaping Panther"?

Already taken? Oh.
 

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