We here at PlaneHistoria love to document, discuss, explain and simply ponder the fascinating history of the many extreme, weird and wonderful aircraft to have graced the skies since man first took flight in 1903.
Boeing B-17 Bomber - The Flying Fortress - PlaneHistoria. One of the most heavily armed bomber aircraft produced, the Boeing B-17 was used extensively by the US Army Air Force during the Second World War and became an iconic symbol of the Allies success in the war. First developed by the Boeing company in 1935, it would serve with Allied forces up until the end of the conflict. The B-17 was responsible for one of the greatest amount of bombs of any aircraft dropped in the war and also paved the way for technological advancement with aircraft air defences. Contents Development The origins of the B-17 began in 1934 when the former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) sent out a proposal for a new bomber aircraft that could carry a substantial payload at an altitude of 10,000 ft and be flown at a speed of at least 200 miles per hour.
The proposal was also intended as a competition between what Boeing, Douglas and Martin aircraft manufacturers could produce. Read More: Hawker Hurricane – The True Hero of the Battle of Britain? Testing RAF Service Post-war. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Plane | The Plane Designed to Leak | PlaneHistoria. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed for the United States Air Force. For more than 20 years, this Lockheed plane served as the most important reconnaissance aircraft. SR-71 was designed to outperform every Soviet aircraft and missile with speed and altitude, following the 1960 incident, when the Soviets shot down CIA reconnaissance aircraft 1960 and captured its pilot Gary Powers. Named Blackbird due to its unique blue to black color, this aircraft would set numerous world records for speed and altitude. Its small radar cross-section, paired with high speed, high altitude capabilities, and innovative defensive systems made the aircraft almost for radars.
Blackbird was powered by two Pratt & Whitney J58 engines which provided a thrust of 32,500 lbf each. It had a titanium body and incorporated the most innovative image and signals intelligence technology. Contents Development Read More: The F-22 Raptor – The Fighter of the Future Operational History. North American X-15 - The 4000 MPH Rocket Plane - PlaneHistoria. X-15 is a hypersonic rocket aircraft designed and built by North American for NACA (later NASA) testing.
It set speed records in the 1960s that remain unbroken some 60 years later. An unbelievably ambitious project that actually paid off. A lot of valuable data was gained and implemented into future aircraft design. Contens Maximum Speed Even in the late 1940s aircraft designers were dreaming of speeds that not only exceeded the speed of sound but much much faster than that. The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was one such aircraft. The Stiletto was intended to fly at twice the speed of sound – an extremely impressive feat for the early 50s. But early jet engines lacked the power to propel even small and light aircraft to speeds faster than Mach 2. Another factor key to top speed is drag or air resistance. But the higher up you are in the atmosphere, the thinner the air becomes, meaning you can travel through it easier with less resistance. Three X-15s were built. Rocket Power Achievements Conclusion. Avro Lancaster Bomber | The Dam Busting Bomber | PlaneHistoria.
One of the most famous aircraft to take part in the Second World War, the Lancaster was designed and built by AV Row & Company (Avro) for use as a heavy bomber by the Royal Air Force and entered service in 1942. It soon became one of the main heavy bombers to be used extensively for the remainder of the war and took part in what would become some of the war’s most famous bombing operations. Contents Origins The Lancaster originated from a smaller aircraft, the twin-engine Avro Manchester which completed her maiden flight in July 1939. The new aircraft had been designed in response to a specification issued by the British Air Ministry between 1936 and 1937. Read More: F-16XL – The Crank Wing Experiment The specification called for the creation of a heavy bomber that would be suitable for worldwide use and could also be capable of carrying a substantial payload with a minimum cruising speed of around 275 mph.
Development Read More: Me 262 Schwalbe – Troubled Development Operation Chastise Legacy. Northrop YF-23 - The F-22 Competitor - PlaneHistoria. The Northrop YF-23 was unofficially named the Black Widow II for the stealth configurations it employed in its contest against the Lockheed YF-22A, in an epic battle of engineering prowess that would determine the US Air Force’s next covert fighter jet.
Although ultimately unsuccessful, the YF-23A was still an incredibly impressive piece of technology, and was in some ways better than the YF-22A, now better known as the F-22 Raptor. Contents Background At the beginning of the Reagan administration, and with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle of the US fleet becoming increasingly outdated, an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition was established in June 1981 to find a suitable replacement.
Read More: Me 262 Schwalbe – Troubled Development Although the ETF was shortly discontinued in April 1980, the ATAS, considered a longer-term project and focused on the creation of cutting-edge weapons and technologies, was re-designated as Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) the same year. Development. Focke-Wulf Fw-190 - Butcher Bird - PlaneHistoria. When the Second World War began in September 1939, the Luftwaffe had only one front-line, single-seat fighter: the Messerschmitt Bf 109. In many ways, the 109 was an effective combat aircraft, but it had some notable and inherent design flaws that limited its usefulness and led to the Fw-190. Most notable was the 109’s narrow-track undercarriage. The undercarriage legs were mounted in the narrow fuselage. This simplified maintenance: the wings could be removed without the need for placing the aircraft on stands.
However, it also made the 109 tricky during taxiing, landing and take-off. The 109 also had very thin wings which reduced drag but made if difficult to fit internal weapons. Finally, its cockpit was claustrophobic and the canopy used a complex design of framing and plexiglass panels that reduced visibility. Contents Background Kurt Tank was born in 1898 in Bromberg-Schwedenhöhe, Germany. Read More: C-5 Galaxy – The Big Daddy Design However, the new prototype also had some problems. Me 262 Schwalbe - Troubled Development - PlaneHistoria. The Me 262 is one of the great “What Ifs” of World War Two.
What if Germany had been able to introduce larger numbers of this jet fighter, earlier in the war? Could this really have changed the outcome of the air war? Was the development of this radical fighter really hampered by the personal intervention of Hitler? Few aircraft have generated more myths and more misunderstandings than the Me 262. What is certain is that this was the first jet fighter to enter operational service with any nation and that it was remarkably advanced in many respects. But it was also flawed and hampered by the fact that, by the time that it finally entered service, Nazi Germany was critically short of the resources needed to build these aircraft and the time and facilities needed to train pilots.
Contents Origin However, it was also recognised that considerable technical challenges would have to be overcome to make a reliable jet. Read More: Convair FISH & KINGFISH – The Stealth Parasites Projekt 1065 In Service. DH 98 Mosquito Bomber | The Versatile Wooden Wonder | PlaneHistoria. Some aircraft are created great such as the DH 98 Mosquito. As soon as they roll off the production lines they are welcomed into service and soon fit perfectly into the role for which they are designed. In other aircraft, greatness only becomes apparent over time and often in roles for which they may not have been originally designed. The Mosquito was designed in the late 1930s in Britain as a light bomber. However, the RAF weren’t much interested. The new aircraft was to be constructed of wood as opposed to the all-metal warplanes then coming into service around the world. It seemed like a throwback to an earlier era and it was only reluctantly accepted because it didn’t require the scarce metals needed to build other combat aircraft.
This was seen by many as a short-term, second-best, interim solution that would have to be tolerated only until resources were available for other new all-metal designs to be produced. Contents Origin Read More: Got $10 million? Birth of the DH 98 In Service. Planehistoria. The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was one of the most radical combat aircraft to see service with any nation during World War Two. This tiny, tailless, rocket-powered aircraft was faster than anything else in the sky. It was principally intended as a point-defence fighter to combat the US daylight bombing campaign over Germany and in service, it proved to have both advantages and some major drawbacks.
The Me 163 was capable of a top speed of over 600mph, making it considerably faster than any other contemporary aircraft. But it had an endurance of only around six minutes. It also trialled some very effective new weapon systems and it proved extremely lethal, but mainly to those who flew and serviced it. This Nazi wonder weapon is believed to have killed and injured more German pilots and ground crew than enemies. This is the bizarre story of the world’s first and only rocket interceptor. Contents Origins of the Komet Read More: Me 262 Schwalbe – Troubled Development The Delta Me 163 In Service.
P-51 Mustang – The Most Iconic Fighter Ever? - PlaneHistoria. The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the more successful and iconic fighter planes of the Second World War. Despite its very American origins, the P-51 was designed in response to a specification from the British government and a request from the Royal Air Force to build North American Aviation planes under license. Although altitude problems designated it to RAF army-cooperation roles, the P-51 was known for its incredible speed and fast production output. Contents Origins The development process for the P-51 began in Great Britain and was prompted by a purchasing commission call by British civil servant Sir Henry Self in 1938.
However, in the late 1930s, there were no American-manufactured fighter aircraft that met European specifications. Read More: Got $10 million? Self asked the North American Aviation (NAA) company if they could build the P-40 under license as he was concerned by the fact NAA had not designed a fighter plane before. Development British Service US Service Post-war.