A design from 1963 that used four Bristol-Siddeley vectored-thrust Pegasus engines (same as used by the Harrier) and ten lift jets to give an otherwise fairly conventional cargo transport jet aircraft VTOL capability.
Apr 082020
Apr 062020
A circa 1957 Hiller quadcopter apparently designed for military roles. The cockpit seems to seat two side-by-side, with a twin-gun emplacement underneath. Other than that, not much can be determined from this piece of art.
Apr 052020
A 1957 design for a flying crane quadcopter from Hiller.
Apr 052020
Once again Patreon seems to be becoming unstable. So I’ve got an alternate: The APR Monthly Historical Documents Program
For some years I have been operating the “Aerospace Projects Review Patreon” which provides monthly rewards in the form of high resolution scans of vintage aerospace diagrams, art and documents. This has worked pretty well, but it seems that perhaps some people might prefer to sign on more directly. Fortunately, PayPal provides the option not only for one-time purchases but also monthly subscriptions. By subscribing using the drop-down menu below, you will receive the same benefits as APR Patrons, but without going through Patreon itself.
Apr 032020
A beautiful illustration of a circa 1972 concept for a McD Expendable Second Stage for the then-planned manned flyback booster for the Space Shuttle. The Saturn S-IVB-derived stage would be equipped with an array of solid rocket boosters for maximum thrust and maximum complicatedness.
Mar 312020
Cutaway artwork of the early CH-53A transport helicopter from the mid 1960’s.
Mar 292020
The HC-130H is the designation of the Hercules cargo aircraft modified for Coast Guard search and rescue. The first one, shown in the diagram below, was given a number of modifications from the standard C-130. Most obvious was the radome fairing above the fuselage and the Fulton device on the nose. This meant that the aircraft was capable of snagging a balloon-lifted cable, and then snatching a payload – possibly a person – from the ground. See “The Dark Knight” for a demonstration…
Mar 282020
A sketch of the liquid propellant upper stage planned for the Orbital Sciences X-34A.
Mar 262020
A 1967 magazine ad depicting a then-contemporary Bell Helicopter design for a multi-mission tiltrotor. This vehicle was similar in both design and intent to the V-22 Osprey, though with a single central vertical stabilizer, and with a wing mounted near the top of the fuselage but not *above* the fuselage. Consequently, with that tall tail and un-movable wing, this vehicle would not have been foldable for storage on an aircraft carrier.
Mar 232020
I’m slowly stitching together a series of scans of a very, very large paint guide for the B-1B. The first sheet of six shows the port side of the fuselage.
This first sheet is in the catalog of the APR Patreon and the Monthly Historical Document Program for patrons/subscribers to vote for. As the other sheets are completed, they will be added to the catalog.