New PBYs?

future projects, transports No Responses »

Jul 252023

Color me not just skeptical, but damn near dismissive:

Reviving The PBY Catalina For Modern Warfare Is This Company’s Goal

I fully support the manufacture of newly designed, modernized PBY “Catalina” flying boats. Damned things were awesome 80 years ago; had I buckets of money, I’d fund the program myself. But *this* program does not inspire a great deal of (i.e “any”) confidence. All they show are a few *very* low re and simplistic CG renders of a modernized PBY… lacking the braces that kept the parasol wing from snapping off during maneuvers. I know materials have advanced a lot since the 1930’s, but come *on,* that design just don’t look right without those braces.

Recall that just over a year ago an Australian company said they were going to remanufacture the Grumman Albatross flying boat. The last “news” update to their website was December of 2022.

Bell D188A Art

bomber, fighter, hi-rez, Monthly Historical Documents Program, Patreon, VTOL No Responses »

Jul 202023

A cutaway illustration of the Bell D188A VTOL strike-fighter from the late 50’s/early 60’s. This Mach 2 aircraft would have used 8 small turbojets… two lift/cruise in the tail, two vertically mounted in the forward fuselage for lift and two each in wingtip nacelles that could tilt for VTOL or horizontal thrust. Often referred to as the XF-109, it was only called that in Bell PR material.. it never officially received that designation. The artwork below was scanned years ago at the Jay Miller archives.

There is more available on the D188A in two sources I highly recommend (because I wrote them):

1: Aerospace Projects Review issue V2N4. Jam-packed with info, diagrams, artwork of this and several variants.

2: US Supersonic Bomber Projects Vol. 2, which uses the D188A as the cover image.

If you’d like the full resolution version of the cutaway artwork, it has been uploaded to the 2023-07 APR Extras Dropbox folder, available to all $4 and up Patrons/Subscribers. If you would like to help fund the acquisition and preservation of such things, please consider signing on either for the APR Patreon or the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program.

F-111 Cutaway

bomber, fighter, Monthly Historical Documents Program, Patreon No Responses »

Jul 152023

A General Dynamics illustration showing the internal structure of the F-111 fighter-bomber. Originally scanned at the Jay Miller archive; shown here is a much-reduced-rez version.

The full-rez scan has been uploaded to the 2023-07 APR Extras folder on Dropbox for $4 and up Patreons/Subscribers.If you would like to help fund the acquisition and preservation of such things, please consider signing on either for the APR Patreon or the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program.

Ryan X-13-like Tailsitter Interceptor

fighter No Responses »

Jul 032023

Ryan released this piece of art in 1958 depicting a tailsitter fighter somewhat like their X-13. However, this was clearly a much larger vehicle, operational rather than experimental. More than anything it resembles a slimmed-down and stretched-out Avro Arrow. It’s unclear that this was based on an actual engineering study, rather than artistic license.

This would seem to be an interceptor, presumably installed somewhere in Europe within hidden underground bunkers. It’s not at all certain to me that in the event of all out war there’d be any real point in having these aircraft be able to land vertically as their bunkers would probably be radioactive glass by they time they got home… and without the dedicated equipment needed to catch the aircraft, they’d be unable to land.