[Homer_J_Simpson]

The main story describes the plane as a “Boeing 39.” The picture looks exactly like an XB-15 I found at the Boeing website. (I will post a link on the following reply.) That model is named in the second article in this post.

. . . for about two hours the flight was continued in a light fall of snow, so fine that it drifted through the windshield.

I have a little trouble believing that. What happens when it rains? Does that cabin crew don slickers?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/xb15.html

[CougarGA7]

Another significant event of today is a letter written to FDR by Albert Einstein. This letter was written with the help of Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard.

Szilard, Einstein, and other prominent physicists like Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner had a genuine concern that with the recent advances in nuclear physics that it would soon be possible to create a sustained chain reaction in which the immediate release of energy would be enormous. This release could be used as a bomb of unspeakable power. They warned of the dangers of Hitler obtaining this capability before the United States and the consequences of such a weapon in the hands of Nazi Germany.

[Spirochete]

Yesterday, I got a closeup inspection of the B-17 at the Lone Star flight museum. Ah, the smell of gun grease :) Outside the planet looking forward from the tail gunner's position, the machine looks truly gigantic.

I was there for my dad's birthday flight on their T-6 Texan. He loved it.

[PeterPrinciple]

so fine that it drifted through the windshield.

---

Just a thought. Theses were multi piece glass. Might be difficult, especially on the early models to get a complete air seal. Water might actually help seal the system.

[PeterPrinciple]

Here is a reference to Boeing 39

http://www.aero-web.org/specs/boeing/xb-39.htm

Would it be that Boeing and the military had dif numbers. did Boeing have commercial plans for this?

[Chode]

it is definitely XB, simply look at how thin/narrow the tail end is compared to the production planes

they knew a quick burst from a fighters guns would saw it right off...

[beebuster2000]

yeah i saw that. my thought was mpisture froze on the inside of the windshield and drifted off that.

also, in the companion story crime is out of control on long island. two goldfinches stolen.

[calex59]

That is a B17, a flying fortress. The silhouette is unmistakable.

[PAR35]

The Flying Fortress (B-17) was a Boeing 299. It was a good bit smaller than the XB-15 (which suffered from being grossly underpowered for its size). The wings on the XB15 are noticeably much larger in area when pictured from above, as well.

B-17 G

Span 103’9”
Length 74’4”

XB-15

Span 149’
Length 87’7”

[GeronL]

Hard to believe that was a ‘huge’ plane in those days, doesn’t seem so big nowadays