The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Major General Wendell C. Neville - Jul. 5th, 2004

hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil ^

[Professional Engineer]

Thanks Sam, you just helped me check off another of the 10,423 items I want to learn more about.

[snippy_about_it]

I'd be glad to.

[snippy_about_it]

Science, Music, and Culture wannabe.

Afternoon alfa, Science and music are okay, I never was much on culture though. Cuss like a sailor. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

Morning CJ. Sorry I missed you last night.

[Professional Engineer]

ROFL You hid the root beer with the flag! Sneaky

[snippy_about_it]

I thought we'd enjoy our root beer on the deck this afternoon. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

SAMWolf (Never judge a man by his taglines.)

But...but...your taglines are soooo you!

[Soaring Feather]

Hiya, snippy!!

[Soaring Feather]

Great Flag-o-gram today!

[PAR35]

1954 B-52A bomber made its maiden flight(BUFF)

The 1950s were the golden age of aircraft design. At least 4 types in current use are based on designs from that era - B-52, C-130, KC-135, and P-3.

[alfa6]

At the risk of embarassing my self, I don't think you got the little joke in my morning bumperooni post.

Need a hint, see PE's Flag-O-Gram for today.

BTW, today could be a notable one for me. I actually posted an article. You might find it interesting if you have not ween it. Coincidently it to has something to do with my little joke as well.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1165613/posts

Y'all have a nice day , ya heah. I gotta log some blanket drill, one more night shift to go, then back on days for two weeks.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[alfa6]

You pould also throw in the F-4 Phantom as well. Even though the US is not using it, the Phantom still serves in front line duty with Germany, Japan and probably one or tow others as well.

And for a real oldie but goodie the T-33 is still tooling around in various oversaeas forces, IIRC. Not bad for a design that got it's start in 1944!

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[SAMWolf]

Mosquito, another "Classic"

[SAMWolf]

Afternoon DD.

The Marines do see to have the ability to attract the best.

[SAMWolf]

One more down only 10,422 to go.

[SAMWolf]

Never wanted to be a judge anyway. :-)

[SAMWolf]

The other amazing thing is how fast they went from drawing board to flight.

---

Boeing received a contract from the Air Force in July 1948 to build two experimental long-range, heavy bombers under the designation B-52. Because jet engines were still in their infancy and considered insufficient for a heavy bomber, the contract called for turboprop engines to power the planes.

But Ed Wells, Boeing vice president of Engineering, and George Schairer, chief of Aerodynamics, preferred jets for the B-52. Boeing Senior Vice President Wellwood Beal told the two to work up a new design using jets but not to do anything that would jeopardize the contract in hand for turboprops.

The jet-powered B-52 was born in the Hotel Van Cleve in Dayton, Ohio, on an October weekend in 1948. How it happened has become a Boeing legend.

On Thursday, October 21, a three-man team — headed by Schairer and armed with plans for the turboprop bomber — walked into a conference room at Wright Field Air Force Base. Engineers Art Carlsen and Vaughn Blumenthal accompanied Schairer, whose briefcase also just happened to contain data for a jet-powered B-52.

The Air Force chief of bomber development, Col. Pete Warden, looked over the turboprop data and was clearly disappointed. He asked if the Boeing team could come up with an updated proposal for a B-52 powered by jets.

Schairer called Wells, who arrived in Dayton that night.

Back at the hotel, the team worked all night. Using the data that Schairer had brought along, they put together a design that incorporated jet engines but did not call for any major changes to the bomber's wing.

On Friday, Col. Warden carefully looked over the new charts and graphs. Finally he said, "I don't think you've gone far enough."

"Let's see what we can do," Wells said. "We'll be back Monday morning." It was almost noon Friday.

Returning to the Hotel Van Cleve, the team was joined by Bob Withington and Maynard Pennell, two top Boeing engineers who just happened to be in town on other business.

By late Friday night, they had laid out what was essentially a new airplane. The new design featured a wing that was swept back at 35 degrees with a 185-foot span. More significantly, it featured eight jet engines.

After a Saturday morning trip to a local hobby shop for balsa wood, glue, carving tools and silver paint, Schairer set to work building a model. The rest of the team focused on weight and performance data. Wells, who was also a skilled artist, completed the aircraft drawings.

On Sunday, a hired stenographer typed a clean copy of the proposal.

On Monday, Schairer presented Col. Warden with a neatly bound 33-page proposal and a beautiful 14-inch scale model on a stand.

Col. Warden was clearly impressed.

"Now we have an airplane," he said. "This is the B-52."

The Air Force quickly approved the proposal to develop an entirely new jet bomber under the same designation.

The B-52 that flew for the first time on April 15, 1952, looked and performed almost exactly like the plane presented in drawings, words, numbers and balsa wood assembed by six talented engineers who worked one very full weekend in Dayton's Hotel Van Cleve.

[SAMWolf]

Well ya didn't ping me and I missed it. Good article.

"Counterintelligence! You'll never see me coming!"

LOL. That was good.

[snippy_about_it]

OOPs. Post 58 was from me, not Sam. Sam is over visiting and I jumped on the computer without logging in. Darn it. He's usually the one that does it to me. Today, my turn to mess up.

[snippy_about_it]

Afternoon DD, America grows some great people don't they!