Feb 102014
 

For the next few days blogging might be a bit sparse as I work on the next issues of Aerospace Projects Review and US Bomber Projects. Usually when I release one of these, I get a *few* emails, generally complementary, sometimes asking for clarification or pointing out editing/spelling errors, that sort of thing (and with APR, “make go more faster”). I very rarely get “why don’t you include this” or “why don’t you do that” messages. Well… discuss. What would you like to see new and/or different in APR and/or USBP?

Also: the perpetual problem I have with both of these is lack of public knowledge of these titles. Heck, when I did “The Space Show” interview two months ago, I expected a slight bump in business… but sales (and views of the APR blog) actually went *down* slightly in the week afterwards. Damned if I can figure that out. So if anyone has any suggestions on how to get some press for these little endeavors, I’d appreciate ’em. And of course, an increase in interest & sales will mean an increase on *my* part in producing these things faster, so if you want APR and USBP issues at a faster clip, here’s how to get it done.

 Posted by at 6:53 pm
Feb 022014
 

A North American Aviation concept for a highly modified P-82, dating from 1949. The piston engines would be removed and replaced with Allison XT-38 turboprops. The engines would be located mid-fuselage, necessitating that the cockpit would have to be moved well forward of their normal position. The end result would be a plane that weighed the same, gave the pilots better views and went substantially faster.

This one may show up in a future issue of USBP, as the intended role was ground attack.

Scan040002

 Posted by at 4:08 am
Jan 192014
 

Now available:

Issue number 06 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-18: a reduced-size version of the 464-17 turboprop strategic bomber
  • Convair WS-125A: A supersonic seaplane powered by nuclear reactors
  • Martin MX-2092: a subsonic jet bomber that towed a large missile
  • GD AMPSS: A 1963 variable geometry design leading towards the B-1
  • Republic System 464L: a lifting body spaceplane with a nuclear bomb on its back
  • Martin Model 223-6: a 1944 step on the road to the XB-48
  • Boeing Model 701-273-6: A supersonic bomber composed of two linked aircraft
  • Martin Water-Based Attack Aircraft: a single-seat strike plane capable of water takeoffs & landings

USBP#06 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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US Bomber Projects #07 is also now available. This issue includes:

  • Boeing Model 464-25: a modification of the 464-17 turboprop bomber with slightly swept wings, among other changes
  • Boeing Model 828-2: a giant and incredibly slow long-endurance plane with a formidable payload
  • Fairchild N-12: an early nuclear powered turboprop design
  • Rockwell D645-3: a supersonic treetop-level bomber capable of completely stowing its wing
  • Boeing model 701-273-7: last in the study, a design with a large wing, a small fuselage and canards
  • Bell MX-Carrying Hovercraft: a large armored hovercraft complete with an MX missile and self-defense interceptor missiles
  • Convair System 464L: Dyna Soar I and Dyna Soar III spaceplanes
  • Martin Model 223-7: A 1944 ancestor to the XB-48 with vertically stacked engines

USBP#07 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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 Posted by at 5:21 am
Jan 122014
 

Another from the stash of largely-Grumman concept art, a lift-fan equipped VTOL aircraft, probably a ground support plane. The terrain is clearly Viet Nam inspired, so I’d put this in the second half of the 1960’s.

2013-12-22 grumman art 4-b

 

Note the complete lack of markings. This may indicate that the painting was photographed while still in a “neutral” stage, where markings could be applied aimed at specific customers. The Marines would seem an obvious choice, but in the mid 1960’s it was still a believable possibility that the Army could be equipped with aircraft such as this.

 Posted by at 9:47 am
Jan 052014
 

A piece of artwork – from a collection of Grumman art – depicting the failed US Navy F-111B. The F-111B was primarily a General Dynamics design, but Grumman was an important contractor, so this may be Grumman art.

2013-12-22 grumman art 3-c

 Posted by at 12:17 pm
Dec 302013
 

McDonnell-Douglas concept art of their briefly studied Advanced Technology Bomber design.

Everything I have on this, including some very reliable diagrams, is in US Bomber Projects #05. If you’d like to download the full-rez version of this (3000 pixels wide), it is available HERE. To access it, you’ll need the username and password given in the “USBP05 extra content” section  on the first page of USBP #05.

 Posted by at 11:56 pm
Dec 272013
 

Issue number 5 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:

  • McDonnell-Douglas ATB: The little know third competitor for the B-2
  • McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing DF-9: A Mach 10 global-range strike/space launch system from the 1990’s
  • Boeing Model 701-273-5: A supersonic bomber with an extreme inverse-taper wing
  • Fairchild N-9: An early 1950’s nuclear powered concept
  • Martin Model 223-5: A predecessor to the B-48 with canards
  • Rockwell D645-5: A subsonic 1978 flying wing bomber designed to use a laser for defense against fighters and missiles
  • North American 464L: NAA’s X-15 derived orbital spaceplane concept for the Dyna Soar program
  • Boeing Model 464-17: 1946 four-turboprop strategic bomber, a step toward the B-52

USBP#05 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:

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 Posted by at 4:59 pm
Dec 272013
 

Be sure to check out the Complete Catalog for all the drawings and documents.

 

Saturn I Summary

A 44 page NASA brochure (from somewhen around 1965) describing all the Saturn I vehicles that were launched. Includes diagrams showing the different configurations and provides mission data and highlights.

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The Retro-Glide Booster Concept

A 20-page collection of information on the Martin-Marietta “Retro-Glide Booster,” an early Shuttle idea for using a winged and recoverable derivative of the Saturn V first stage. A 1971 NASA Space Shuttle History Project document.

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NB-36H Aircraft Descriptive Data

30 pages of Lockheed data on the Convair NB-36H (the B-36 equipped with a nuclear reactor for test purposes). This comes from the Lockheed “Competitive Data Group,” which was Lockheed’s collection of intelligence data on *other* companies designs and proposals. This report, largely hand-written, provides a program history as well as weight and dimensional data, with a number of sketches showing the general arrangement and internal layout.

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Handbook on Guided Missiles

212 pages of a 1946 War Department report on German and Japanese rocket powered missiles and aircraft. This rarely-seen classic (scanned from a photocopy) provides a vast pile of information, including a great many diagrams.

adoc26
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Saturn Foldout

A NASA-Marshall publicity brochure on the Saturn V, dating to the mid-late 1960’s. Prints out full-size to 34 1/4 inches by 9 1/2 inches

sdoc67

 Posted by at 4:59 pm
Dec 062013
 

Until December 18, the AIAA is selling 25 books for $25, and ten books for $10. Some good stuff here at some pretty substantial discount. You don’t have to be an AIAA member to get the discount.

NOTE: I have no relationship with the AIAA, and don’t make a nickel off these sales. So.. if you want to buy stuff and still feel like you are Supporting The Cause, feel free to navigate to Amazon.com through the “Search’ box that’s to the upper right of this page. i get a tiny fraction of the sales prices for items purchased via search & referral. I suggest buying stuff like laptops and computers and  cars and such. So long as I’m getting a small percentage, it might as well be a small percentage of a large dollar value…
The Aircraft Designers: A Grumman Historical Perspective
Michael V. Ciminera
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Meeting the Challenge: The Hexagon KH-9 Reconnaissance Satellite
Phil Pressel
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Space Shuttle Legacy: How We Did It and What We Learned
Roger D. Launius; John Krige; James I. Craig
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Augustine’s Laws
Norman R. Augustine
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100 years of Flight
Frank H. Winter and F. Robert van der Linden
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Have Blue and the F-117A: Evolution of the “Stealth Fighter”
David C. Aronstein and Albert C. Piccirillo
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David C. Aronstein, Michael J. Hirschberg, and Albert C. Piccirillo
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Argyris Panaras
$49.95
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David W. Swift
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Hans Von Ohain
Margaret Conner
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Curtis Peebles
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Eleven Seconds into the Unknown
Curtis Peebles
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Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry
Mike Gruntman
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The Rocket Company
Patrick Stiennon and David Hoerr
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Rocketdyne: Powering Humans into Space
Vince Wheelcock
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Space Exploration and Astronaut Safety
Joseph N. Pelton
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Shades of Gray
L. Parker Temple III
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Unmanned Aviation: A Brief History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Laurence R. Newcome
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Starting Something Big: The Commercial Emergence of GE Aircraft Engines
Robert V. Garvin
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The Power to Fly: An Engineer’s Life
Martin Ducheny and Brian Rowe
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Aerospace Engineering Education During the First Century of Flight
Barnes McCormick; Eric Jumper; Conrad Newberry
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The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines
Richard Leyes II; William Fleming
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Methods to Extend Mechanical Component Life: Lessons Learned with Space Vehicle and Rocket Engine Components
Dieter Huzel
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The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History
Jack Connors
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From Rainbow to Gusto
Paul A. Suhler
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Experiments in Aerodynamics
S. Langley
$29.95
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Skycrane: Igor Sikorsky’s Last Vision
John A. McKenna
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Hired Minds
Bryan Gardner
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Terminal Chaos: Why U.S. Air Travel Is Broken and How to Fix It
George L. Donohue; Russell D. Shaver II
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Space: The Fragile Frontier
Mark Williamson
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Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers
Tom Crouch; Buzz Aldrin
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The Superpower Odyssey: A Russian Perspective on Space Cooperation
Yuri Karash
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Centennial of Powered Flight
Gerard Faeth
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When the Airlines Went to War
Robert Serling
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Advice to Rocket Scientists
Jim Longuski
$19.95
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 Posted by at 5:33 pm
Dec 052013
 

Just a reminder…

After hiatus, I am again offering cyanotype blueprints of various aerospace subjects on paper. These include the V-2, the Saturn Ib and V, the NERVA nuclear rocket, the Super Hustler, and many more.What says “Merry Christmas” better than a gift of a hand-made, awesome-looking large format cyanotype blueprint of a launch vehicle or nuclear bombardment system?

See the complete list here:

http://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/catalog/cyan.htm

And while I’m not at liberty to go into the specifics, I recently provided a number of these to a certain ongoing major TV series to be used as set dressing/props. The episodes will air sometime early next spring, I believe. They should look marvelous…

 Posted by at 3:10 am