NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The 116 foot wing span
Boeing B-47 Stratojet
jet bomber had a maximum weight and
an ordnance capacity greater than most WW II heavy bombers. It was the first
swept wing bomber to be deployed by the U.S.A.F.
The Boeing B-47 had jet
fighter speed and maneuverability. It needed six jet engines for sufficient
power, and even that had to be supplemented with Rocket Assisted Take-Off (RATO)
from 18 booster rockets for heavy pay loads.
The first Boeing
B-47 aircraft did not have in-air
refueling capacity. This meant that they had to be deployed from basis within
round trip range of the Soviet Union in order to act as a nuclear deterrent.
Once in-flight refueling was adapted,
missions as much as 36 hours long were flown to demonstrate the effectiveness of
the aircraft.
Although the Boeing
B-47 was intended for high altitude
missions, the development of surface to air missiles by the Soviet Union altered
that mission. It required the strengthening of its air frame in order
to perform missions below Soviet
radar detection levels. Another version of the aircraft was a
dedicated reconnaissance plane.
When maximum deployment was achieved, over 1,300 of the aircraft served with 28 Strategic Air Command wings.
A total of 2,039 Boeing B-47 aircraft of all types were produced.
bomber
three
GE J47
6 x 7,200 lbs. ea.
109' 10"
116' 0"
80,760 lbs.
198,180 lbs.
2 x .20 mm
20,000 lbs.
550 mph
605 mph
4,350 fpm
40,500 feet
3,600 miles
12/17/47
1952
Not a Radio Control Airplane
Click on the picture to hear the wav sound.
Boeing XB-47D:
The XB-47D was the world's fastest combined jet and propeller powered aircraft with a top speed of 598 mph.
On Aug. 26, 1955 the first of two modified Boeing XB-47D aircraft took to the skies to test the theory that an aircraft could have the acceleration of a propeller driven plane with the top speed of a jet. The aircraft had their inboard jet engines replaced with 9,710 hp turboprops driving huge 15' diameter, 2' wide propellers.
Tests of the XB-47D found excellent performance and few problems. However, more modern jet engines were able to have quicker acceleration, and a combined jet and turboprop powered bomber for the USAF was never developed for deployment.
We are surprised not to find many Boeing B-47 RC Airplanes. The B-47 looks good and appears to have the proportions to make a good radio control airplane.
The XB-47D version of the Boeing B-47 with propellers and jets would make an interesting RC Airplane. Imagine how a radio control airplane would sound with turbojets and engines turning propellers?
In the picture directly above is the Boeing B-47 radio control slope soarer scratch built by Sergio Vergara. It has a wing span of 52" and uses aileron and elevator controls. Construction is all EPP foam. All up weight is 40 oz. Sergio tells us that the slope soarer will fly well in winds above 10 mph.
The AMA has plans for a control line Boeing B-47. It should be fairly easily converted into a RC Airplane. It has a 46" wing span.
Model Aviation News also has plans for a XB-47D version of the Boeing B-47 as a control line model that can be converted in to a RC Airplane. It has a 54" wing span and a length of 43".
In the three pictures below is the great looking XB-47D version of the Boieng B-47 built by Mike Potter. We want to thank Robert Hill for sending the pictures to us.
This is is a control line model and not a radio control airplane. It was built from the Model Aviation News plans and can be converted into a RC Airplane.
Robert Stoneberg (bbhs31@gmail.com) writes about his rc airplane project: "I have begun a RB-47 H project in that I have built some test models, glide, CG, etc. The final larger rc model still has to be drawn up.
The idea is to build an electric powered RB version with all the humps, bumps, and other electronic appendages per the full size, with a scale of about 1"=2ft. This works out to a W.S. of of near 60" and a fuse. a bit less. I plan to use thick (2") foam, laminated, & strenthened with carbon fiber, in the fuse.
The wings may have to be standard balsa constr. with a non- scale airfoil shape. perhaps a thin Clark -Y. My little gliders seem to like a 20 degree wingsweep rather than the scale 35 degrees. Slower landings. probably skidded in on its belly/ALD-4 pod config. might be best. The scale LG may prove to be too much, which I think is why few have built this bird as a model.
The full scale A/C was a real "beast" to set down smoothly until the pilot skill level improved. I know, for sure about that! Power--- I think I'd like to use a quality E. brushless. Maybe AXI from Hobby-Lobby. Now here is the biggest diff: The motor would be set into the nose of the rc airplane with a folding prop and a scaled nose spinner.
The 6 jet engines would all be scaled dummies, and made to come off easily w/o tearing the wing off. I'd need a bit of non-scale dihedral to help keep the ground clearance, also. RTF weight I est. is near 5 lbs. As you can see, this radio control airplane is not for sissies, but a fun challenge. I would love to get some input on this rc project.
You all probably have lots of "whys, how comes, etc, etc's , so have at it, please!"
Boeing B-47
