And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Friday, November 29, 2024
How'ja like to get up and go to work in that thing every morning?
A lot of the XB-70 skin was made out of stainless steel face sheet honeycomb with stainless core that was brazed together in high temp autoclave process rather than adhesive bonded like normal honeycomb structure. They never quite worked out paint adhesion and by todays standards it would have the radar cross section of your average steel mill but by God it was fast. It's worth the trip to Wright Pat to go see the survivor.
The paint flaking issue was resolved by a thinner coat of paint that flexed with the airframe rather than cracking. There was lots of magnificent cutting edge development in those days - the US was really in the lead in respect of aviation.
A least they produced something, as opposed to today's bunch of federal poseurs who can make a gazillion dollars disappear while producing diddly squat.
Another great thing about this site. People like Mikey gives us the low-down on on the construction of the XB-70 and where we can still see one in person. Yeah, we could look it up on the internet, but that sounded like he already those things. Thanks Mikey!
I have a thick, hard cover book titled Valkyrie. It will tell you everything you didn't know to ask about this magnificent aircraft. The improving surface to air missile technology made its survivability quite uncertain so there was suddenly no role for it. They even proposed an air force passenger version toward the end.
As weird as the plane itself were the flying saucers (officially Lenticular Defense Missiles) that were going to defend it. Look up 'Project Pye Wacket'.
XB-70, there's one left in the Dayton AF Museum, but it will never fly again.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the XB-70 skin was made out of stainless steel face sheet honeycomb with stainless core that was brazed together in high temp autoclave process rather than adhesive bonded like normal honeycomb structure. They never quite worked out paint adhesion and by todays standards it would have the radar cross section of your average steel mill but by God it was fast. It's worth the trip to Wright Pat to go see the survivor.
ReplyDeleteThe paint flaking issue was resolved by a thinner coat of paint that flexed with the airframe rather than cracking. There was lots of magnificent cutting edge development in those days - the US was really in the lead in respect of aviation.
DeleteAmazing things happen when you give a bunch of engineers with slide rules a gazillion dollars.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
A least they produced something, as opposed to today's bunch of federal poseurs who can make a gazillion dollars disappear while producing diddly squat.
DeleteAnother great thing about this site. People like Mikey gives us the low-down on on the construction of the XB-70 and where we can still see one in person. Yeah, we could look it up on the internet, but that sounded like he already those things. Thanks Mikey!
ReplyDeleteI have a thick, hard cover book titled Valkyrie. It will tell you everything you didn't know to ask about this magnificent aircraft. The improving surface to air missile technology made its survivability quite uncertain so there was suddenly no role for it. They even proposed an air force passenger version toward the end.
DeleteOf the two, one was destroyed during a photo op with a couple of high speed fighters.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be a fast but LOUD commute. - Nemo
ReplyDeleteAs weird as the plane itself were the flying saucers (officially Lenticular Defense Missiles) that were going to defend it. Look up 'Project Pye Wacket'.
ReplyDelete