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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00040_Field_40.txt
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1994-08-29
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22 lines
The Runway Lover
Boeing took a bold step forward when they developed the
high-performance B-47. During testing, many aircraft crashed,
and the B-47 was considered dangerous to fly. One problem was
landing the big jet, which required great precision. The GE J47
engines were slow to decelerate, while the plane itself was
difficult to slow down. To stop the Stratojet, a drogue chute
was deployed on approach, and a brake chute after landing. In
truth, horror stories of flying the B-47 came more from the press
than from its pilots.
For a pilot, flying the B-47 was pure pleasure. The aircraft's
sleek lines, the visibility from the blown canopy, and its
responsiveness in almost all flight regimes were a world apart
from the B-50s it replaced. On a hot day at high gross weights,
the B-47 was a "runway lover," slow to take off. But, once
airborne, the Stratojet cleaned up, accelerating and climbing
quickly to reach a cruising speed of Mach 0.74. At altitude, the
B-47s were almost as fast as the F-86 Sabres that would escort
them.