H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose"

Six Degrees of Separation. In our composites building is a framed-behind-glass birch rib section of the H-4’s horizontal stabilizer (my company was McDonnell Douglas Helicopter before the Boeing Merger, and Hughes Helicopters before that). My friend Joe’s uncle was the late Jack Real, whom I’d met once. Jack was president of Hughes Aircraft and the one man who knew old HH best. He never told any tales, although he’d been offered huge bucks to write his autobiography, especially detailing his relationship with HH.

But, with all due respect to my colleagues here, the reason that the H-4 and the Saunders-Roe Princess never made it was that they were seaplanes. Before the war, given the huge size of the Pacific and lack of airport infrastructure, a big seaplane seemed to be the most cost-effective approach. Indeed, my company’s Clipper ( www.aviation-history.com... ), like the Sikorsky S-42 ( www.aviation-history.com... ) and the Martin M-130 ( www.aviation-history.com... ) was a great success, but that was before the Second World War. By 1945, the Americans had build airports capable of handling B-29’s throughout the Pacific, and the need for large seaplanes no longer existed.

Thats exactly correct, as I'm sure you already know. The factor that threw Britains civil aircraft plans into disarray was not merely the fact that America had built long runways too, but the completely unforseen rapidity with which all the worlds major airports were ever willing to lengthen runways and/or build major new terminals to accomodate the new generation of landplanes. Indeed so slow was the UK industry to adjust to this that even in the late fifties Britains latest large jetliner, The Vickers VC-10, was hampered by being designed to operate from short unprepared 'hot and high' strips, this had a knock on effect with the aircrafts cost and economics which led to airlines simply sticking with the 707 and DC-8 instead and a grand total of only 59 otherwise superb VC-10's were built as a result.

There are plans in the works for a plane very similar to the "goose". It will be a cross ocean transport flying in ground effect, and be HUGE. I wish I could remember more details, read about it last year in aviation week. So if that plane is really developed for the air force, it would appear that howard really did influence aircraft design, and ideas with the wooden boat.

Originally posted by mxboy15u
There are plans in the works for a plane very similar to the "goose". It will be a cross ocean transport flying in ground effect, and be HUGE. I wish I could remember more details, read about it last year in aviation week. So if that plane is really developed for the air force, it would appear that howard really did influence aircraft design, and ideas with the wooden boat.

You mean, the "Pelican" Project? It was the competitor for the "Walrus" transport airship. Quite frankly, I think that the Walrus has won out over the Pelican, the Pelican, just doesn't seem like the right project for the requirements.

Shattered OUT...

I'm sure you are right shatterd, I reckon it was the Pelican he is referring to, I have managed to dig out this impression of it;

Of course I'm right. Have we forgotten where my expertise lies?

Shattered OUT...

I thought it was about time I agreed with you on something, in case you thought I was doing it on purpose

There it is, is the project moving forward? What an impressive sight that would be. Long overdue in my book.

Huge size is always impressive, or so the ladies tell me.

I would love to see a 1000 foot long wingspan, flying wing design with a lifting capacity of like 10 million pounds.

Train

Originally posted by BigTrain
I would love to see a 1000 foot long wingspan, flying wing design with a lifting capacity of like 10 million pounds.

Train

It would only be able of carrying up to 50,000 tons I think of cargo and has an acre for a wing span.

Shattered OUT...

[edit on 8-10-2005 by ShatteredSkies]

Originally posted by BigTrain
I would love to see a 1000 foot long wingspan, flying wing design with a lifting capacity of like 10 million pounds.

Train

Maybe you know Berijev Be-2500 project. It is huge, but when not enough, I think that Be-5000 will be the right thing for you

ShatteredSkies: Heracles was projected as the first stage for MAKS aerospaceplane. It has no followers yet.

Jeeez, I've never seen anything like that drawing! Has that thing got enough engines? I hate for it to fail because it was underpowered