This comprehensive training film was produced by the US Air Force to familiarize pilots and aircrew transitioning from prop driven aircraft like the B-29 to the new world of the B-47, the USAF's first jet bomber.
You'll see a history of early US jet bomber development starting in 1943, including wind tunnel testing of the delta wing, the unique challenges of jet engines, making all systems easily accessible for maintenance and a number of preliminary designs for the aircraft. Then you'll see a pre-flight check, followed on tips on taxiing with the P-47's unique landing gear, followed by takeoff. In flight, there's a discussion of handling & stall characteristics, with an emphasis on dealing with high speed buffeting as the aircraft reaches its critical mach number. (Unlike World War 2 prop planes, the fast Stratojet could hit its mach number in relatively level flight.) You'll learn the best way to achieve maximum range with the Stratojet's thirsty engines. Finally, there's an in depth discussion of landing characteristics, including speed, touch & go (if necessary) and deploying the drag chute. Throughout, there's excellent P-47 Stratojet footage here!
About The Boeing B-47 Stratojet
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With the launch of the the B-47 Stratojet, the US Air Force jumped in a single decade from B-17 and B-24 bombers lumbering at 200 mph over Germany to a 600 mph swept wing jet capable (with air refueling) of hitting intercontinental targets. As the USA's first swept-wing multi engine bomber, she was one of the most influential designs in aircraft history.
Boeing's original jet bomber blueprint in 1943 was for a straight winged aircraft based on the B-29 fuselage. 1n 1945, Boeing aerodynamicist George Schairer went to Germany to sift through captured aircraft data. He discovered wind-tunnel data on swept-wing designs that revolutionized the B-47 team's thinking.. Engineers used the new Boeing High-Speed Wind Tunnel to develop the XB-47 with 35-degree swept wings..The new aircraft proved to be outstandingly agile for a bomber with a 25,000lb payload, yet pilots reported she was very easy to fly. Her fighter style bubble top canopy provided an excellent all around view.
The prototype had twin General Electric J-35 engines (GE J-47 engines on production models) hung from sculpted pods inboard on each wing, and single engines were hung outboard. Engine weight made the wings droop, so the B-47 had tandem landing gear under the front and back sections of the fuselage. Outrigger wheels on the inboard engines kept it from tipping over on the ground. Early jet engines could not provide enough thrust for takeoff, so the XB-47, B-47A, and B-47B had 18 small rocket units in the fuselage for jet-assisted takeoff (JATO). A drag chute reduced landing speed. The B-47 immediately broke speed and distance records. In 1949 it crossed the United States in under four hours at an average 608 mph. She had defensive armament only in the tail because contemporary enemy fighters could barely keep up with her at high altitudes.
The B-47 medium bomber was the foundation of the Air Force's new Strategic Air Command . One variant became a missile carrier while others were outstandingly successful reconnaissance aircraft that penetrated deep into the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Between 1947 and 1956, a total of 2,032 B-47s in all variants were built and the Stratojet stayed in service well into the 1960s.
