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Originally Posted by TIN MAN
The wing concept was actually designed by a German I believe for the Arado jet bomber?
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Designed by a German, yes (Gustav Lachmann). However, it is unlikely that it ever found it's way onto an Arado jet bomber being as Lachmann had been working for Handley-Page continuously since 1929, apart from a short period interned as an enemy alien. German WW2 aircraft really weren't all that advanced in practice - most of the really "futuristic" aircraft turned out to be complete dogs when built.
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Originally Posted by glyn
I very much doubt whether any B-52 has exceeded mach unity!
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Source on that is private comments by a former B-52 groundcrewman. It didn't particularly surprise me though - official figures quote a maximum speed of 550kts at 20,000ft, or about 0.95 Mach. 20,000ft is implausibly low for maxiumum speed to be measured at for a jet aircraft - the official figures note "limited by structure". Move up to a more normal operating height of 40-50,000ft and that structural limit pretty much goes away due to reduced air density. The thrust figures used are also for "military power" - again, suggesting that more power was available.
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Originally Posted by glyn
I was airborne over RAF Sylt in a clean Hunter F6 (no drop tanks) when we were given a practice intercept on a B-36.
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1957 or later, correct? It would have been pretty much obselescent by then, as the last were retired in February 1959. Incidentally, their combat ceiling was rated at 40,000ft or so with their service ceiling (rate at which climb drops to 100 fpm) at around 30,000ft. At least, that's what the official numbers say
