Russia's 'Blackjacks' fly again

"BUFDRVR" wrote in message
...
actually the TU-95 is an almost exact copy (in concept) of the late 40s
original version of the Boeing B-52(a very swept wing with 4 engine pods
each with 2 contra rotating props driven by 2 turbine engines) later in
the
design program the prop engines were replaced by the new "jet" engines
being
developed at the time. Perhaps BUFDRVR has enough background to confirm
this?


The original BUFF was designed to be a prop, but when the USAF demanded an
all
jet bomber, Boeing designers were forced (over a weekend) to redsign her
as an
all jet bomber. I don't believe the design was for counter-rotating props
though. Additionally, I doubt the Bear was a "BUFF rip-off", they have
very
little in common design wise.

Yes the original design shown to the Air Force by George Schairer (the same
Boeing engineer that had found the German swept wing data at the Goering
Aeronautical Research Institute in May 1945) had counter rotating props. The
recommendation to continue development of the swept wing pure jet bombers
along the lines of B-47 and B-55 came from Dr. Waldemar Voight, a German
advisor to the USAF. The Air Force dumped on the Boeing proposal on a
Thursday, the three man Boeing team (Schairer, Carlsen, Blumenthal) was
augmented by Ed Wells from Seattle and two members of the B-55 team already
in Dayton on other business. Wells drew the plan, Wells and Schairer made
the model and the others did the weight and performance calculations. The
Air Force told the Boeing team the following Monday that they had a winner
and to forget about the B-55. The original of course had a tandem cockpit
that LeMay demanded be changed. Anyway these six guys created one of the
most significant if not THE most significant aircraft ever conceived over a
working weekend in the Van Cleve Hotel in Dayton Ohio.




BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it
harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"