Halifax mk IV secrets come to light

For interest, here is a NACA report dated 1926 – a feasibility study on the use of steam powerplants for aircraft use.

http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/reports/1926/naca-tn-239/index.cgi?page0001.gif

It is possible to recycle the steam using condensers thus avoiding large contrails, water can also be collected from clouds via condensers – airships did this to collect ballast. Turbines would be prefered over a reciprocating engine. What would worry me is what happens to the mass of water inside the boiler in the event of a sharp manouevre? Any negative G would send the hot water out along the feed pipe and possibly result in locally overheating the boiler which could lead to fatigue failure. However, what was going on while the spies were trying to glean more info on this steam bomber ?

In truth it’s about as feasible as having engines driven by compressed air whereby the air is collected and compressed by ram air ducts in the nose.

The steam-coooled RR engine was the Goshawk, a variant of the Kestrel. Substantially less than successful.

There’s a picture in Bill Gunston’s Aero Engine Encyclopedia of a nuclear-powered gas turbine. In appearance, two engines, one each side of a central reactor.
Apparently, there was a suggestion that one of the Saro Princesses was to be used as a nuclear testbed. I have no proof that this was any more than a rumour and haven’t got a clue who told me, but it was when they still existed!

There are several other less well known claimants to that title.
There was a comprehensive article detailing each in Aeroplane either December or January, and unfortunately I’ve chucked it out, so can’t back this up. No doubt, someone out there will have a copy.

I’m sure everybody knows that Stringfellow’s aircraft was just a model. However, it does represent the first time a heavier than air aircraft made powered flights.

Originally posted by Papa Lima
Does that put the Wright brothers in second place then? What was all the fuss about last December 17th? 😀

They just got all the publicity.

Two things come to mind about a steam powered bomber.
1. At the altitude (20-30,000′) The air pressure is much lower than ground level and look at the thickness and weight of a ground level one.
2. Think of the temperature difference and the contrails!
Nice story tho.
There was the Rolls Royce Vulture which used steam (to cool?)
but this was a rare failure for Rolls.
mmitch.

Does that put the Wright brothers in second place then? What was all the fuss about last December 17th? 😀

The first powered aircraft was steam powered! John Stringfellow, 1848…

Originally posted by Papa Lima
It had a reactor on board but this had nothing to do with providing propulsion, it was just a test to see if an aircraft could fly with a nuclear reactor aboard and not kill the crew!
Too busy to write more, but I am sure plenty of others out there have the details!

I read the link and it quotes “The X-6 was intended to test the practicality of nuclear reactors as large bomber propulsion units”

“The X-6 never got beyond the early design stage, no prototypes or mockups were constructed”
So granted I got it slightly wrong, it wasn’t going to power the B-36 itself, but was going to be for a large bomber (which I guess at that time was the B-36 or even the early B-52).

Cheers
Chris
🙂

Here’s another really interesting link on the subject
http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/baugher_other/x-6.html

It had a reactor on board but this had nothing to do with providing propulsion, it was just a test to see if an aircraft could fly with a nuclear reactor aboard and not kill the crew!
Too busy to write more, but I am sure plenty of others out there have the details!

While on the subject of alternative powerplants, I read once about a propsal of a nuclear powered B-36 Peacemaker.
I know that they got as far as a running nuclear reactor onboard but it never went through.

mmm,..wonder how practical it would have been. They had to line the B-36 with lead for shielding

Anyway, here’s a link.
http://users.dbscorp.net/jmustain/x6.htm

check the nuclear badge out on the tail…:p

and there was the Hiram Maxim steam-powered monster too. . .
Fortunately restricted to the ground by rails.

What about Clement Ader’s aircraft from the late 1800’s (or was it early 1900’s). Wasn’t that powered by a steam engine. It supposedly made a very short flight (reaching an altitude of some inches, but that is open to debate).

Could be wrong though,

Cees

April 12, 1933, was the first flight date of a Travel Air 2000 powered by a 150 hp Besler V-2 steam turbine driving a 2-blade tractor propeller (some sources say it had a Besler 2-cylinder double-actine Vee engine, operating on a boiler pressure of 1200 psi).
Extract from my personal “First Flights” database.
That is the only steam-powered aircraft to actually fly that I have come across, but I would very much like to know if there were any others!

I read an aticle in Aeroplane about the turn of the year, re the early days of flight, and there was a design for a steam powered aircraft, but it didn’t fly.

Even if it was true, the thing that scared me the most was steam power being used to drive the turrets. Imagine a stray bullet puncturing a steam line and boiling hot water vapour going through the fuselage…mmm…no thanks !!!:eek:

1. No documentation sources provided that could be independantly checked, but loads of numbers & info that can’t. (To make it look good) Always a clue.

2. The physics was rubbish in the story. Steam engine capabilities are well documented – this is just a very well designed but non-credible wind up.

Cheers Cees,

I was sceptical from the beginning. I thought it had to be a hoax. There was far too much information which is a dead giveaway.

While reading it I was waiting to see if the ‘S’ Squadron commander was a Wing Commander D. Bader. 🙂

Cheers
Dave

mmmm,….

damn egg on my face….:rolleyes:

It was nearly convincing….
😮