Bell XF-109 VTOL Fighter Brochure and Mock-up Inspection Program (1959)
A new post is up at RetroMechanix.com presenting a Bell “XF-109” brochure and mock-up inspection program dating from February 1959:
This is the last article in our series on this ill-fated supersonic VTOL fighter; the profusely illustrated color brochure focuses exclusively on the Air Force variant, while the program provides an interesting overview of the mock-up inspection process and the state of Bell facilities in 1959. The article features 72 images reproducing both documents in full.
-Jared
Bell D188A/Model 2000 (XF-109/XF3L) Supersonic VTOL Fighter (1959)
The twelfth installment in a series on the Bell D188A/Model 2000 supersonic VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces a pair of reports from early 1959 – a Progress Report from January and a report on aerodynamic and propulsion model testing from February. The accompanying gallery features 43 images, including numerous high resolution photos and illustrations of the aircraft.
-Jared
Bell D188A/Model 2000 (XF-109/XF3L) Supersonic VTOL Fighter (1959)
The twelfth installment in a series on the Bell D188A/Model 2000 supersonic VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces a pair of reports from early 1959 – a Progress Report from January and a report on aerodynamic and propulsion model testing from February. The accompanying gallery features 43 images, including numerous high resolution photos and illustrations of the aircraft.
-Jared
Lockheed P-80A for the U.S. Navy (1947)
The third installment in our unplanned series on an early navalized Lockheed P-80A is up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article presents a re-discovered U.S. Naval Air Test Center (NATC) report dating from June 23, 1947 on flight tests of the Shooting Star as an overload fighter with wing tip auxiliary fuel tanks installed. The accompanying image gallery reproduces the entire report, including several rare photos of the aircraft with wing tip tanks attached.
-Jared
Bell D188A (XF-109/XF3L) VTOL Fighter Mock-Up Photos (1958)
The eleventh installment in a series on the Bell D188A is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces a mock-up summary report from January 1958 and features numerous large photos of the completed mock-up and its major components.
-Jared
The eighth installment in a series on the Bell D188A is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces Navy correspondence and a report from February-March 1958 describing various possible Sidewinder installations on the aircraft. The accompanying image gallery features several high resolution drawings of the installations and a photo.
-Jared
The seventh installment in a series on the Bell D188A VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces a pair of Bell reports from December 1957 along with a Navy Bureau of Aeronautics memorandum critiquing the design. The accompanying gallery features 39 images, including many photos and illustrations of this ambitious but ultimately cancelled supersonic VTOL fighter.
-Jared
A second post on the XCG-16 has been added to RetroMechanix.com featuring an additional 17 photos of this unusual lifting fuselage military transport/assault glider:
The high resolution photos include some interesting shots of the glider being towed by a B-17; worth a look if you are interested in unusual vintage aircraft.
-Jared
The third article in a series on the Bell D188A VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces correspondence and progress reports from September through November 1957. The accompanying gallery features 21 images with many interesting drawings, photos and illustrations. More installments to follow in the weeks ahead, so please stay tuned!
The third article in a series on the Bell D188A VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces correspondence and progress reports from September through November 1957. The accompanying gallery features 21 images with many interesting drawings, photos and illustrations. More installments to follow in the weeks ahead, so please stay tuned!
Bell D188A (XF-109 / XF3L) Jet VTOL Fighter (1957)
The second article in a series on the Bell D188A jet VTOL fighter is now up at RetroMechanix.com:
The article reproduces a Bell brochure dating from July 1957 which presents a further refinement of the six-jet configuration first illustrated in the February 1957 report covered in Part 1 of the series. The accompanying gallery features 25 images with numerous schematics and illustrations. More installments to follow in the weeks ahead, so please stay tuned!
-Jared
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