Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: 2stony on March 21, 2005, 07:06:29 PM

Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: 2stony on March 21, 2005, 07:06:29 PM: I thought everyone would enjoy Dick Rutan's venture into a B-17 restoration.

(http://[img]http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/32_1111453435_rutan-b17.jpg)[/IMG]

:lol
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Skydancer on March 21, 2005, 07:10:27 PM: Wonder if it would work?

Looks pretty funky.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Chairboy on March 21, 2005, 07:11:20 PM: That's the best description for that pic I've seen (Rutan), most excellent. I've got a copy in my archive I will be renaming post haste.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Gunslinger on March 21, 2005, 09:16:00 PM: How would the waist gunners shoot?:(
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: john9001 on March 21, 2005, 09:21:22 PM: secret weapons of the USAAF

notice two top turrents
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: rabbidrabbit on March 21, 2005, 11:17:36 PM: quoted from the article..

"At first Johnny thought he was too fat to be a tail gunner on a B-17 but his recruiter assured him he would do just fine"
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: OIO on March 22, 2005, 01:41:00 PM: am I the only one thinking 'whoa, I just neeed to come in from under that wing for a safe shot!' ;)
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Furball on March 22, 2005, 02:11:59 PM: "the AH community's answer to the 1 ping tail falling off issue"
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Seagoon on March 22, 2005, 05:18:46 PM: Thanks for the pic. I remembered reading that some B-17s were sent to Canada for final assembly. :D

Ba-dump-bum-ching.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: eskimo2 on March 22, 2005, 05:34:03 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Skydancer
Wonder if it would work?

Looks pretty funky.

No,

The CG for an airplane is typically about 1/3 of the way between the leading edge of the wing and the trailing edge. A few planes have horizontal stabilizers that create lift and change things a bit, but this plane is way too nose heavy.

eskimo
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: rabbidrabbit on March 22, 2005, 07:36:32 PM: Quote
Originally posted by eskimo2
No,

The CG for an airplane is typically about 1/3 of the way between the leading edge of the wing and the trailing edge. A few planes have horizontal stabilizers that create lift and change things a bit, but this plane is way too nose heavy.

eskimo

I think you are overlooking my fat tailgunner theory.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: MarkVZ on March 22, 2005, 08:35:41 PM: Many canards have CG's completely ahead of the main (rear) wing. If this is the case, the heaviest pieces of the airplane (the engines) are possibly still *behind* if not right on the CG. I wouldn't be so quick to say that the hypothetical B-17 canard is "noseheavy."

Technically it could be made to work given the proper CG and area ratios between the main wing and canard, as well as the proper moment arm on the canard.

Quote
Originally posted by eskimo2
No,

The CG for an airplane is typically about 1/3 of the way between the leading edge of the wing and the trailing edge. A few planes have horizontal stabilizers that create lift and change things a bit, but this plane is way too nose heavy.

eskimo
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Vulcan on March 22, 2005, 10:04:50 PM: stick some bombs in the bombay and ain't gonna be nose heavy, its gonna be nose-planted.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: EagleEyes on March 22, 2005, 10:27:01 PM: Is that a real b-17 or did someone mess around with photoshop?:confused:
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: DiabloTX on March 22, 2005, 11:29:05 PM: Quote
Originally posted by EagleEyes
Is that a real b-17 or did someone mess around with photoshop?:confused:

Ok everyone, SHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Yes Virginia, it's a real B-17.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: rabbidrabbit on March 23, 2005, 08:04:58 AM: Of course its a real b-17! They just had a fat tailgunner who sued under ADA to get the mods.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: indy007 on March 23, 2005, 08:28:51 AM: I wonder what it'd be like to try to get that thing off the ground with no flaps. iirc, you'd need leading edge slats on the canards that would deploy at the same time as the flaps otherwise the aircraft would get out of balance in a hurry.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Shuckins on March 23, 2005, 08:59:36 AM: With the standard .50 caliber chin turret and what appear to be two 30 mm cannon in the canards, ho attacks by fighters would be suicidal.
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Seagoon on March 23, 2005, 12:02:37 PM: I was wondering why they installed the second dorsal turret, and then it hit me - they had to delete the waist guns in order to put the wing in back.

Honestly though, anyone got any information on why they produced such a hare-brained configuration?

- SEAGOON
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: rabbidrabbit on March 23, 2005, 12:16:25 PM: You are just not listening to me Seagoon.. tsk tsk!
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Seagoon on March 23, 2005, 12:22:54 PM: I knew that Clark Gable joined the AAF in WW2, but I always wondered if Oliver Hardy had joined the service too. Thanks for clearing that up...

- SEAGOON
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: bunch on March 23, 2005, 02:14:31 PM: Is it still conventional gear?
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: indy007 on March 23, 2005, 02:48:07 PM: Quote
Originally posted by bunch
Is it still conventional gear?

Off hand, I can't recall seeing a canard setup taildragger. Definately be interested in seeing one though if anybody has pics :)
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: Guppy35 on March 23, 2005, 02:55:01 PM: Thought some of you gents might want to see the aircraft before it was modified by the Rutan crowd. Just your standard B17G to begin with :)

Dan
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/810_1111611189_prerutan17.jpg)
Title: Dick Rutan's B-17 Restoration
Post by: rabbidrabbit on March 23, 2005, 03:06:32 PM: Ya, I hear good ole Burt is an experten with Photoshop!

But I really like my fat tailgunner theory...>