Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Kuhn on October 06, 2009, 02:46:22 PM
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I came across this by accident. Interesting.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2406/how-come-howard-hughess-spruce-goose-flew-only-once
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Its been disputed that it never flew at all since it never left ground effect.
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He said it was a death trap.
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Would you fly it again? :uhoh I'd be wetting myself the first time, much less again. The thing is massive...
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He said it was a death trap.
Not according to that article.
ack-ack
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And it was made of wood. They make, or at least made, toy gliders out of wood, not real aircraft.
Is that so?
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Is that so?
:lol Oh boy...that guy's in for some wrath.
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He said it was a death trap.
He could've killed himself flying the H-1 Racer. :huh No way in hell he "claimed it was a death trap", no way in hell.
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Its been disputed that it never flew at all since it never left ground effect.
Probably right because ground effect occurs about half wingspan height over terrain.
Mutley
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In those days aerospace technology was advancing very rapidly. Could it be that the plane, magnificent as it may be, was obsolete before it was completed?
Today attitudes are different. It might be considered "too big to fail" but in those days your ventures had to succeed in the market, not just in the air.
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In those days aerospace technology was advancing very rapidly. Could it be that the plane, magnificent as it may be, was obsolete before it was completed?
Today attitudes are different. It might be considered "too big to fail" but in those days your ventures had to succeed in the market, not just in the air.
Absolutely correct. Obsolete before it even left the water. If one looks into the time scale (1950's) jets were coming on strong i.e the commet airliners and the like. It just wouldn't have been a viable business proposition in the face of the technology which was soon to follow..... and he knew it.
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Absolutely correct. Obsolete before it even left the water. If one looks into the time scale (1950's) jets were coming on strong i.e the commet airliners and the like. It just wouldn't have been a viable business proposition in the face of the technology which was soon to follow..... and he knew it.
I thought it was military not civilian - and he only took it up to prove a point
Tronsky
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Why did Hughes never fly the plane again? Some said he was afraid to, but his closest associates denied it. The more likely explanation is that there was no reason to continue. The war was long over. The need for big seaplanes had evaporated.<<< From the The Straight Dope website
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I think he did it just to prove a point...plain and simple.
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before WW2 there were not many airfields for large aircraft and much overseas travel was done with flying boats like the pan-am clippers, he was building the plane to be used as a troop transport, by the time it was finished the war was over and as a result of the war there were many new airfields around the world so the plane was not needed. The era of the big flying boats was over
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I thought it was military not civilian - and he only took it up to prove a point
Tronsky
Correct. He built it because of the rationing of Steel, Aluminum.
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Because the owner of the plane didn't want it to fly anymore.
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Is that so?
You're reading it out of context, read it again. That's supposed to be the thought of an average person without any real knowledge of aviation.
ack-ack
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You're reading it out of context, read it again. That's supposed to be the thought of an average person without any real knowledge of aviation.
ack-ack
And therefore have no knowledge of the Mosquito. :D
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And therefore have no knowledge of the Mosquito. :D
I wasn't just thinking of the Mossie. I was thinking of all the other wooden, or partially wooden, aircraft that have been built and used through the years.
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Perhaps because this leaves an ever lasting cliffhanger on aviation enthusiasts. Pretty smart, no? I'd like to see it flown again!
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Has anyone made a flight sim add-on of the spruce goose?
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Its been disputed that it never flew at all since it never left ground effect.
So, you are saying it was really a precursor to these (http://www.vincelewis.net/ekranoplan.html)?
(http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/aircraft-pictures/Ekranoplanlarge.jpg)
(http://www.ae.metu.edu.tr/~gulkiz/km.jpg)
(http://www.007museum.com/Ekranoplan7.jpg)
(http://www.australianhovercraft.com/hoverc1.jpg)
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if i recall the goose was fairly under powered?
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I have the honor of it being stored not far from where I live (evergreen aviation museum), and have had the honor to see it many times.
Quite honestly, it was a death trap. It really couldn't generate the lift it needed... Let's put it this way, he filled the wings with helium balloons hoping it would help. ;) That, is desperate.
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Just add more HP :t
Anyway, last time I flew in a wooden aircraft was the last time I flew, - this summer. It outperforms its metal counterparts quite easily.
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Oh icant really remember i thought that the gov was paying the bill on the spruce goose and he had to get it off the ground to collect money from the gov.?
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Oh icant really remember i thought that the gov was paying the bill on the spruce goose and he had to get it off the ground to collect money from the gov.?
it was only supposed to be taxi trials.