V Bomber Program on More4 at 10:00pm tonight
Discussion
Not sure if there is already a thread for this but thought I should post this in the planes forum rather than the TV one.
I'm looking forward to it!
Copy and paste from Radio Times....
Engineering Britain's Superweapons Wednesday 22 July
10:00pm - 11:05pm
More4
There was no post war austerity for the armed forces. In the 1950s, desperate to compete with emergent superpowers America and Russia, Britain poured millions into its nuclear arsenal. This three-parter begins with the V-bomber planes - the Valiant, Vulcan and Victor - tasked with delivering atomic bombs to their Soviet target. First though, there was a battle on the ground, as manufacturers struggled to finish their model first. The elegant Valiant won, yet it was the Nazi-inspired Vulcan with its comic-book wings that captured the public's imagination. It wasn't quite so space-age inside, as one crew member recalls: "It was like travelling backwards in a cold cellar at night." Thanks to archive footage and interviews with those at the controls, this is full of chilling insights into the skewed logic of the Cold War.
I'm looking forward to it!
Copy and paste from Radio Times....
Engineering Britain's Superweapons Wednesday 22 July
10:00pm - 11:05pm
More4
There was no post war austerity for the armed forces. In the 1950s, desperate to compete with emergent superpowers America and Russia, Britain poured millions into its nuclear arsenal. This three-parter begins with the V-bomber planes - the Valiant, Vulcan and Victor - tasked with delivering atomic bombs to their Soviet target. First though, there was a battle on the ground, as manufacturers struggled to finish their model first. The elegant Valiant won, yet it was the Nazi-inspired Vulcan with its comic-book wings that captured the public's imagination. It wasn't quite so space-age inside, as one crew member recalls: "It was like travelling backwards in a cold cellar at night." Thanks to archive footage and interviews with those at the controls, this is full of chilling insights into the skewed logic of the Cold War.
t, missed it. Anyone know when it's likely to be repeated? 
SVX said:
Just watching this now (Sky +) - bloody hell they barrel rolled VX770!
Nice to see footage of the Valiant, not much of that about.
What is it about intakes that are buried in the wing that looks so... right???
It may have "looked right" but it was precisely the WRONG thing to do with jet engines. That's why you never see this layout on large modern aircraft.Nice to see footage of the Valiant, not much of that about.
What is it about intakes that are buried in the wing that looks so... right???
I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Eric Mc said:
It may have "looked right" but it was precisely the WRONG thing to do with jet engines. That's why you never see this layout on large modern aircraft.
I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Why is that Eric (genuine question)? As engines intakes that are blended into the wing/fuselage seem to be de rigueur for stealth airframe design?I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Lots of great footage though... With loads of stuff I've never seen on the Victor and Valiant.
SVX said:
Eric Mc said:
It may have "looked right" but it was precisely the WRONG thing to do with jet engines. That's why you never see this layout on large modern aircraft.
I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Why is that Eric (genuine question)? As engines intakes that are blended into the wing/fuselage seem to be de rigueur for stealth airframe design?I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Lots of great footage though... With loads of stuff I've never seen on the Victor and Valiant.
SVX said:
Eric Mc said:
It may have "looked right" but it was precisely the WRONG thing to do with jet engines. That's why you never see this layout on large modern aircraft.
I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Why is that Eric (genuine question)? As engines intakes that are blended into the wing/fuselage seem to be de rigueur for stealth airframe design?I was out last night as I was out but it should be available on the "4 on Demand" facility.
Lots of great footage though... With loads of stuff I've never seen on the Victor and Valiant.
Advantages -
i) better streamlining
ii) looks cool
Disadvantages
i) difficult to access for maintenance and removal
ii) serious failure (suach as an explosion or fire) can damage or destroy the adjacent engine)
iii) because the engine is buried in the wing, the wing spar has to travel around the engine mounts some way. This requires the wing spar to be bulkier and heavier.
iv) podded engines mounted on pylons help prevent a wing's natural tendency to bend upwards at the wingtips due to aerodynamic loads. If the engines are mounted in the wing roots, they provide no assistance of this nature. Therefore, the bending moment has to be countered by making the wing spar very stiff and heavy - making the overall aircraft heavier which will have a detrimental affect on range and performance.
The true pioneer aircraft of this era was the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Its layout has become the standard configuration for virtually all large modern aircraft.
As the 50s progressed, jet engines grew in size and weight and by the 60s large diameter turbofans were beginning to come into use, which rendered buried engines even more impractical.
Edited by Eric Mc on Thursday 23 July 08:49
Its good to find another channel doing decent documentarys and that the good stuff isn't just the preserve of BBC2/4!
Looking back its slightly depressing to think that although really sexy to look at the V bombers were something of a mistake. The delivery system for our H bomb should have been rather different, annoyingly during the late Forties the Germans had shown the way, with the mighty V2. They had demonstrated its effectiveness to us, by using it to blow up parts of London!
The Americans and the Russians had the right idea.
Looking back its slightly depressing to think that although really sexy to look at the V bombers were something of a mistake. The delivery system for our H bomb should have been rather different, annoyingly during the late Forties the Germans had shown the way, with the mighty V2. They had demonstrated its effectiveness to us, by using it to blow up parts of London!
The Americans and the Russians had the right idea.
interloper said:
Its good to find another channel doing decent documentarys and that the good stuff isn't just the preserve of BBC2/4!
Looking back its slightly depressing to think that although really sexy to look at the V bombers were something of a mistake. The delivery system for our H bomb should have been rather different, annoyingly during the late Forties the Germans had shown the way, with the mighty V2. They had demonstrated its effectiveness to us, by using it to blow up parts of London!
The Americans and the Russians had the right idea.
But they developed heavy bombers too. Looking back its slightly depressing to think that although really sexy to look at the V bombers were something of a mistake. The delivery system for our H bomb should have been rather different, annoyingly during the late Forties the Germans had shown the way, with the mighty V2. They had demonstrated its effectiveness to us, by using it to blow up parts of London!
The Americans and the Russians had the right idea.
Missile technology wasn't really in a position to usurp traditional bombers until the mid 1960s - 20 years after these heavy bomber projects ahd been instigated (V-Bomber programme, the B-52 and the Tu-95 Bear).
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