In 1942 the United States Government contacted Henry Kaiser a shipbuilder, to build a new airplane to carry troops across the Atlantic Ocean. When faced with this challenge Kaiser contacted famous plane designer Howard Hughes to help build this creation. Throughout the project the government kept their support but poked fun at his project. At one point the Senate even called this plane the "flying lumberyard" showing how immense this project was.
This plane was designed to be 400,000 lbs with a 320 foot wing span. THAT IS AS BIG AS A FOOT FIELD!!!! So you might wonder how this plane even would take off. It used eight P&W 4360 which are the same engines that are on the B-50's. However slapping eight huge engines on a pile of wood doesn't do much.
However, why did they call it the "Spruce Goose"? Most people who do not know about the plane think that it was made out of spruce. One of the biggest surprises that people might find out is that most of the plane is made out of birch not spruce. One reason the builders could have decided to use birch is because it is more dense and adds more structural integrity to the plane. Compared to spruce which is a little but of a softer wood.
My question for everybody is with all of the modern technology what is one thing that the designers of this plane could have done differently to make it fly more effectively?
With modern technology the plane can still make the Spruce fly more effectively. While the intention of the design was for the use of wood because of constrained war time supplies, something such as composite wood would certainly make the plane more aerodynamic as one can shape up the shape of the wings and fuselage. Also, engines that are much more powerful and can produce more thrust would help in itself, obviously.
ReplyDelete-Jason
With technology today, engineers could figure out how to get rid of access weight from the wood to allow it to fly better. Also with modern technology (better fuselage) and also better engines that produce more thrust, you can have a more efficient plane. Wood was used because during a time of war, metals were precious and sought after for the use of munitions. Finding composite woods, more efficient engines, and possibly a better hull design (since it did float) would allow for a better aircraft with modern technology.
ReplyDeleteJordan
I have actually been to the Evergreen Aerospace Museum and seen the aircraft. All though there are many factors that could have made it fly better the biggest factor would probably have to be the hydrolic lines. They were connected wrongly or not even connected, I don't remember which. This made it so the plane did not fly as it should have. If he had not been totally off his rocker at this point and had declared it a failure than it may have been corrected.
ReplyDeleteThe Spruce Goose was, for it's time, a HUGE airplane. But today, an aircraft of this size is somewhat of a "norm." The Boeing 747-400ER (extended range) is a modern day airliner that transports people internationally around the world. There are so many, one is taking off somehwere in the world every 3 seconds. The 747-400ER does not have the wingspan of a Spruce Goose (320ft) but is actually LONGER than it by about 7 feet (give or take an inch).What's incredible is even though the 747 isn't much larger in size, it's wingspan is significantly shorter than the Spruce Goose's...almost 100 feet shorter! Also, the 747-400ER (with specific engines, fuel limits, etc)actually has a maximum takeoff weight of over 900,000 pounds- 500,000 pounds more than the Spruce Goose! But how can an aircraft that is somewhat smaller with a significantly smaller wingspan lift such a larger "load" into the sky? That's where modern technology comes into play! the 747 is significantly more aerodynamic than the Spruce Goose, not necessarily the fuselage, but the most striking difference- the wing design. The 747 has wings that sweep back at approximately 37.5 degrees to provide a fast, efficient cruising speed. Also, the 747 has "high lift devices" like high lift flaps and modern versions have winglets. I think the wing design would definitely have made the Spruce Goose fly more effectively!
ReplyDeleteSounds like it could of been an amazing plane if they kept working to make it better. It looks like every plane near that size now a days have swept back wings, so maybe that could of helped it fly more efficiently. Why would they use wood to build such a huge project?
ReplyDeleteI think people are overlooking a few points here.
ReplyDeleteThis aircraft; still technically the biggest ever built; is 70 years old. Although it only flew once, it DID fly, and was kept flight ready until the day Howard Hughes died.