FlyingColors
2006-08-13, 12:37 AM
Here is another one from the 70's I had the pleasure of seeing and going inside of. The official Boeing SST, this was the final prototype. Basically a 300 passenger Concorde!
The first design was way more bold, if not shocking. She would incorporate swing wings and a canard up front. Due to her massive size the nose was double jointed, dipping down like the Concorde did, but because it was so long it has yet another joint to improve aerodynamics. God I miss the "can do-bigger is better 60s and 70s" attitude.
After Boeing shelved the program in 71, some museum in Kissimmee FL purchased it, has it dissembled in Seattle, shipped over and put back together with a building made around it. The tail use to stick out of the roof of the building. The windows had a very thin layer of gold to protect its guests from the extreme UV.
I have a few picture of this, thanks to my trusty Kodak 110! (hey don't laugh, in time I even shot slides with it)
Also have pictures showing the SST was to have the triple "bogie" or "truck" main landing gear that we finally see on the 777.
The GE4 turbojets were for many years the worlds most powerful aero engine developed, producing just under 69,000 pounds of afterburing thrust each. Could you imagine the noise signature-compared to the "lethargic" Concorde/Olympus mere 38,000!
http://www.lostparks.com/SST.html
Years pass, and the museum closes in 81, but get this, a church buys it and uses the building, with the jet inside and all for church functions. I found a magazine with a photo of the new found church, with seats in rows under her wings, lol.
In 1990 the church sells off the property and finds a buyer for the mock-up, Mr Bell.
I do have a picture of a few fuselage sections carelessly sitting in a field near Cape Canaveral. The SST new owner does a poor job of preserving history (the bits were in a fenced in yard, believe you me I would have tried to salvage something myself if possible)
Finally a few more years later the Hiller aviation museum in CA salvages the nose.
http://www.hiller.org/sst.shtml
For some reason the port side picture is now missing the airline logos that hoped to order her. Perhaps had to remove due to copyrighted symbols, licensing (aka payoffs) don't' know.
Anyone else remember or seen this one?!
The first design was way more bold, if not shocking. She would incorporate swing wings and a canard up front. Due to her massive size the nose was double jointed, dipping down like the Concorde did, but because it was so long it has yet another joint to improve aerodynamics. God I miss the "can do-bigger is better 60s and 70s" attitude.
After Boeing shelved the program in 71, some museum in Kissimmee FL purchased it, has it dissembled in Seattle, shipped over and put back together with a building made around it. The tail use to stick out of the roof of the building. The windows had a very thin layer of gold to protect its guests from the extreme UV.
I have a few picture of this, thanks to my trusty Kodak 110! (hey don't laugh, in time I even shot slides with it)
Also have pictures showing the SST was to have the triple "bogie" or "truck" main landing gear that we finally see on the 777.
The GE4 turbojets were for many years the worlds most powerful aero engine developed, producing just under 69,000 pounds of afterburing thrust each. Could you imagine the noise signature-compared to the "lethargic" Concorde/Olympus mere 38,000!
http://www.lostparks.com/SST.html
Years pass, and the museum closes in 81, but get this, a church buys it and uses the building, with the jet inside and all for church functions. I found a magazine with a photo of the new found church, with seats in rows under her wings, lol.
In 1990 the church sells off the property and finds a buyer for the mock-up, Mr Bell.
I do have a picture of a few fuselage sections carelessly sitting in a field near Cape Canaveral. The SST new owner does a poor job of preserving history (the bits were in a fenced in yard, believe you me I would have tried to salvage something myself if possible)
Finally a few more years later the Hiller aviation museum in CA salvages the nose.
http://www.hiller.org/sst.shtml
For some reason the port side picture is now missing the airline logos that hoped to order her. Perhaps had to remove due to copyrighted symbols, licensing (aka payoffs) don't' know.
Anyone else remember or seen this one?!