Thumpalumpacus
Major
I like the idea of naming it the Raider, after Doolittle's men.
B-21 Revealed
- Thread starter MIflyer
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GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Boeing XB-20
I think somebody left out a decimal point. Logical successor to B2.0 would be B2.1. Typo, anyone? It looks the part.
Hey, you left out the C117, a Navy version of the super DC3. NADF Warminster was still flying one of these when I was in the Nav in the the 1970s.
When I was a kid I used to pedal my bike 5 miles uphill to hang out at the local airport. When a Northeast Airlines DC3 stopped by, (several times a day) I would wander out on the ramp and look at its data plate. (No TSA back then) They had C47s, a couple C50s, and several C53s, all modified to a common passenger configuration and equipped with speed kits. (R1830s, streamlined cowlings, low drag cowl flaps, ejector exhausts, and full enclosure landing gear doors). On some of them you could see in the metalwork where the extra wide cargo door had been filled in to accommodate the airliner airstair door. Those were the days!
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It also looks so cool! Stops people in their tracks when it arrives...
Holy boomerangs, Batman, they stole our plane!
You were the guy who raised the issue? It's really kind of cool to meet people who actually were involved in matters.
One time I remember discussing with somebody the issue of NOx levels on high altitude supersonic aircraft (The SST program, an interest of mine since I was a child): With afterburners generally not favored in lieu of dry-power only. At first it was my assumption that it had to do with fuel consumption, but afterburner usage at higher altitudes doesn't burn as much fuel as lower altitudes, and if the speed is fast enough, it actually works out (The XB-70 is a good example of this) if the afterburner is efficient enough.
So, the next thought was soot production, but I was told that the low air/fuel ratio in the afterburner would reduce NOx formation and, it turns out that a discussion with the guy who actually was part of the experiment said the reason NOx production was so low was because the sensor quickly was covered with soot and it became useless!
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
This was a known fact throughout the program and it's usually that way when a production line ramps up and aircraft are starting to be delivered. I quit Boeing the week Bush made the cuts (yes, Boeing - at the beginning of the program most of the assembly workers were employed by Boeing.) It was just shear luck that I got another job as I probably would have been laid off within 30 days of the announcement. Many of my friends were able to stay on until the end of production, eventually being absorbed by Northrop.
It looks like there are five B-21s currently under production...
www.defenseone.com
Air Force Chief Anticipates ‘Something Special’ for B-21 Public Debut
The Raider is still on schedule to make its first test flight with the next year, Air Force chief says.
www.defenseone.com
- Thread starter
- #30
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
I recall that during the GHW Bush Admin some idiot who was Asst Sectry of Defense for Left Handed Widgets on Alternate Wednesdays went to the B-2 production lines and then said that he was appalled that Demming's Statistical Quality Control was not being used.
The man should not be filling a job even as complex and demanding as asking, "Do you want fries with that?" Demming's ideas were from the automotive industry where you are building millions of nearly identical units and doing individual quality control inspections are not feasible. Applying those concepts to a unique aircraft that you are building only 20 of is insane. I would not want anyone that stupid even cutting my grass.
The man should not be filling a job even as complex and demanding as asking, "Do you want fries with that?" Demming's ideas were from the automotive industry where you are building millions of nearly identical units and doing individual quality control inspections are not feasible. Applying those concepts to a unique aircraft that you are building only 20 of is insane. I would not want anyone that stupid even cutting my grass.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
"TQM" was widely pushed during the late 80s and early 90s and then rolled into the ISO 9000 craze. But be advised however that there was a time when there were plans to build over 100 B-2s (I worked on the production line). After witnessing TQM and even ISO being introduced to some companies I worked at with disastrous results, I think the whole concept is a scam to a point. MIL-Q-9858A and and MIL-I-45208 were great programs that worked for many years until overthinkers and bean counters got into the fray.
- Thread starter
- #32
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
DoD went nuts over Demming while NASA pushed ISO 9000. And as the final report for the investigation of the loss of the Shuttle Columbia said, "There is no evidence that ISO 9000 is applicable to the demands of manned spaceflight." I had already observed that ISO 9000 probably would be fine for the organization of a warehouse for lawn mower parts, but nothing more complex that that.
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
ISO has become a box to check to say you're doing what you said you do, and ignores if what you say you should do is the smart thing to do.
Or in other words, "doo doo doo doo"
Or in other words, "doo doo doo doo"
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
Thumpalumpacus
Major
TQM even filtered down to us lowly firefighters. We had to sit through hours of indoc on it, praying for a false alarm to get us on our trucks. It had some good ideas -- mainly about listening to workers on the floor -- but it was a really big wash that never came to anything, in most cases.
I have successfully used that "listening to subordinates" things in my civilian management life, but outside of that, nothing inspiring.
AMCKen
Senior Airman
Two XP-87s built.
Curtiss-Wright XF-87 Blackhawk - Wikipedia
Boeing XB-39 Superfortress - Wikipedia
Senior US official says Washington would consider supplying B-21 bombers to Australia | The Strategist
A senior Washington official has indicated that the United States would consider providing Australia with B-21 Raider long-range bombers, if Canberra requested them. US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was hosted in Canberra this week ...
Thumpalumpacus
Major
Nov 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force's B-21 "Raider" bomber shaped like a flying wing took its first flight on Friday, the next step in rolling out a new fleet of long-range nuclear-capable stealth bombers built by Northrop Grumman (NOC.N), according to a Reuters witness.
The B-21 left Northrop's facility at the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, at sunrise on Friday offering the first unscripted look at the new bomber which has been developed under strict security.
The plane took off at 6:51 a.m., according to a Reuters witness. Air Force leaders did not publicize the B-21's first flight, but about three dozens aviation enthusiasts and amateur photographers gathered around Plant 42 on Friday hoping to see the bomber take to the skies, according to the Reuters witness.
Read more:
US Air Force's new B-21 Raider "flying wing" bomber takes first flight - Reuters witness
The U.S. Air Force's B-21 "Raider" bomber shaped like a flying wing took its first flight on Friday, the next step in rolling out a new fleet of long-range nuclear-capable stealth bombers built by Northrop Grumman , according to a Reuters witness.
B-21 Raider's First Flight: What We Learned
Our analysis of seeing the first B-21 Raider, nicknamed Cerberus, in the sky and from many new angles for the very first time.
www.thedrive.com
Some informed speculation about the aerodynamics of the new B-21: Why the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber looks the way it does
