Article about twin-boom aircraft

[Tophe]

I had planned to spend my December 2003 holidays gathering the list of twin-boom aircraft (built in History, ordered & 'what-if-ordered') for Mr Gatlin, preparing an article on this subject. I just required him to decide what his definition was, as he seemed to exclude the Twin-Mustang.
Though, he did not answer, and I lost contact. I have sent him a few weeks ago my book "The end of Forked Ghosts" and he sent me Air&Space Smithsonian magazine issue January 2005, including his 8-pages article "Double-Trouble – are twin tails twice as good?". Thanks sir.
The article included miscellaneous news for me:
* The OV-10 Bronco used at first twin-booms to lift the empennage out of the back blast of a huge central gun (later discarded), and those booms enhanced survivability as including redundant controls widely separated. [addition from my friend Paul: It could be that the high tail for the Bronco was to avoid the back blast of the recoilles gun, but 2 other contenders - Convair and Martin - were also twinbooms. ]
* The Bv138 was nick-named: the Flying Shoe. [addition from my friend Paul: The B.V 138 was named "Fliegender Holzschuh" by the Gemans, which means 'flying wooden shoe' or flying clog, not just shoe...]
* The first project of Rutan Voyager was a pure twin-boomer (not the final layout that we know).
* The M-17 Stratosphera was designed to shoot down US reconnaissance stratospheric balloons, then lost its gun turret.
* The Flying Boxcar name came from railroad vocabulary, as its cargo space had the same dimension as a standard freight wagon.
* There was a link to http://www.airandspacemagazine.com/asm/mag.../DJ05/twbm.html with the unknown prototype below. Does anyone know it ? Great discovery!
Thanks.

[Tophe]

Though, Mr Gatlin should have considered my question about definition, seriously, I think.
In a different approach than mine, and I respect that perfectly, he did not include twin-fuselage aircraft, defining twin-boom aircraft by "fuselage interrupted, tail assembly connected to the wings with 2 tubes".
But...:
* Why excluding the wingless helicopters Kaman Huskie and Kamov Hoodlum, mass produced with twin-tail-booms? and airplanes having booms connected to the fuselage and not to the wings? and among them the planes with central booms above and below?
* Why including the Savoia S.55 with 2 lateral hulls and no central crew? (Twin-Mustang-like)
* Why including the Vickers FB.5 having 3-booms? (and the S.55 had 4, the Voyager 3 perhaps...)
* How to deal with planes like the Seversky Super-Clipper or Bleriot 125, having lateral fuselages and central pod? (P-38+P-82 somehow)
* Are twin tail-first canards accepted in this class? And aft twin-tails with a front independant foreplane?

[Tophe]

Second problem, the list of twin-boom (pod & twin-booms, ok) justification lacks major points:
* Rear post without rear weight, explaining the layout of G.1, P-61, Fw 189 twin-engines, illustrated with History but without explanation, the latter being mentioned with the pusher Explorer, so different as related to the pusher FB.5 with free nose.
* interests for flying boats: either lateral floats carrying tail, or else: short hull while tail is carried solidly separately.
* Large tailplane or giant wing solidly supported
* Horizontal/Vertical axis of propeller or jet pipe at the center of gravity for VTOL
* Free center for the fin of a carried plane below
* Smoke/drops spreading not interfering with the tail
* Elongated lateral devices other than engines
etc...

[Tophe]

About definition, I know that many people (including my friend Paul) classify the P-82 as twin-fuselage not twin-boom. As far as I am concerned, I do not care if a 'body' carrying fin or stabilizor (tail-boom) carries inside (allways or on some versions) people or load or tank or engine or nothing, I just focus on shape. Though, a lifting wing is not a long body, a tube, a boom, according to me.

[Tophe]

The Voyager (and Molniya-1) puzzle bring different questions, concerning twin-boom canards. I present my opinion, willing to welcome others as well...

[NARSES2]

Some interesting points there Tophe which deserve some serious thought. One of my loves in so far as aircraft are concerned is the "Flying Wing" now No 1C in your Puzzels section could be classified as such - sure looks good.

Chris

[Tophe]

One of my loves in so far as aircraft are concerned is the "Flying Wing" now No 1C in your Puzzels section could be classified as such - sure looks good.

The 1a was a canard version of the Willoughby-Delta F prototype, and the 1c a canard version of the MoTIS project. This seems peculiar, bu what-if this had becomen standard in the sky...?

[Jschmus]

I like the idea of a Bronco with some sort of tail-mounted gun.  I also happen to have two Academy OV-10s to play with.  Dang!  Now that's two projects I need to find/make turrets for!

[Tophe]

a version of the MoTIS project

Of course, I must illustrate that with a twin-fin Mustang...

[Tophe]

For the delta-hole P-51DH above, some will say "not enough span to fly"...
Well, first this is not intended to fly but to belong in a collection here only, with virtual flight simply; second, push-pull engines would provide enough speed to avoid the need of a huge lifting area, maybe... (what-if).
Drawing this push-pull derivative, I have turned the triangle into a circle (P-51CH), for my friends Max and Libelula fans of such wings, and for TSR-Joe that invented such a cicular-wing Mustang ( but plain, without hole nor twin-fins nor "lifting-booms". ...)

[Tophe]

Maybe you know that I have a love affair with Twin-Mustangs. I have discovered today the explanation: the P-82 HH was a flying Heart for me...      

[NARSES2]

Just realised Tophe that some of those, particularly the MOTIS, look a bit like the Westland Pterodactyl updated for the new Millenium.

Chris

[Tophe]

like the Westland Pterodactyl updated for the new Millenium.

Where to see it?

[NARSES2]

It's in the Putnams Westland book Tophe and I've seen a link somewhere, I'll look it up

Chris

[NARSES2]

Try this TopheClick Here