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From: Charles Lindbergh <spirit@stlouis.invalid>
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
Subject: Re: Gathering of Eagles
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Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2015 20:05:41 +0000
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On Fri, 20 Mar 2015 13:02:12 -0500, "Byker" <byker@do~rag.net> wrote:
>"PVK" wrote in message
>news:y-qdnaAM56mjZ5bInZ2dnUVZ8kqdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>>
>> Does anyone know why Boeing originally designed the B-52 with a tandem
>> cockpit ? Were there aerodynamic and/or operational reasons, or was it
>> simply because they had done it that way already with the B-47 ?
>
>It could be a case of Boeing's if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it. Boeing
>engineers retained the B-47's 35-degree swept wing, pylon-mounted engines,
>braking parachute, bubble canopy and bicycle-type landing gear.
>
>Tandem seating is OK for high performance jets where drag reduction is
>important, but less so for large, long-range aircraft that don't rely as
>much on speed and maneuverability. General Curtis LeMay, in charge of
>Strategic Air Command, insisted on a conventional side-by-side cockpit to
>increase the effectiveness of the copilot and reduce crew fatigue.
I certainly do not have a definitive answer, but I do remember reading that
Boeing designed the B-47 with tandem seating as a way of pandering to bomber
pilots, making them feel more like fighter pilots. I suspect that carried
through to the B-52 design / marketing.
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