| The Boeing B-47, the world's
first swept-wing bomber, made its initial flight on Dec. 17, 1947 and quantity
deliveries began in 1951. When production ended in 1957, more than 1,200
Stratojets were serving with the Strategic Air Command at USAF bases throughout
the world.
The B-47 normally carried a crew of three: pilot, copilot (who operated the tail turret by remote control), and an observer who also served as navigator, bombardier, and radar operator. In the RB-47 reconnaissance version, the navigator also operated the camera equipment. The B-47E was the first USAF aircraft to incorporate a "fly-by-wire" primary flight control system in which the pilot's command controls are transmitted to the control surfaces by electrical wires rather than by cables and mechanical linkages. |
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The wings have as much as
17 feet of flex at the wing tips.
First flown in 1947, the B-47 was the first of the big swept-wing bombers. A 35-degree sweep and six engines made the B-47 a very fast and formidable bomber. By the late 1960s, the B-47 was obsolete and was removed from operational service. Our plane suffered two major accidents: first, an engine exploded and ripped 18 feet from the right wing; second, a hard landing permanently grounded the plane |