Being the aviation nut that I am, I have always been fond with the aircraft of WW2 that never flew. One in particular was the wooden built Hughes Aircraft H-4 Hercules http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules.
Specifications (H-4)
Performance specifications are projected.
General characteristics
The project began in 1942 and were supposed to have three built no later than 1944, however it was never finished on time and only one was built, which didn't fly until 1947.
Here is the WI, lets say Hughes Aircraft accomplished their task and built three six months ahead of schedule around 1943. The U.S. Government approves of this aircraft and builds them on a factory assembly line up until the end of the war.
Two questions:
Specifications (H-4)
Performance specifications are projected.
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 218 ft 8 in (66.65 m)
- Wingspan: 319 ft 11 in (97.54 m)
- Height: 79 ft 4 in (24.18 m)
- Fuselage height: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Loaded weight: 400,000 lb (180,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 8× Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) each
- Propellers: four-bladed Hamilton Standard, prop, 1 per engine
- Propeller diameter: 17 ft 2 in (5.23 m)
- Cruise speed: 220 mph (353.98 km/h)
- Range: 3,000 mi (4,800 km)
- Service ceiling 20,900 ft (6,370 m)
- Projected endurance (cruise): 20.9 hrs
The project began in 1942 and were supposed to have three built no later than 1944, however it was never finished on time and only one was built, which didn't fly until 1947.
Here is the WI, lets say Hughes Aircraft accomplished their task and built three six months ahead of schedule around 1943. The U.S. Government approves of this aircraft and builds them on a factory assembly line up until the end of the war.
Two questions:
- How could have this affected the war? The H-4 Hercules was expected to carry at least 400,000 lbs worth of cargo.
- Hughes Aircraft built the largest cargo...scratch that...largest plane in history up until the mid 1960s. This aircraft is still larger than the U.S. Air Force's C-17 globemaster III and only 30 feet shorter than a C-5 Galaxy. So, the question is, if this aircraft was successful-how would the history of heavy aircraft be changed?