ROUND AND 'ROUND

摘要

As mentioned many times in this publication, the peri-od immediately after World War Ⅱ was an amazing time for aviation. In the late-1940s and early-1950s, a veritable avalanche of new aircraft configurations, power-plants, and performance records swept over the aeronautical world at a rate of development unseen with the exception of all the radical new designs attempted in the closing years of the War. With new jet engines, the swept wing, and advanced structural methodology, aviation manufacturers were now literally swept up in the momentum of trying to create ever-newer and ever-better aircraft to meet the needs of a world finally at peace, yet dealing with the imposing threat of Cold War tensions now existing between the world's two major superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union. It was an age where, to paraphrase the old saying, "He who carries the biggest stick wins." One of the more noticeable technological breakthroughs of that time period was the harnessing of the latest existing propeller technology with that of the new turbojet engines coming into usage for both military and commercial aircraft. This mighty power combo began to appear on military aircraft commonly referred to as 'hybrids', meaning they'd been either developed as piston-powered propeller-driven aircraft first, and then had a pure-jet engine or engines added in underwing pods or above the fuselage for additional power when needed. The Convair B-36 obviously comes to mind, but many other bomber and transport aircraft such as the Fairchild C-82 and C-123, Boeing KC-97, and Lockheed P2V Neptune were adapted with supplementary jets as well.