Martin XB-51 attack bomber prototype, circa 1950

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AnyoneButWe@reddit

"And this, kids, is how we found out that debris ingress during take off is a real issue."

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Virtual_Area8230@reddit

Pros keep their runways clean. Even high engines won't help you on a filthy runway.

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Rooilia@reddit

Nature: jolly good time playing with humans.

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Shaun_Jones@reddit

Those engines are actually about the same height off the ground as an F-86 Saber’s.

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MrWoohoo@reddit

I'm guessing the motivation for the bizarre engine placement was it left room in the fuselage for bombs and fuel...

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CrouchingToaster@reddit

It having a rotating bomb bay did lead to the Kerbal Space Program level engine placement

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Rooilia@reddit

It's a "proven" concept since the Ju 287 - the most botched together experimental plane ever. At least i guess.

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fireinthesky7@reddit

That's like saying the Bell X-1 was a proven concept because the Bachem Ba 349 technically got off the ground.

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Hourslikeminutes47@reddit

"well if it ain't broke, then break it so we can fix it again!"

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Cthell@reddit

Nope, it had a variable-incidence wing (the whole thing pitches around the main spar) so they couldn't hang the engines off the wing.

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GIJoeVibin@reddit

God it’s so funny how this sucked so bad they forced Martin to build the Canberra instead of

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waldo--pepper@reddit

I think it is a pretty mediocre film. (That is me being polite. I am NOT used to being so polite!) But if you really want to see footage of this plane it feature somewhat prominently in ...

Toward the Unknown

William Holden stars as a bad ass test pilot who tests this plane. I think that basically what happened is that William Holden formed a production company and I think he made two films via it. Basically he lost his shirt. That gives you an idea about this movie.

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Peter_Merlin@reddit

Is Toward The Unknown a great movie? No, but I still love it. I worked at Edwards Air Force Base for 20 years, and this film really showcased the mission of the Air Force Flight Test Center and its tenant units very nicely. It also captured everything about the "Golden Age of Flight Test" that inspired me in my career path.

I'm sorry I never got to see the XB-51 fly in real life but I did get to meet several of the pilots that flew it. Chuck Yeager once pithily commented, "It would have been a great plane if Glenn Martin hadn't stepped on his dick."

I also visited both crash sites, one at Edwards and the other at El Paso, Texas. The plane that crashed at El Paso was still wearing its "Gilbert XF-120" markings from the movie.

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waldo--pepper@reddit

No, but I still love it.

A guilty pleasure of mine too! I have watched that film too many times. I am not sure why I feel this way but I find it rather sad that the plane/wreckage still has the Gilbert markings on her. That seems like a insult to the planes memory perhaps. Thanks for the additional details.

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