Douglas XB-42 "Mixmaster"-Newsreel-12/10/45

Captain Glenn Edwards (The co-pilot here) is of course the namesake for the iconic Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base.

Edwards lost his life in 1948 while test flying the Northrop YB-49 "Flying Wing", from what was then known as "Muroc Army Air Field".

Control of the aircraft was lost, and crashed near Rogers Dry Lake, where the entire crew perished.

Shortly after the XB-42 was completed, another protoype was built, the XB-43, which was the first jet bomber ever built in the Unites States.

Interestingly, the B-42 design was also to be used by Douglas for an airliner; in fact, the "DC-8 Skybus" to be exact!!

1945-65 was a fascinating time in aviation, when ideas far exceeded the technologies of the time.

Nevertheless, some of the most interesting aircraft ever built fall into this time frame of history.

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Douglas
• XB-42
• XB-43
• Mixmaster
• DC-8
• Skybus
• DC-3
• C-47
• B-23
• Dragon
• B-17
• B-29
• B-36
• XB-46
• XB-48
• Martin
• Flying
• Fortress
• Superfortress
• Peacemaker
• XC-99
• Consolidated
• Vultee

[ProjectFlashlight612]

Basically, this plane's design was stolen off the German. The Goppingen Go 9 and Dornier Do 335 Arrow both used propellor centreline thrust, and this is just a scaled up version. Not too bad going, given that the USAAF only had photos to work with...the thing was flying by the time they got their hands on an actual Do 335.

[ufoengines]

Is the story that the XB42 was to carry the A Bomb if the B 29 got even futher behind in development?

I like the fact that using all sorts of off-the-shelf parts they came up with a really cool airplane.

[castlebravo]

The first flight of the Bell 47 helicopter occurred at about the same time that year.

[denberg2]

Well done again.