T.O. 1B-47E-1 Appendix I Performance Data

Washington DC: United States Air Force, c1952. Compilation of looseleaf pages with various dates. Nine-ring binder. Good. Various paginations (approximately 150 pages). Illustrations (some with color). Table of Contents includes: Introduction, Takeoff, Climb, Range, Endurance, Descent, Air Refueling, Approach and Landing, Mission Planning, Flight Limitations, and Miscellaneous Charts. Alphabetical Index at the end. It appears that page A2-15/16 is a replacement/update page dated 1962. Other pages noted as having dates in 1960 and 1961. Page A2-25 dated December 1952. Among the topics addressed are: Air Refueling, Airspeed Limitations, Navigation System, Bombing System, Emergency Operations, Engine Failure, Landing, Mission Planning, Radar Bombing, and Takeoff. Binder has label stating "Performance Data Maj. J. W. Kaylor" on front. Binder has marks, soiling, and wear. Also included is a one page Weight and Balace Clearance Form F., DD Form 365F with notations from 18 September 1961 by Major Kaylor. Ink notes on a tab labeled "Performance". Also laid in are two copies of a page labeled BOING CHART (one with color), and two copies of an Official USAF Chennault AFB of a control room, two copies of an Official USAF Chennault AFB of an adjacent meeting room, and one photograph of a pilot in a cockpit (perhaps Major Kaylor?) The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. The primary mission of the B-47 was as a nuclear bomber capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union. Development of the B-47 can be traced back to a requirement expressed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in 1943 for a reconnaissance bomber that harnessed newly developed jet propulsion. Another key innovation adopted during the development process was the swept wing, drawing upon captured German research. With its engines carried in nacelles underneath the wing, the B-47 represented a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design, and contributed to the development of modern jet airliners. Suitably impressed, in April 1946, the USAAF ordered two prototypes, designated "XB-47"; on 17 December 1947, the first prototype performed its maiden flight. Facing off competition such as the North American XB-45, Convair XB-46 and Martin XB-48, a formal contract for 10 B-47A bombers was signed on 3 September 1948. This would be soon followed by much larger contracts. During 1951, the B-47 entered operational service with the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), becoming a mainstay of its bomber strength by the late 1950s. Over 2,000 were manufactured to meet the Air Force's demands, driven by the tensions of the Cold War. The B-47 was in service as a strategic bomber until 1965, at which point it had largely been supplanted by more capable aircraft, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The B-47 was also adapted to perform a number of other roles and functions, including photographic reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, and weather reconnaissance.