Triple Deck Auto Transport Plane Cutaway, 1952

  A lovely 3-color cutaway by Popular Science stalwart, technical illustrator Ray Piotch, of the Blackburn Universal Freighter (“BUF”). The BUF had two lower freight decks that could accommodate 6-8 autos, depending on size, and an upper deck for 42 passengers. This hulking beast wasn’t known for its speed, though, reaching a maximum of 180… Continue reading Triple Deck Auto Transport Plane Cutaway, 1952

Atomic Airplane Cutaway, 1951

Atomic Airplane Cutaway 1951

Even though I like Ray Pioch, his 1951 cutaway drawing of this fanciful atomic airplane really isn’t very good.  It’s got the typical middle-of-magazine two-color scheme, and the perspectives within this so-called atomic airplane are all wrong. That said, it was predicted that, by 1980, atomic-powered jets would already be in use.  However, more realistically,… Continue reading Atomic Airplane Cutaway, 1951