Invisible Themepark

Category: Aircraft

Cutaway views of aircraft.

  • Douglas Skymaster C-54M “Flying Hospital” Cutaway, 1951

    Douglas Skymaster C-54M “Flying Hospital” Cutaway, 1951

    You’re looking at a Douglas Skymaster C-54M that has been converted into a 32 litter (bed) “Flying Hospital.”

    At the time this cutaway was drawn, the Korean War was in full force.  Rather than taking wounded soldiers home by ship or rail, Military Air Transport Service’s (MATS) C-54M took them home far faster and in better conditions.

    Litters were a bit cramped (18.5 inches vertical clearance for each patient), but the “Flying Hospital” did have other superior accommodations, such as a full nurse’s station, air-conditioning, and galley for preparation of hot meals.

    Click to Enlarge to 1607 x 735 px:

    Douglas Skymaster C54M Flying Hospital Cutaway 1951
    Douglas Skymaster C54M Flying Hospital Cutaway 1951

    Source:  Popular Science April 1951

  • U.S. Air Force XC-99 Cargo Plane Cockpit Cutaway, 1951

    U.S. Air Force XC-99 Cargo Plane Cockpit Cutaway, 1951

    Only the cockpit of the XC-99?  Well, this plane was so freaking huge, we can barely show more than this.

    Based on a B-36 bomber, the XC-99–built by Convair–flew 7,400 hours over the span of about 10 years.

    Click to Enlarge to 786 x 742 px:

    US Air Force XC-99 Cargo Plane Cockpit Cutaway 1951
    US Air Force XC-99 Cargo Plane Cockpit Cutaway 1951

    Source:  Popular Science March 1951

  • French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956

    French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956

    Where’s the pilot?  Well, maybe it’s not a plane.  Maybe it’s a missile of some sort.  But then, where’s the warhead?

    You’re looking at a G.H. Davis cutaway drawing, 1956, of a Leduc 021 ramjet aircraft.  No pilot, no warhead.

    The Leduc 021 was carried up by a Languedoc airliner, Space Shuttle-style, and then released.  The Leduc’s maximum ceiling was 65,000.

    The reason for this unusual launch was because the Leduc used a ramjet instead of a rotary compresser (like you see on passenger jets) to force (i.e., ram) the much-needed air into the engine.  The jet had to build up a certain minimum airspeed in order for the jet to fire.

    Click to Enlarge to 894 x 755 px:

    French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956
    French Leduc 021 Experimental Ramjet Cutaway, 1956
  • French Baroudeur SE 5000 Fighter Jet Cutaway, 1956

    French Baroudeur SE 5000 Fighter Jet Cutaway, 1956

    A nice G.H. Davis cutaway (note “France” added just above his signature) of a French Baroudeur SE-5000.

    See the landing gear on the Baroudeur?  No?  That’s because the Baroudeur (roughly translated to “adventurer”) is leaving its landing gear behind on the ground.  That’s right, the SE-5000 carried no gear, instead relying on a wheeled trolley to assist its takeoff.  It landed on grassy fields on skids.  This cutaway drawing shows the skids retracted.

    Developed for NATO, this lightweight fighter, with a range of 1,500 miles, never entered production.

    Enlarge to 1560 x 712 px:

    French Baroudeur SE 5000 Fighter Jet 1956
    French Baroudeur SE 5000 Fighter Jet 1956

    Source:  Popular Mechanics May 1956

  • DeHavilland Comet Cutaway, 1950

    DeHavilland Comet Cutaway, 1950

    The Comet was quite a big deal when it was unveiled in 1950.  Both Popular Mechanics (Popular Mechanics’ deHavilland Comet Cutaway) and Popular Science pulled out all “cutaway stops” to feature this luxurious liner of the skies.

    Here, illustrator Jo Kotula tips the Comet to an angle rarely seen in aircraft cutaways.

    Source:  Popular Science May 1950