Invisible Themepark

Category: Aircraft

Cutaway views of aircraft.

  • Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult Cutaway, 1953

    Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult Cutaway, 1953

    Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult, 1953
    Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult, 1953

    Pictured is a 1953 cutaway of the planned HMS Perseus, showing the novel introduction of a steam catapult to replace the customary cylinder, ram, pulley, and wire catapults.

    The plane is hooked to a long, slotted cylinder.  High pressure steam is released from the ship’s boilers into the cylinder.

    As of the date of that article, only test planes and concrete weights had been launched.  But these test “flights” were highly successful.  One unpiloted test plane was flung to 1,500 feet and circled the ship for four minutes while everyone ran for cover.  Finally, its tanks ran dry and the plane fell into the sea.

    Source: Popular Mechanics March 1953

  • British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

    British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

     

    In 1950, easy passenger jet travel was still a dream that could excite the public.  The deHavilland Comet was still in its infancy when, for a test flight, it flew from London to North Africa, a distance of 3,000 miles, at a top speed of 450 miles per hour.

    See Another Cutaway View of a Comet, 1950

    The Comet was designed for maximum passenger (and crew) comfort and safety, with feature unheard of in today’s jets:  separate room for hats and coats, gender-segregated washrooms, a dinghy stored in the wing, a First Class front cabin, large galley, and a room for stewardesses.

    The Comet officially took off for regular passenger service on May 2, 1952.  But the Comet was not destined for great things.  Within only a year, the deHavilland Comet first crashed, a victim of metal fatigue.  The accident in Karachi, Pakistan, which killed 11 people, bestowed a new distinction on the Comet:  the first passenger jetliner crash resulting in fatalities.

    Click to Enlarge to 1526 x 700 px:

    British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950
    British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

    Popular Mechanics:  April 1950

  • Wright Cyclone Engine World War 2 Aircraft Cutaway, 1945

    Wright Cyclone Engine World War 2 Aircraft Cutaway, 1945

    Wright Cyclone Engine World War 2 Aircraft Cutaway 1945
    Wright Cyclone Engine World War 2 Aircraft Cutaway 1945

    This was a fictional Second World War aircraft meant to illustrate the Wright Cyclone engine (located in the engine cowling, #10) on a test flight.  The aircraft interior has been specially designed for testing.

    Areas of this aircraft shown on the cutaway:

    1. Oxygen supply for crew.
    2. Movie camera recording instruments.
    3. Movie lights.
    4. Instrument panel.
    5. Flight observer and cathode ray detonation detector.
    6. Flight observer at engine operating temperature recorder.
    7. Radio equipment bay.
    8. Fuel volume meter.
    9. Pilot and observer co-pilot.
    10. The Wright Cyclone engine.

    Popular Science October 1945

  • WWII Fighter Plane Cutaway Showing Gravity Suit, 1945

    WWII Fighter Plane Cutaway Showing Gravity Suit, 1945

    WWII Fighter Plane Cutaway Showing Gravity Suit 1945
    WWII Fighter Plane Cutaway Showing Gravity Suit 1945

    A cutaway within a cutaway.  Drawn by Stewart Rouse, this illustrates a generic WWII fighter plane peeled back to show the pilot within.  Then the pilot’s gravity suit itself is peeled back to reveal some of its inner workings.

    Bladders within the suit were inflated with air from the craft, to minimize the chance of pilot blackouts during hard turns.

    Source:  Popular Science January 1945

  • Super-G Constellation Cutway, 1955

    Super-G Constellation Cutaway, 1955
    Super-G Constellation Cutaway, 1955

    A fine cutway from 1955 by famed illustrator Rolf Klep, of a Super-G Constellation.

    This is actually part of an amazing double-spread from a LIFE magazine, showing both this aircraft and the oceanliner Cristoforo Columbo.

    Accompanying text notes that the Constellation had a flexible seating arrangement.  In this drawing, tourist class passengers occupied the forward compartment, while first class passengers enjoyed reclining seats with foot rests in the middle compartment.

    The Super G was produced from 1951 to 1958.

    Source: LIFE Jun 27, 1955