Here is a picture of a B-17 wind tunnel model,
shared by Garry Pape of the soon-to-be-opened
Warner Museum of Aviation and Transportation
in Sioux City, Iowa.
It is obviously a B-17, except for the fuselage,
which resembles a whale.
Any wind tunnel guys out there who may have an
explanation as to why the model does not have the
normal slender fuselage with the turtle deck?
Something I just saw is this:
The X designation under the wing is "X13372"
which is of course the designation of Boeing's model 299.
Very interesting....
Dear Bill,
This sure looks like a prototype Boeing 307 Stratoliner fuselage, with wings and empennage from a wind tunnel model of the 299, before, first. a B-17B-type fin/rudder, (as on the crashed prototype) and then (as on the final modifications) a B-17E-type fin/rudder was fitted.
I'll suggest the wings and probably tail were incorporated from the original 299 model and used on some different fuselage configurations...such as pressurized bomber that eventually became the B-29.
On the other hand, I would think the the civil registration number was not assigned until the B-299 was close to flight-worthy and past the point where wind tunnel models were used. And, since the airplane was only an airworthy airplane from July to October 1935, those few months were probably when the model was originally built and used.
So I really don't have anything to add, I guess.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com
Dear Scott,
You HAVE added something, some important ideas and information!
Thank you!!
Now we pretty much know: This model was the wings and empennage of the 299 wind tunnel model, with, possibly, the first of many studies for a pressurized high altitude bomber prototype, pre-remotely-controlled-barbettes, that culminated in the B-29.
