I saw a program on Discovery Science yesterday obout Kelly Johnson and skunk works. They mentioned a project during WWII called L-133 and was a real cool looking jet plane with canards. It would have been the first jet in the air and was believed to be supersonic, but it never left the ground. The only evidence of it now was an engine, the plane itsef was only shown as CGI.
This is the first I’m hearing of this. I’m gonna have to check out the Discovery Channel’s website…
Here’s a website I found:
http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Lockheed-L133/L133.htm
magikent, that´s the one. thanks for the link
themannaman, if you´re goig to check the discovery website , the show was called “planes that never flew”
do you think there´s a kit of this strange, yet cool machine?
I’ll have to try and catch that show.
There is a resin model of the L-133 made by Sharkit (could be sharkkit?)
Hmmm… never heard of this either… sure is pretty, but WAY before it’s time. From the mind of a genius!
Thanks… seems I need to start paying more attention to what’s on Discovery!!
Take care,
Frank
The above website mentioned the Lockheed L-1000 jet engine that was proposed to power the L-133. It was an axial flow turbojet designed by Lockheed’s Nathan Price and was projected get the L-133 up to 600 to 650 mph, which was an unheard of speed in 1943. This design was typical of the Skunk 'Works and was years ahead of jet engine designs in the US. The government, read that USAAF, decided to not proceed with the development of this engine because it wasn’t practical and would never replace piston engines.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
Hey guys,
I saw this documentry on the History channel in the UK, these programmes usually get re-run on Discovery Wings a month later. It’s a great programme, certainly worth watching. The producers showed what might have happened if these fighters flew against Me262’s-the results showed the L-133 to be a force to be reconed with. Too bad they were never put into production.
Yea, Kelly Johnson sure was a genius.
Darwin, I had a feeling that you would know about this. They showed the engine on it´s display in a museum somewhere, and also mentioned like you say that skunk works was inhibited by the USAF and the goverment.
Evening
One thing they mentioned about the engine was that it has an afterburner! How can the US have ignored this project that was so obviously way ahead of its time. Surely it would have saved many Allied lives…
Very interesting, indeed. Kinda sexy looking!!
[#ditto]
I think Kelly Johnson was an alien. [alien] He had too many good, solid advanced ideas in aerodynamics to have been human. [swg] Remember— the SR-71 was 1956 technology. Uuuh Huuuh!!
The SR-71 is my favourite plane.Remember,Kelly Johnson wasn’t the only designer at the Skunk Works.Read a brilliant book by Ben Rich,the thermodynamicist who took over from Kelly at the Skunk Works,called “Skunk Works”(funny that!!).Kelly actually was of the opinion that the Stealth fighter would never work and wouldn’t fly.One of the few times he was wrong!