One of the most facinating airplanes ever. If you haven’t seen this thing in person, go to the Air Force Museum and check it out. The XB-70 was off the charts in performance and innovation. The Russians went crazy designing things to combat it in case we actually moved it into a bomber program. Mach 3 speeds at 70,000+ft they should have been worried!

Well, I know what it is. But I’m cheating since that’s me at 16 at the left wing(s). The back of my Student Pilot Certificate was signed off to solo this thing sometime in 1969. And it flew terrible! It didn’t have many good qualities, except the cool factor! I assure you, I was the only guy in my high school flying around in a single seat tri-plane.

As a Bücker nut (awesome flying airplane) and someone who thinks the Boeing 727 was a most elegant airliner, I don’t have a difficult time saying the Hughes Racer is maybe the most beautiful airplane ever built. It’s hanging in the Smithsonian. When you see it in person, it’s astonishing.

Alexander Calder’s work, if I’m not mistaken. Those were the days. I guess today airlines pony up to get their names on sports arenas, but having an artist paint a couple of your airplanes… now THAT’S cool!

“SLAP!” with a big jagged circle around the letters.

And you keep your eyes outside!

And later you’re like… “What was I thinking?”

Great book! The guy was a legend.

I looked at this airplane yesterday! Stainless steel instead of the usual aluminum. I’m sure THAT was easy to fabricate.

It is! I’ll try and post a picture of the engine. A small radial really changes a plain old RV-8 into something even cooler. I’m going to find out more about the engine. It sure has a lot of applications in the homebuilt world.