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Introduction |
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Designer
Barnes
Wallis first investigated variable geometry (VG)
for aircraft in 1943,
patenting the "Swallow" concept in 1954. Wallis'
main contribution to
VG aircraft was the load bearing pivot, but his
early designs featured
a futuristic "arrowhead" shape and wing mounted
engines that were not
adopted in practice. This overall configuration
was applied to a range
of designs, including a ramjet powered aircraft,
tactical and strategic
nuclear bombers and an airliner. The airliner
design shown here would
have had a capacity of 100 passengers and three
crew.
Illustrations of the design are shown below. Click the images to open a full-resolution image. |
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References |
| Buttler,
T, British Secret
Projects: Jet Bombers Since
1949, Ian Allan Publishing Ltd,
2003 |
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The
cockpit of the
larger Swallow designs was circular in plan view and
retracted into the
fuselage to reduce drag at cruise speeds. |
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Engine
installation
in the Swallow designs was in simple pods, but
complex rotating
connections would have been required for systems. |
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The
Swallow airliner
would probably have served the same trans-Atlantic
routes as Concorde,
but perhaps its futuristic lines might have seen
other skies... |
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©
Rachel Pawling, 2015
Correspondence to rachel@rp-one.net
swa_al - v.1
Correspondence to rachel@rp-one.net
swa_al - v.1