B-29 Greenhouse windows are Flat???

[cbaltrin]

I recently noticed this. It looks like some , if not all, of the greenhouse glass in the B-29 , is composed of flat panels, not curved (excluding the 'nose cone' -- for lack of a better term). Dang, the thing was not as advanced as I thought...

[keavdog]

Not sure - this modern pic is higher resolution and some of them look curved but then again - resto different animal???

[cbaltrin]

I wouldn't trust a restored a/c in this regard. I'm sure it's not the original 'glass'

Here is a hi-res image I found..

[Stikpusher]

I'd go with Chris' assessment and the period photos. The restored aircraft "Doc" would have some sort of modern replacement for the panels. I seriously doubt that the original panels would have survived the decades of neglect until it was restored.

[Stikpusher]

Here is Enola Gay as preserved in the Smithsonian



A whole bunch of great interior and exterior photos here...

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-o ... 9500100000

[jeaton01]

I think they are running Doc unpressurized and have made "pretty" windows for it. I don't have access to it right now but I took some close-ups of the B-29 at Travis to figure out what the curvature was, but the flat and curved panes always appear to be symmetrical so I think the flat sections are original. But to build such a large aircraft with so much of it's internal volume pressurized was pretty revolutionary. In combat they depressurized to avoid structural damage from hits, but for the rest of those long missions the crew got to ride in extreme comfort for the day.

I tried to make a form for the Monogram B-29 canopy that had the flat panes, but failed. Maybe I will try again, as there is no such aftermarket and the Monogram canopy, in my opinion, is a big letdown for the kit if only for all the rivets.

[Stuart]

interesting discussion gents - from a manufacturing point of view flat panels would be a hell of a lot easier to make.

[Stikpusher]

I think they are running Doc unpressurized and have made "pretty" windows for it. I don't have access to it right now but I took some close-ups of the B-29 at Travis to figure out what the curvature was, but the flat and curved panes always appear to be symmetrical so I think the flat sections are original. But to build such a large aircraft with so much of it's internal volume pressurized was pretty revolutionary. In combat they depressurized to avoid structural damage from hits, but for the rest of those long missions the crew got to ride in extreme comfort for the day.

I tried to make a form for the Monogram B-29 canopy that had the flat panes, but failed. Maybe I will try again, as there is no such aftermarket and the Monogram canopy, in my opinion, is a big letdown for the kit if only for all the rivets.

Squadron makes a vacuform canopy for the Monogram B-29. But I've never seen it in person and can't say if it has any flare panels or is strictly a thinner version of the kit part.

[jeaton01]

It has no flat panes either.

[Stikpusher]

It has no flat panes either.

Just a more scale thickness version of the kit part?