Page 144 - EAA78.Newsletter.Archives.(February.2017-July.2021)
P. 144
CHAPTER CHATTER, EAA Chapter 78 3
NASA Releases Software Catalog, This educational HD video explains the history of aerial
Granting the Public Free Access to gunnery defenses on United States Air Force Boeing
Technologies for Earthly B-17 aircraft and how ball-turret and aerial gunnery
Applications crews were trained in operation of machine-guns
targeting, sighting, leading and engagement. The B-17
defensive gunnery systems production design on the
B-17G included a bombardier-operated, remotely
controlled chin turret with two .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber
M2 Browning machine guns under the nose, with
increased armor protection.
NASA has released its 2017-2018 software catalog,
which offers an extensive portfolio of software products
for a wide variety of technical applications, all free of
charge to the public, without any royalty or copyright This eliminated the B-17's main defensive weakness in
fees. head-on aircraft engagements and before the advent of
long-range airplane escorts, B-17s were only equipped
Available in both hard copy and online, this third edition
with 8 - 12 .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for
of the publication has contributions from all the
defense. Boeing used feedback from aircrews to
agency’s centers on data processing/storage, business
improve the team training of each new crewmember.
systems, operations, propulsion and aeronautics. It
The number of defensive guns increased from four
includes many of the tools NASA uses to explore
0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and one 0.30 in (7.62
space and broaden our understanding of the universe.
mm) nose machine gun in the B-17C, to thirteen 0.50
A number of software packages are being presented
in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the B-17G. German
for release for the first time. Each catalog entry is
accompanied with a plain language description of what pilots later used the tactic of high-speed strafing
passes rather than engaging with individual aircraft to
it does.
inflict damage with minimum risk.
(CLICK HERE for the rest of the story!)
