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Comment by tradersam | Hacker News Reader

Somewhat related, the WC-135 Constant Phoenix is one cool looking plane.

That's because it's mostly wing. It dates from the Dash-80 era of slim, pure jets and low-bypass engines. Today's high-bypass engines are big shrouded fans with a jet engine at the center to spin them. Fuel economy is much better, but the engines look bloated.

> pure jets and low-bypass engines

Any reason a low-bypass engine might be preferred for an atmospheric-sensing platform like this one?

It's just a function of when the aircraft was designed. The WC-135 aircraft are modified C-135s produced in the 60's. The C-135 was designed in the mid-50's. At the time, high-bypass engines simply didn't exist yet.

It's a Boeing 707, essentially.

The epitome of Jet Age style. I don't much care for John Travolta as an actor or a celebrity, but I have no other choice than to admit the man has a refined taste in aircraft.

(I'd probably go for one of the larger Gulfstreams, myself, in a world line where choosing which jet aircraft to buy myself were a problem I had - I have just enough hands-on flying experience to really, really want to know how something that size, with that powerplant, would handle. But if I expected a need to carry more than a half dozen or so passengers, I'd go for a 707, too.)

Only in general shape. Dimensions, internal systems and even the type and gauge of aluminium were different between the C-135 and 707; Boeing had to go back to the drawing board when Douglas started cutting metal on the DC-8, and the redesign process for the 707 led to a cascade of changes.

About 20% of systems and components were common ( such as the cockpit windows ).

the shape is probably what's being discussed when the parent says it's "a really cool looking plane" though.

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