An image of Douglas's XB-19 helps establish the scale of the experimental aircraft. It had a combat crew of sixteen with relief and maintenance personnel, a wingspan of nearly 65 metres, a maximum takeoff weight around 73.5 tons, and four 2,000-horsepower engines. The aircraft could carry about 8.5 tons of bombs internally, or a much larger external load at the cost of fuel, with a quoted maximum range of roughly 5,200 miles. The watch point shows how designers traded crew endurance, payload, fuel, and size while exploring long-range heavy-bomber concepts.
Notable Point · 2:30:49-2:32:57
The Douglas XB-19 as an experimental heavy bomber
A visual detour uses the enormous Douglas XB-19 to compare crew size, power, bomb load, and range in an experimental bomber.