Taking the Nuclear Option
Here’s a notion: powering a plane with a nuclear reactor is probably a horrible idea. But that didn’t stop designers from coming up with the Convair NB-36H, also known as the “Crusader.”
Nuclear weapons were all the rage in the 1950s, and people believed that the technology was the answer to all of the world’s problems. As a result, developing the NB-36 wasn’t completely out of the question. Thankfully, the US government only flew the plane a few times (a total of 47) before deciding it was more of a liability than it was worth.
This plane has mastered the vertical takeoff… but I wasn’t able to accomplish anything else