A rear winged b-17?

Question

A rear winged b-17?

Answer 1

Huh? there is no such thing to my knowledge.

Answer 2

I've seen the picture.  It is a photoshop picture of a "modern" B-17 with a rear wing in a canard configuration.  It usually gets passed around on or about April Fool's day.

Answer 3

Maybe you mean the XB-35, the flying-wing bomber? That didn't get finished in time for WW2...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YB...

EDIT: Oh, I get it. You mean this one:

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/way-weir...

That's a Photoshop (tm) job. :)

Answer 4

If you mean, 'would the B-17 have been better as a rear wing airplane,'  the answer is no.  Rear wing planes require about 50% more runway (because they need to go faster to get enough lift on the canard to lift the nose and develop lift on the back wing).  They have a little less cruise drag but a narrower range for center of gravity than conventional airplanes (where the load is near the wing).  When the bombs drop out, a rear wing bomber would have a very noticeable nose-up trim change, which would spoil their aim, because the bombs would be farther from the center of gravity.  That would have been a big negative.  Also hard to hold formation with that kind of behavior.

Answer 5

It's a faked-up picture.  Sorry.

Answer 6

Rear wings? What? Don't understand your question.