Boeing Stratocruiser Cutaway, 1952

Boeing Stratocruiser Cutaway Drawing 1952

Boeing Stratocruiser Cutaway Drawing 1952

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In 1952, the 67.5 ton Boeing Stratocruiser cost a (then) whopping $1.5 million.  With a 3,000 mile range, this craft–first delivered to PanAm–offered up luxury as few commercial passengers had seen before:  a galley, a lower-deck lounge, sleeping berths, a forward stateroom, and more.

Truly a case of “swords to ploughshares,” the Stratocruiser was “developed from the C-97 Stratofreighter, a military derivative of the B-29 Superfortress used for troop transport,” according to Wikipedia.

Or as a promo film from that time says, “from bomber to boudoir,” referring to the powder room accommodations for women.

Making Dinner on the Stratocruiser
Making Dinner on the Stratocruiser

 

Source:  LIFE, August 16, 1948

By Lee Wallender

Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.

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