Tested has a breakdown of the steps behind the design of NASA’s “Super Guppy” plane. A weird relic of the space race era, the plane is one of a kind. As noted at Tested:
“The most unique thing about the aircraft is the nose opening. The flight engineer uses a checklist to ensure all of the cables and locks are removed in the proper order before we open the nose but it is definitely an art when you close it. You have to get the locking pins to align after you have added or removed weight and the aircraft has settled. It can be…interesting.”
Even if you aren’t a NASA or Airplane design fan, it’s still a fascinating read about a unique design process.
