I saw a tweet labled as "we found the stupidest thing",
with a link to:

"Massimo
"@Rainmaker1973
"Jun 26
"Sky Cruise is a concept for a nuclear-powered sky hotel. This video
rendering shows the aircraft designed to fly with 20 electric engines,
housing over 5,000 guests in nearly nonstop flight [full video, Hashem
Al-Ghaili: https://buff.ly/3Op8VrE] " [a]

Which reminded me of... an SF story I read in, I'd guess, Analog
very roughly 1980, about..

about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..

Could I be any vaguer?

This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly

[a] https://twitter.com/25kV/status/1541182057665048576

_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On Monday, June 27, 2022 at 5:24:47 PM UTC-5, danny burstein wrote:
> I saw a tweet labled as "we found the stupidest thing",
> with a link to:
>
> "Massimo
> "@Rainmaker1973
> "Jun 26
> "Sky Cruise is a concept for a nuclear-powered sky hotel. This video
> rendering shows the aircraft designed to fly with 20 electric engines,
> housing over 5,000 guests in nearly nonstop flight [full video, Hashem
> Al-Ghaili: https://buff.ly/3Op8VrE] " [a]
>
> Which reminded me of... an SF story I read in, I'd guess, Analog
> very roughly 1980, about..
>
> about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
> powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..
>
> Could I be any vaguer?
>
> This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly

_A Transatlantic Tunnel Hurrah_ by Harry Harrison was sort of an early steampunk alternate
history that included a nuclear steam powered flying boat but it was serialized in 1972.

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist

In <df19cfd2-cd6f-4d03-b78a-f97882871699n@googlegroups.com> "peterwezeman@hotmail.com" <peterwezeman@hotmail.com> writes:

[snip]
>> about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
>> powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..
>>
>> Could I be any vaguer?
>>
>> This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly

>_A Transatlantic Tunnel Hurrah_ by Harry Harrison was sort of an early steampunk alternate
>history that included a nuclear steam powered flying boat but it was serialized in 1972.

I don't think that was it (although it might be...)

There were scenes in the story I'm kind of remembering
f how everyone loved the plane which was just
flying and flying... and pilots of traditional jets
would circle around it and dip their wings in tribute.

Maybe.

Thanks
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On 27 Jun 2022, peterwezeman@hotmail.com wrote
(in article<df19cfd2-cd6f-4d03-b78a-f97882871699n@googlegroups.com>):

> On Monday, June 27, 2022 at 5:24:47 PM UTC-5, danny burstein wrote:
> > I saw a tweet labled as "we found the stupidest thing",
> > with a link to:
> >
> > "Massimo
> > "@Rainmaker1973
> > "Jun 26
> > "Sky Cruise is a concept for a nuclear-powered sky hotel. This video
> > rendering shows the aircraft designed to fly with 20 electric engines,
> > housing over 5,000 guests in nearly nonstop flight [full video, Hashem
> > Al-Ghaili: https://buff.ly/3Op8VrE] " [a]
> >
> > Which reminded me of... an SF story I read in, I'd guess, Analog
> > very roughly 1980, about..
> >
> > about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
> > powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..
> >
> > Could I be any vaguer?
> >
> > This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly
>
> _A Transatlantic Tunnel Hurrah_ by Harry Harrison was sort of an early
> steampunk alternate
> history that included a nuclear steam powered flying boat

the flying boat used powdered coal. It was a coal-fired aircraft.

Quote:

“Gus knelt at the opposite side where he had a perfect view of the
proceedings. A hulking barge with a pumping station at one end was tied up
against the hull of the Queen Elizabeth. Great pipes snaked up from it to
valves inset in the ship’s side, the last of which was even then being
disconnected. As it came away a great burst of black coal dust sullied the
side of the leviathan of the air and the first engineer’s comments
entertained an even more colorful content. But as soon as all the pipes were
away and the valves sealed, hoses were brought into play and within moments
the hull was pristine again.”

Excerpt From: Harry Harrison. “A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!.” Apple
Books.

> but it was
> serialized in 1972.
>
> Peter Wezeman
> anti-social Darwinist

You may be thinking of STEAM BIRD, by Hilbert Schenck. The gimmick for that novel was a steam-driven aircraft which got its heat from a nuclear reactor, and which therefore had… issues… with things like deadly exhaust and landing without spreading radioactive nasties all over the place.

In <38f917b7-c217-4f9c-a4c9-f6ec7988e201n@googlegroups.com> Quentin Long <xubist@gmail.com> writes:

>You may be thinking of STEAM BIRD, by Hilbert Schenck. The gimmick for that=
> novel was a steam-driven aircraft which got its heat from a nuclear reacto=
>r, and which therefore had=E2=80=A6 issues=E2=80=A6 with things like deadly=
> exhaust and landing without spreading radioactive nasties all over the pla=
>ce.

YES! Thank you thank you thank you!

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On Monday, 27 June 2022 at 23:24:47 UTC+1, danny burstein wrote:
> I saw a tweet labled as "we found the stupidest thing",
> with a link to:
>
> "Massimo
> "@Rainmaker1973
> "Jun 26
> "Sky Cruise is a concept for a nuclear-powered sky hotel. This video
> rendering shows the aircraft designed to fly with 20 electric engines,
> housing over 5,000 guests in nearly nonstop flight [full video, Hashem
> Al-Ghaili: https://buff.ly/3Op8VrE] " [a]
>
> Which reminded me of... an SF story I read in, I'd guess, Analog
> very roughly 1980, about..
>
> about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
> powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..
>
> Could I be any vaguer?
>
> This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly
>
> [a] https://twitter.com/25kV/status/1541182057665048576

Steam-driven electricity generators are routine
in nuclear power generation. What you're describing
just skips producing electricity (I suppose there's some)
to drive what I've been told are "airscrews".

On Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 11:17:05 AM UTC-4, Robert Carnegie wrote:
> On Monday, 27 June 2022 at 23:24:47 UTC+1, danny burstein wrote:
> > I saw a tweet labled as "we found the stupidest thing",
> > with a link to:
> >
> > "Massimo
> > "@Rainmaker1973
> > "Jun 26
> > "Sky Cruise is a concept for a nuclear-powered sky hotel. This video
> > rendering shows the aircraft designed to fly with 20 electric engines,
> > housing over 5,000 guests in nearly nonstop flight [full video, Hashem
> > Al-Ghaili: https://buff.ly/3Op8VrE] " [a]
> >
> > Which reminded me of... an SF story I read in, I'd guess, Analog
> > very roughly 1980, about..
> >
> > about a nuclear powered aircraft that fired up _steam_
> > powered propellers and just kept flying and flying..
> >
> > Could I be any vaguer?
> >
> > This ring any fog horns? Thanks muchly
> >
> > [a] https://twitter.com/25kV/status/1541182057665048576
> Steam-driven electricity generators are routine
> in nuclear power generation. What you're describing
> just skips producing electricity (I suppose there's some)
> to drive what I've been told are "airscrews".

Back in the Cold War, both the US and SU worked on nuclear powered
bombers and ramjets (Russia may be reviving the latter, btw). The US
got to the point of flying a bomber with a nuclear reactor in the aft bomb
bay, and the Soviets later actually had a working auxiliary jet engine
attached to an existing bomber. The jets worked by heating air in the
reactor, either directly (open cycle) or indirectly (with a hot fluid loop).

The big problems were weight, safety, and shielding. They used older
pilots, who were past siring children.

The best YT clip I've found is this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLK9hYXWZw4
which is very interesting viewing.

pt

In <40732226-5504-4c05-91fa-47dfb10e7666n@googlegroups.com> "pete...@gmail.com" <petertrei@gmail.com> writes:

[snip]

>Back in the Cold War, both the US and SU worked on nuclear powered
>bombers and ramjets (Russia may be reviving the latter, btw). The US
>got to the point of flying a bomber with a nuclear reactor in the aft bomb
>bay, and the Soviets later actually had a working auxiliary jet engine
>attached to an existing bomber. The jets worked by heating air in the
>reactor, either directly (open cycle) or indirectly (with a hot fluid loop).

>The big problems were weight, safety, and shielding. They used older
>pilots, who were past siring children.

>The best YT clip I've found is this:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLK9hYXWZw4
>which is very interesting viewing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_NB-36H

(yes, dumbity dumb).

Some misc other comments frm a discussion of the book:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2751814-steam-bird

Thanks again for the answer..

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]