There they were the big bombers! But they weren't so big as we had thought they would be. We had been told the statistics: over 320 miles an hour, 34,330 pounds when empty, 110 feet in wing span, 66 feet in length, 18 feet in height; and I explained to C.M. that 34,300 pounds was about what 172 football players would weigh and that 66 feet was the equivalent of a whole football team laid end to end. These facts had impressed her, as things laid end to end always do; but even then she had said that they seemed a Little Small for a big bomber. Excerpted from Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory by Constance Bowman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
