
Made in the USSR: Reverse Engineering the Boeing B-29 (2001) - sew
http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/made-in-the-ussr-38442437/?all
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threedaymonk
_At Orsha, the nickname “Ramp Tramp” puzzled many Soviet pilots and engineers,
even those familiar with English. One rough translation offered was “Unshaven
Vagabond,” which still baffled Soviet airmen._

It puzzles me, and English is my first language! What does it mean?

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ramptramp
A "ramp" (in US aviation jargon) is where aircraft are loaded and prepared for
flight. The official term is "apron" and a common layman's term for this area
of an airfield is "tarmac." Guessing this is the main source of confusion.

"Tramp" here probably means harlot (consider the cheesecake pinup nose-art
common on WWII-era US bombers, as alluded to in the article.)

~~~
dctoedt
> _" Tramp" here probably means harlot_

I'm guessing it's actually akin to "hangar queen," an aircraft that's grounded
for maintenance to an unusual extent [1].

EDIT: Or, it might be an analog to a tramp steamer, i.e., a merchant ship that
goes from port to port to port carrying whatever cargoes the ship's officers
can scare up as they go. [2]

[1]
[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hangar_queen](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hangar_queen)

[2] [http://www.britannica.com/technology/tramp-
steamer](http://www.britannica.com/technology/tramp-steamer)

