B-36 Cockpit

Fellow EAA staffer Chris Henry and I recently took a road trip to Omaha to visit the Strategic Air & Space Museum. Restoration Manager Mark Hamilton was kind enough to give us access to the colossal Convair B-36J "Peacemaker." With a wingspan of 230 feet, length of just over 162 feet, and standing over 46 feet tall, this thing is enormous! If you ever get the chance to stop in at the Strategic Air & Space Museum, do so - it's a fantastic place!

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Have you ever noticed that so many cold war era military aircraft are just so aesthetically challenged, aka ugly.

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Originally Posted by Floatsflyer

Have you ever noticed that so many cold war era military aircraft are just so aesthetically challenged, aka ugly.

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One man's ugly is anothers beauty! I think she is a beautiful bird! A B-29 on steroids!

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Originally Posted by Zack Baughman

Fellow EAA staffer Chris Henry and I recently took a road trip to Omaha to visit the Strategic Air & Space Museum. Restoration Manager Mark Hamilton was kind enough to give us access to the colossal Convair B-36J "Peacemaker." With a wingspan of 230 feet, length of just over 162 feet, and standing over 46 feet tall, this thing is enormous! If you ever get the chance to stop in at the Strategic Air & Space Museum, do so - it's a fantastic place!

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Interesting! Zack, the picture that shows the controls on the ceiling panel appear to show the four jet engine controls over the pilot's position.

In B-36 video, I've seen the pilot command the copilot to go to "100% on the jets" at takeoff -- and then watched as the copilot moved the throttles forward. They appeared to be over his -- not the pilot's -- position.

I wonder why the difference?

Thanks for the pictures, Zack!

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Originally Posted by Floatsflyer

Have you ever noticed that so many cold war era military aircraft are just so aesthetically challenged, aka ugly.

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The B-36 was initially designed during WW2 with the intention of bombing Berlin from North America. When it looked like Britain would not fall after all, the emphasis shifted to bombing Japan. First roll-out was September 1945. Cold war bomber, World War design.

An amazing machine, and HUGE!!
Was there just after AirVenture, really good collection, including a B-1 and Vulcan(!) out in the back parking lot.
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Definitely worth the trip.

Possibly my favorite airplane of all time. An amazing transitional aircraft between the prop and jet ages. I just wish I had gotten the opportunity to see one fly.

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Pima Air Museum this past summer. B-36 tire as big as my 10 year old son.

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big as my 10 year old son

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And remember, those are the 'smaller' tires.
The prototype flew with a singular wheel on each leg that was nine feet in diameter!
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Originally Posted by krw920

One man's ugly is anothers beauty! I think she is a beautiful bird! A B-29 on steroids!

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Exactly. The B-36 is a personal favorite of mine. I would love to see the EAA restore one to flying condition....maybe we could call it "Magnesium Overcast"?

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Originally Posted by jjhoneck

In B-36 video, I've seen the pilot command the copilot to go to "100% on the jets" at takeoff -- and then watched as the copilot moved the throttles forward. They appeared to be over his -- not the pilot's -- position.

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"Six turning, four burning.....uh, make that two turning, two burning, two smoking, two joking, and two more unaccounted for."

What is and what is the story on that tiny little jet that is sitting under the wing of the B-36? It looks like it has a hook on it so it must have hung under a larger plane.

That 36 is amazing, do they have one at Dayton?

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

What is and what is the story on that tiny little jet that is sitting under the wing of the B-36? It looks like it has a hook on it so it must have hung under a larger plane.

That 36 is amazing, do they have one at Dayton?

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XF-85 Goblin. Parasite fighter, was designed to be carried by the Peacemaker to have its own fighter cover.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_XF-85_Goblin

Ron Wanttaja

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

That 36 is amazing, do they have one at Dayton?

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Yes they do!

As it happens, I also took photos of the Goblin!

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Not only that, but we interviewed one of the engineers who worked on the XF-85 for the Timeless Voices program a few years ago (video quality is not the best, but it does include some cool archival footage of the plane hooking up):
http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=79295117001

I knew a former B-36 Aircraft Commander back in the seventies. He was a Reservist with no unit of assignment and flew for retirement points. He would take one our Base's trainers (and the gov credit card) for a long weekend. Ops would call me on monday morning to ride with him to his home in Lubbock and then bring the ship back. Wasn't hard at all to get me out of my office on mondays and I enjoyed his B-36 stories.


He said 36 hour unrefueled missions were normal. BTW, FE normaly handled power. In addition to the 6 recip throttles, there was a 7th that synced the others. Pilots or FE could handle 6 with one lever. They would depart central US for the eastern seaboard. Conduct training up and down the coast, then meander over to the Pacific. Once in the Warning Areas off the coast, they did air to air gunnery with towed targets. Each gun in turn would devote several hours. It took all day to expend all ammo from all guns. Then head home. Oh, they also conducted practice bombing several times wherever there were ranges. SAC B-36 units had masseurs and all hands had a good post flight rub down. I lived in southern Maine when I was a teen. Frequently, B-36s passed over head well below 10,000 enroute to Loring AFB, a SAC base in northern Maine. Many times, they were low enough to see one or more props feathered. The crews were facing the dreaded 8 or 9 engine approach on arrival when they were down to their last eight hours of fuel.


Interesting B-36 facts: There were "light weight" models and there were "feather weights." Also RB-36s. Did you know that a feather weight could turn inside a MIG-15 at 50,000? After a couple of months of B-36 ground school (in the air), I was convinced that all I needed was three touch and goes and I could be signed off.


There used to be a XC-99 parked near the front gate of Kelly AFB in San Antonio. This is a one-of-a-kind transport version of the B-36. A veterans group was custodian and for a couple of bucks,you could have the run of the plane. I even climbed the ladder up inside the vert stabilizer. This could also be done in flight. It had little windows and I think was pressurized.


I asked how did this LTC train on weekends? He had a Vet supply business and he served his customers at their ranch strips. Statue of limitations have since elapsed.


Bob

Zack, the Gobblin looks like it would be an "interesting" plane to fly. On several levels. The National Museum of Naval Aviation here in town had an earlier parasite, the F9C SparrowHawk. I think it is a lot prettier than F-85. Broke my heart when they sent it to Udvar-Hazy.

I feel you pain…but living in Northern Virginia with son son who is nuts about Zeppelins, he is glad for the opportunity to see it from time to time. (One of these days I have to get him to the museum in Zeppelinheim, near Frankfurt.)

By the way, you do not have to go to the NMUSAF. The B-36 and other objects can come to you!

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/fac...eet.asp?id=360

Click the links below the picture on the right.

Here's a video of the best buzz job ever. The background story is that the aircraft commander was supposed to do a low flyby for some brass at Carswell. He elected to extend the flyby a bit beyond the base and put on a little show for his neighborhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCViKu9XlbQ

Kyle, love the video! Now I want to go get "Strategic Air Command!"