Posted on 10/29/2006 10:58:05 AM PST by BenLurkin
The B-58 Hustler, the Air Force's first operational supersonic bomber, was capable of traveling twice the speed of sound, and it even "beat the sun" on a record-setting trip across the country from east to west. A cutting-edge aircraft with a futuristic look, the bomber was described as a "joy to fly" by those who took her controls.
Pilot Beryl Erikson said, "If I was offered a chance to fly to heaven in a B-58, I would."
Erikson and four others of those men who helped bring the B-58s into service and prove their worth were honored Friday by the Flight Test Historical Foundation during its annual Gathering of Eagles.
The event is the major fundraiser for the foundation, which operates the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards and the Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale.
Joining Erikson in the honors were Johnny Armstrong, the first military flight test engineer to fly in the bomber; Charles Harrison, flight test engineer for manufacturer Convair on the B-58's first flight; Harold Confer, the operational pilot who set a 1,000 kilometer world speed record; and Robert Gray Sowers, the operational pilot who set the intercontinental speed record in the B-58. Erikson and Confer were unable to attend the event.
Joining the other Eagles in panel discussion were B-58 test pilots and previous Eagle honorees Fitz Fulton, Charlie Bock and Joe Cotton.
The event commemorated the 50th anniversary of the bomber's first flight, on Nov. 11, 1956.
The B-58s were operational in the Strategic Air Command between 1960 and 1970. The bombers set 19 world speed and altitude records and won five different aviation trophies. Built by Convair - later bought by General Dynamics - at its plant in Fort Worth, Tex., the bombers went through their military testing at Edwards Air Force Base.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
A VERY sexy aircraft. The B1 has some very similar lines.
That bomber was fearsome. Unstoppable.
The B-58 just doesn't look right without the weapons module, sort of naked.
I saw the plane once in 1958 at Tyndall AFB as I was pulliing KP on the clipper. (Sigh)
:')
"Bock's only real problem while flying the B-58, he recalled, was one instance when he was refueling in flight.
Just as the tanker boom attached to the bomber, there was a hydraulic leak that smeared fluid across the front windows and blocked the view from those main panels. Bock decided to ask the tanker to spill fuel over the glass to clean it so he would be able to land. "The guys in the tanker weren't so happy about this," he said, but they "put a big splash of fuel on the window and cleaned it up real nice."
ping
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Air Power |
The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first United States bomber to have a supersonic dash capability and required the development of much new technology. Although the B-58 was thought by many to be the harbinger of future generations of more advanced supersonic bombers, only about 115 of these unique aircraft were built, and they were quietly withdrawn from the SAC inventory after less than 10 years of service.
The general operating requirement, SAB-51, called for the replacement of the B-47 to be the first supersonic bomber. Research and development studies began in the late 1940's, and both Boeing and Convair developed conceptual designs. In 1952, the more revolutionary Convair design was chosen and designated the B-58, with the first flight occurring November 11, 1956. The program was not a competitive development, and Convair was given total development responsibility. As a result of money and schedule problems, the number of aircraft produced was reduced from 244 to 116, with its initial deployment in 1960.
The first B-58 was delivered in August 1960 and by 1964 deployment had reached about 90 aircraft. The B-58 had a Mach 2 dash capability and employed an external weapons pod. The last B-58 was retired in January 1970, about three months after the first FB-111 was accepted by SAC. Although the aircrews swore by the B-58, money and mission limitations led to it being phased out of the inventory after only 10 years of service.
The B-58 represented a drastic change from the B-47 in design, acquisition strategy, and deployment philosophy with SAB-51 being the first time that Air Force requirements called for radical, technological advances. The design specifications called for a Mach 2, high-altitude, medium-range nuclear bomber of minimum size to keep a low RCS. Convair was the prime contractor under the "Weapon System Management Concept" introduced with the B-58 and had responsibility for all subcontractor performance. This was in marked contrast to prior programs in which the Air Force was responsible for providing the prime contractor with "off-the-shelf" technology subsystems. The deployment concept was also different from the B-47 since the B-58 was designed to rely on quality rather than quantity.
These radical changes in the Air Force's approach to bomber development resulted in many problems. For example, meeting the technological requirements proved difficult and resulted in schedule slippages and cost overruns, while under-funding and lack of space on board affected development options. Subsequently, the B-58 was considered an interim bomber since the XB-70 was on the drawing boards.
The high altitude range of 3,500 nm for the B-58A and 4,000 nm for the B-58B included the use of a large centerline fuel pod. Although this range was better than the B-47, the lack of forward basing resulted in a requirement for more tanker support. While the B-58 was faster than Soviet fighters, the newly emerging threat was the development of SAMs in the late 1950's that forced the B-58 to adapt to low level penetration of enemy defenses. This change in mission profile caused a large increase in fuel consumption and compounded range problem.
The B-58, although the holder of numerous world speed records, was severely restricted in its usefulness and lifetime. Designed for supersonic, high-altitude penetration, the B-58 was limited in range, payload, and growth potential for the addition of advanced radar and other electronic equipment.
Thus, replacements were the main mode of modification. For example, analog electronic equipment with cooling problems was replaced by digital electronics. The B-58's planned production run was reduced because of the high cost per unit, a small payload, a mission profile different from its design concept, and, in the 1960's, a Secretary of Defense that downplayed the role of the bomber. In addition, it was very expensive to operate, and huge sums of money were needed for the Vietnam war.
Mission requirements for the Convair B-58 Hustler called for a subsonic cruise segment of several thousand miles followed by a supersonic dash (Mach 2.0) in the target zone of as much as 500 miles and, finally, a post-strike cruise segment. Diverse requirements such as these call for an aircraft of high aerodynamic efficiency at both subsonic and supersonic speeds, together with a versatile propulsion system capable of efficiently providing the required thrust in the different flight regimes. Today's response to the B-58 mission requirements would no doubt be a variable-sweep configuration employing afterburning turbofan engines. Unfortunately, the technology for a practical variable-sweep aircraft did not exist in the early 1950's when the B-58 was being designed - nor did afterburning turbofan engines. The only possible way in which the difficult mission objectives could be met in that time period was with the use of in-flight refueling.
With the increased effectiveness of enemy detection and antiaircraft capability discussed previously, the high-altitude Mach 2 method of weapons delivery became increasingly less viable, and an on-the deck method of attack became the preferred mode of operation. For this type of weapons delivery, however, the payload-range characteristics of the B-58 were much inferior to those of the B-52. For whatever reason, the last B-58 was withdrawn from service in January 1970 after about 10 years in the active inventory. First flight of the aircraft took place on November 11, 1956; approximately 115 units were built.
The B-58 represented a significant technical achievement in the 1950's time period, but the mission requirements called for innovations that far exceeded the technical state of the art then available.
Specifications:
Primary Function: Bomber
Contractor: Convair
Engines: Four General Electric J79-GE-1 turbojets of 15,000 lbs. thrust ea. with afterburner
Crew: Three - Pilot, Navigator/Bombardier, Defensive Systems Operator
Dimensions:
Span: 56 ft. 10 in.
Length: 96 ft. 10 in.
Height: 31 ft. 5 in.
Weights: Empty: 55,560 lb (25,201 kg) / Maximum Takeoff: 163,000 lb (73,935 kg)
Performance :
Maximum speed: 1,325 mph
Cruising speed: 610 mph.
Range: 4,400 miles max. ferry range
Service Ceiling: 64,800 ft.
Armaments:
one 20mm cannon in tail;
Up to 10,000-lb. bomb load of Nuclear or conventional weapons in pod or on under-wing pylons
For one pilot's life experiences with this airplane, please click here: Capt B.F. Brown's B-58 Page
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