It did have the coolest looking ejection pod system.
Pi$$ing away taxpayer dollars—Something the US federal government excels at.
In the 1955 movie Strategic Air Command, the climactic flight is supposed to be of a B-47 flown non-stop from MacDill to Yokota but diverted to Kadena, meaning it is essentially flown halfway around the world. I'm guessing that this is Hollywood exaggeration, considering that for all practical purposes the autopilot on the B-47 was useless, and the pilot/copilot had to constantly watch altitude and speed to ensure the plane didn't stall.
The biggest downfall of the B-58 was that it was a one trick pony. It was designed around the weapons pod, making it highly inflexible and not able to deliver other loadouts. I could not see the B-58 being able to handle standoff weapons, either nuclear or conventional. No internal stowage due to being designed around a weapons pod, and no accommodation for external pylons. Its Soviet equivalent, the Tu-22 Blinder, did not have such a limitation.
The rest of the game was rather anti-climatic.
I worked on the B-52 at Walker AFB, and was qualified to work in B-58 at LRAFB. The had me work on KC-135Q instead.
They used to take off from LRAFB quite often.
As a kid I saw the B-47 take off quite often from Walker AFB, one right after another. LeMay kept the SAC crews on their toes!
Saw a B-36 fly low over Farmington NM back in 1955. First thing I noticed was the propellers were on the back side of the engines.
Initially contracted (1946) as the follow-on to the B17(Flying Fortess) -> B29(Super Fortress) strategic bombers, the B52 Stratofortress' first flight was in 1952. This means that it is easily possible for a grandkid to be flying in a B52H (1963) that was flown by a granddad!
With an inflation adjusted cost of $81million, 80% mission ready rate and a hourly cost of $73k, use of the 8,800 mile range (un-refueled) B52H remains attractive EXCEPT FOR well-defended air spaces. The USAF projects using the 90+ remaining B52s into the 2040s, giving a chance for g.grandkids to fly! A definite NON-Blunder!
Add fly-by-wire, all glass cockpit, HOTAS, and 2, just 2 F-119 engines...
Man kick the tires and light the fires, I am all in ;-)
I have actually seen B-17’s and TBM torpedo bombers in action. They were used to fight a brush fire in the Whittier Hills above Whittier, Calif. on October 15, 1967.
Bfl
In the Movie “Failsafe”, the President ordered NYC destroyed to avoid WWIII and they sent a B-58 to drop the Atomic Bomb.
When I was in the Air Force I was lucky enough to be on the flight line waiting to cross during a night takeoff. Not 30 feet away. Excellent light show.
