experimental landing gear.
Convair NB-36H Peacemaker Nuclear-Powered Test Aircraft
My stepdad flew it a couple of times towing a troop glider behind it.
Posted on 12/27/2017 6:31:47 AM PST by C19fan
America’s fleet of B-52H Stratofortress nuclear bombers are on track to outlast their engines, and the planes need new ones to remain viable past 2030. The U.S. Air Force, which received its first B-52H during the Kennedy administration, wants to replace existing engines with cheaper, more power ones to keep the lumbering jets flying into all the way into the 2040s.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Funny, it kind of reminded me a few years back at Oshkosh in 1994 when they had the 25th anniversary of the moon landings, they had all the living Apollo astronauts there for an evening in their big pavilion, it was great! The stories about Frank Borman’s legendary passing of gas that nearly asphyxiated his mate Lovell in the Gemini program...:)
Anyway, the sun had gone down, it was dark, they were all up on the stage spinning yarns about their experiences, when a roar on the runway behind us made everyone stop and look to see a Concorde taking off in full afterburner, blue flames coming out the back!
What I loved was the comment from the astronaut at the microphone who said “Everyone, go ahead and look...we’re all enthusiasts too!”
Loved it! If you are an aviation enthusiast, even if you have walked on the moon, even a Cessna going overhead will make you stop and look...never mind a Concorde in full afterburner!
The Air Force brass hates, fears, loathes the A-10.
The pilots who have come back to base in shredded A-10s love them.
The Air Force brass is repelled, disgusted with, nauseated by the A-10.
The Marines and other ground pounders adore the A-10.
The Air Force brass view the A-10 with repugnance.
IS, the Taliban, and other koranimals view it as a flying cross wreaking Holy vengeance on them.
The Air Force brass apparently is on the same side as civilization's bitterest enemies with regards to the A-10. These are the people doing everything they can to remove the world's most effective close air support aircraft from the skies.
Give the A-10 to the Marines!
I enjoyed that book.
The H were the first B52’s to have fan engines, I was Boomop on KC-135 with the J-57 water injection engines, had many long runway take offs at heavy weight, pucker time.
I was in the USAF from 1970 - 1974. The BUFF has an honored place in my heart.
Correct. Put new engines on that outstanding airframe. :-)
The Air Force Wants to Install New Engines on the B-52 Bomber
So who’s stopping them?
—
Sequestration - things like that.
“The Air Force brass hates, fears, loathes the A-10.”
Those must be holdover Obama political generals.Trump should say “you WILL keep A 10’s flying and in perfect shape or put your stars on my desk and you WILL like it”!
Convair NB-36H Peacemaker Nuclear-Powered Test Aircraft
My stepdad flew it a couple of times towing a troop glider behind it.
“So who’s stopping them? “
This has never made it into the budget. The AF has wanted to do this for decades. Had they done it, say 20 years ago, it would have saved billions of dollars...but no-oooo. Congress is penny wise and pound foolish.
One of the pranksters in our class spotted the Buff from his seat nearest the open window and yelled, “Air Raid !” and dove under the table.
The study hall went nuts...
“I was in the USAF from 1970 - 1974. The BUFF has an honored place in my heart.”
Was stationed at Ellsworth 80-83. I loved watching the BUFF’s takeoff and land.
Well, the A-10 sortie is much higher and they do stress that airframe pulling G’s.
“The Air Force brass hates, fears, loathes the A-10.”
Those must be holdover Obama political generals.
—
Nah. Its the AF way to have only very sexy planes that they can brag about to each other - the more expensive, the more missions that can be crammed in while spending still more money to fix all the things those modifications broke, the better. Its all about being a hotshot pilot flying devil may care sexy ultra cool planes, not about efficiency and effectiveness to the Pentagon USAF. See the F-35.
I’m all for the safe use of nuclear power, but having a bunch of small nuclear reactors flying around over our heads strikes me as a bad idea.
And, apparently, the “powers that be” didn’t think much of it either.
I was excited about the B-52 when I signed up for the Defensive Fire Control position in 1971.
They decided to send me to Nuke Weapons school instead....thank heavens!
Meant staying state-side during Nam......
“The Air Force brass hates, fears, loathes the A-10.”
Those must be holdover Obama political generals.Trump should say “you WILL keep A 10’s flying and in perfect shape or put your stars on my desk and you WILL like it”!
“The Air Force brass hates, fears, loathes the A-10.”
Those must be holdover Obama political generals.Trump should say “you WILL keep A 10’s flying and in perfect shape or put your stars on my desk and you WILL like it”!
No more flying oil slick? I’ll believe it when I see it.
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