Opinion by Bonnie Henry: Giant Cold War plane welcomed

Arizona Daily Star ^ | May 20, 2005 | Ernesto Portillo Jr.

[AZHua87]

One pilot likened it to "sitting on your front porch and flying your house around."

Another crew member called it "a horrible, lazy beast to fly."

Janet Hess has another view of the B-36 - one admittedly gained at ground level.

"I loved that plane," says Hess, who did modification work on the bomber during the early '50s.

Designed to fly long distances at high altitudes and drop nuclear payloads, the huge, 10-engine plane never did go to war.

[AZHua87]

B-36 Bombers.

[TADSLOS]

B-36 BUMP!!

[TMSuchman]

This is a BIG FREAKING airplane bump!

[alfa6]

A couple of pics of the Magnesium Overcast for ya

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[AZHua87]

Yep a real monster.

[TMSuchman]

We got 6 turnin & 4 burnin!

[TADSLOS]

[clintonh8r]

I lived near Carswell AFB for a while during my early childhood. I can still remember these monsters starting up and taking off over our house. The ground shook.

[spanalot]

Did it use turboprops and jet engines? Are are they takeoff boosters?

[Captain Peter Blood]

Every so often on the AMC Movie Channel they run Jimmy Stewart's propaganda film for the Air Force in the 1950's, "Strategic Air Command". Not a bad picture and this plane was featured in the film, this was before the arrival of the B-52, which will be around another 40 years as the workhorse of the Air Force.
The only thing I really hate about that movie in the portrayal by June Allyson as Stewart's whinny, immature wife. Otherwise if nothing else is on of interest I will watch it.
By the way that actor playing the General Curtis LeMay character is great & a hoot to watch, General LeMay was know as "The Great White Father" to the Air Force guys and made SAC what it was.

[AZHua87]

Yep! Top Grade film. Still can see it sometimes on Turner Classics on Cable.

[AZHua87]

Glad to bring back childhood memories.

[Armigerous]

A good pilot on a B-36 knew how to lean out the fuel mixture to maximize range and could literally make those engines sing(6 turning,4 burning). During one endurance test, the USAF stocked up a B-36 with rations,coffee etc and had it flying around the Arctic Circle while being refuled by KC-97 tankers flying out of Thule AFB,Greenland and Eilesen AFB,Alaska. That plane stayed up for an entire week and as far as I know that record stands to this day.

[Armigerous]

As I recall, General Hawks was played by Frank Lovejoy. "Don't tell me your little problems,Mister. I want RESULTS!"

[Captain Peter Blood]

That is an amazing record. I had not heard this one before. A testament to American Ingenuity and Craftsmanship.

[Husker24]

After the Week in the air, did they stop because they ran out of food or because they hit the ground?

[Armigerous]

One more for the books- the B-36 was responsible for determing the maximum altitude that birds could fly. In 1954 a B-36 flying SE out of Thule, encountered a flight of 30 Trumpeter Swans flying at an altitude of 27,000 ft. The existing altitude record for any species of bird

[Mr. Jazzy]

Didn't they modify one of the Consolidated beauties to operate on nuclear power?

I sort of remember that.

[AZHua87]

Don't know if they ever did but I remember reading about it being discussed in Dad's Popular Mechanics magazine.