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.

[SERKIT]

Also: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap39.htm

and
The XC-99 Cargo plane based on the B36
http://www.air-and-space.com/xc99.htm
The XC-99 is being restored at Wright-Pat Museum (Dayton, OH) and was flown there in pieces by C5A's. As a friend of the National Air Force Museum, please consider a donation.

[clintonh8r]

We must have been neighbors! I don't remember that incident (we may not have lived there then, or I may have simply forgotten) but that is one hell of a scary story!

[WSGilcrest]

This doesn't sound like the same wreck, but a fasinating story non-the-less. Sounds like that plane had a lot of problems. http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm#44-92035

[clintonh8r]

I was at the Museum for the first time last year. I saw the B-36 on display ther.

I was most impressed by the Hump display, as my father was a C-47 pilot and flew The Hump many times.

[Law is not justice but process]

I am completely sold. When will the B-36 exhibit be ready?

[Robe]

As a kid, I witnessed a air show at Coney Island, they had a flight of B-36's, a 3ship/in a finger four formation (12 in all )may a low pass off shore, i was amazed at the amount of metal in the air at one time.

BTW the Thunderbirds were flying F-84's (Stright Wing)at the time

PS : I was "IN LOVE" with June Allison in SAC, after a "Fling " with her in ""30 Seconds over Tokyo"

[Law is not justice but process]

I'll add Seattle to my list. Aviation museums have become a bit of a fetish for me. I have been to the Warner Robbins Museum, both locations of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the museum in Galveston (forgot the name, but all their birds were flyable), the RAF Museum north of London, The Imperial War Museum, The Mighty Eighth Museum in Savannah (they have an outstanding staff there, mostly veterans), the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque, and various static displays worldwide. Tuscon and Dayton (and now Seattle) are on my to-do list. When it comes to old airplanes, am just a big kid.

[AZHua87]

I'd say watch the Web site for the Pima Air Museum. This Fall at the earliest. Besides by then our weather is more accomdating to Non-Arizona "it's a dry heat" types.

[FreedomPoster]

There's an itty-bitty museum at the general aviation airport in Redwood City, if you're ever in the Bay Area. I went there a couple of years ago. Among other goodies, there's a cutaway of a Wasp engine from a B-36, which is why I bring it up in this thread.

Also, you need to get to the Florida Panhandle and hit Pensacola and Eglin.

[AlaskaErik]

Interesting Cold War relic.

[RebelTex]

"Sounds like that plane had a lot of problems."

Well, of course it did - just take a look at it.

Someone put the engines on backwards, LOL.

Gee, I didn't know some planes have a transmission with a reverse gear.  I'll bet backing up or flying backwards is hell. < /joke>

;^D

[MrStumpy]

A great informative book on the b36 is called "magnesium overcast" A b 29 would almost fit under the wing of this magnificent beast in all its variants. There is even a list of each airframe produced, when built, modifications, and final disposition.

This Aircraft fought well in the Cold War.......we are still here...right!

Stumpy

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for the ping!

[hoagy62]

My uncle was a crew chief on the -36 at fairchild AFB in Spokane. Met his future wife (my aunt, a high school cheerleader)while there.

he said the wing roots were so big you could stand up in them. I want to see one someday.

[struwwelpeter]

During my 'zoomie' days there was a song about the B-36. It took quite a lot of booze to get the old timers to sing it, and it sounded like that 'Glory Glory Hallelujah' song. The only part I remember was:

The B-36 flies 10 thousand miles
The B-36 flies 10 thousand miles
The B-36 flies 10 thousand miles
But it drops a teeny-weeny little bomb!

[Elsiejay]

Don't overlook the air museum at McMinnville, Oregon, home of the Howard Hughes' huge all-wood flying boat (the so-called "Spruce Goose;" not his name choice), plus a Blackbird (XR-71 ???), and an amazing collection of rare and unique craft.

[okie01]

According to the link, this had to be the crash I remember:

B-36B, 44-92079, Lake Worth, Texas, September 15, 1949.

clintonh8r, I went to Lake Worth Elementary in 1948-49 -- Mrs. Simpson's 5th grade class, Mrs. Harwell's 6th grade class. Ring any bells?

A cousin of mine was also a bombardier on one of the B-36s flying out of Carswell. I recall his telling us that there was "something wrong" with them, but he was unwilling to specify what the problem was. Wonder if he was referring to all the electrical glitches that seemed to plague them.

[Jack Deth]

General Curtis LeMay and SAC could not have functioned without this first true "Heavy" bomber. Cutting edge for its times after Korea and before the all jet B-47 and B-52.

Like the first and following nuclear submarines. The B-36 was an integral tool for peace. That thankfully never fired a shot or dropped a bomb in anger.

There was a passageway in each wing, so mechanics could, if necessary; work on the six turbo-prop engines In Flight!

The twin J-85s were more for show than anything. Plus a trolley tunnel above the bomb bays. That monster must have been an SOB to Pressurize!

Jack.

[Jack Deth]

The twin podded jets near the wingtips weren't for take-off boost, spanalot. They were wound up and ran with the rest of the engines.

Jet engines were just becoming the Next New Thing and the B-36s were more of a test bed for their development. Thrust vs, Weight.

Jets were lighter, but the Behemoth already had 6 monster Turbo-Props. So, they stayed with that configuration until the B-47 made its debut.

Jack.

[Jack Deth]

Turboprops? what new-fangled ideer is that?

6 Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major air cooled radials - 28 cyliners/engine, 2 sparkplugs/cylinder - plug change: not a minor job

My mistake, Ostrich Boy. I though the B-36 had inverted Turbo-Props. Not Wasps.

Didn't you just HATE it when a jug broke?

Jack.