B-36

[wallyinmemphis]

B-36/B-58A

Oh yeah, fond memories of Little Rock AFB in 1966/67. I spent a year working on the avionics of the B-58A. An intersting plane. Thanks for the picture. The only places that I am aware of they were based was Little Rock AR. and Minot, SD.
Wally

[RGRSTNDGBY]

If you never got to hear a "36" in flight, you have missed one of aviations best sounds. With all those 4360's exhausting rearward thru the props, it was unmistakable, tho the a/c was often too high to be otherwise noticed. Same way as you can hear if a Cessna 337 is running on the front or rear engine, except 20,000 (?) hp, instead of 260(?). A "Starship" has a similar effect. Growing up in Tucson, I heard them coming and going from DM, as well as high in the sky. I had a girlfriend that lived right off of the end of the runway, and when I say that the dishes in the cabinets rattled and danced as these dudes, as well as grossed out B 29's and B 50's took off right over her house, I ain't lyin'...rgr

[AAFO_WSagar]

Though I cherish what's left of my "youth" (turned 52 this year ) I do envy you guys for what you got to see and experience during those times!

I grew up near Stead AFB and did get to see some of the early jet stuff and some of the early fling wings, I also remember regular sonic booms, as well as the familar sight of a B-51 hooked up to a tanker WAAAAAY up there... I did not get to see/hear a lot of the old prop stuff..

Sad that we *somehow* could not have saved some of each type in flight ready status..

Just so we would never forget!

Wayne

[Unregistered]

B-58

and Bunker Hill, IN, now Grissom ARB, where one remains as a gate guard. They have a whole fleet of gate guards there. Worth a stop if you're ever on US31.

Len Ashburn

[Len Ashburn]

Re: B-36

Several quick memories of the B-36 -- The first ones I saw were at Kelly Field in San Antonio in 1951. I was a boot camp at Lackland and could see them landing at Kelly. I could see them on final approach but couldn't see the touch down. I could see them on roll out by looking down the street and when they passed it was like watching a train go by, they were so long.

If you happed to be outside in a quiet area when one flew over at 50,000 feet, roughly ten miles up, you hear one before you saw it. The B-36 had an extremely low frequency sound signature that literally vibrated the ground. Stemmed glasses in the china cabinet would walk to the edge of the shelf and rattle it. I am not joking, this is a fact.

I almost collided with the cargo version, the XC-99 one day at Hobbs, New Mexico. I was in a B-25 in 1955 shooting landings at the Hobbs airfield which we used as an auxiliary. They hauled a lot of freight with that XC-99 but it wasn't practical to haul it to high altitude so they flew it at 1,000 feet above the ground, right at pattern altitude. I was about to turn base and that thing went by so close I got oil spots on the windshield from those six churning, oil spewing, 4360s. Scairt the hell out of us. We kissed the ground when we landed that day.

Len Ashburn

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: B-36

Thanks for the memory Len! Those of us who did not get to experience the thrill of seeing the -36 (at any distance) can relive the moment through your relation of the moment!

Hope to see you at Reno this year!

Wayne

[Leo]

Re: B-36

If you like the B-36, try watching "Strategic Air Command" with Jimmy Stewart.
Rent it or buy it, the movie channels cut out a lot of the incredible flying scenes.
B-36's and B-47's in the clouds, wow!

Leo

[AirDOGGe]

Re: B-36

"Strategic Air Command"

Somebody already mentioned that movie on the first page of this thread, I believe.....Yep, always liked that one.

Seeing airborne peacemakers is one pleasure I have never had the chance to enjoy....My youthful memories consist of watching B-52's passing low over my great-grandfather's house on final for Castle...

Speaking of Castle and it's B-36 (really called an RB-36H), here's the "poop" on that mighty bird:

The aircraft on display at Castle Air Museum is one of only four B-36 aircraft remaining and the only reconnaissance version. It served with the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Rapid City Air Force Base, South Dakota (Ellsworth AFB after June 1953) from 1952 to 1957. In 1957, it was sent to Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois. There it served as a ground instructional airframe and finally was part of Chanute's Air Museum. It was brought to Castle in 167 pieces, requiring 11 flatbed railway cars to move it. It took the efforts of dozens of volunteers and two and a half years of work to reassemble and paint the B-36.

CLICK this link for the page I quoted, with much more info and a sweet photo:
http://www.elite.net/castle-air/b36.htm
.

[holly711]

Re: B-36

I was fortunate growing up on a farm in Bloomington, California.
Our farm was about 10 miles off the end of and in direct line with
the runway for March A.F.B. in Riverside, Ca. I can remember listening
to the differant sound and watching these BIG suckers seemingly
struggling for altitude ........... I've also witnessed the flying wing
(prop version) come out of March also. I don't know if it ever landed there but, it was overhead a time or two........Like a pass maybe......

Can any one help me find a picture of an older
Formula 1 raceplane called the "T tailed Rivits" ?
Where should I go for info about this aircraft ??
Thanks in advance

[Peashooter]

Re: B-36

Somebody already mentioned that movie on the first page of this thread, I believe.....Yep, always liked that one.

Seeing airborne peacemakers is one pleasure I have never had the chance to enjoy....My youthful memories consist of watching B-52's passing low over my great-grandfather's house on final for Castle...

Speaking of Castle and it's B-36 (really called an RB-36H), here's the "poop" on that mighty bird:



CLICK this link for the page I quoted, with much more info and a sweet photo:
http://www.elite.net/castle-air/b36.htm
.

Top speed of 416 -- imagine a B-36 doing a hot lap at Reno!!!! Fifi did 330! Hello, Tom Reilly?

[hattend]

Re: B-36

Can any one help me find a picture of an older
Formula 1 raceplane called the "T tailed Rivits" ?
Where should I go for info about this aircraft ??
Thanks in advance

Here is a 3-view: http://webpages.charter.net/rcfu/Pla...ges/Rivets.gif

[W J Pearce]

Re: B-36

This is from memory so I have not fact checked it but, not too long ago I spoke with a RB-36 (I think) crew chief; his last name was Piper. He said that the -36 we an absolute pain in the ass to keep going. He said it was not uncommon for an RB-36 to go out on mission and come back with one of the 4360s shut down because it had consumed all the oil. He said each engine holds something like 187 GALLONS! No problems, just normal consumption.

Now I was a pax when and TSIO-520 went through 12-13 quarts, and a friend of mine went through all the oil on a DC-3 (44 gallons on each side), but both of those were due to mechanical failures/issues. I just can't imagine "using" 187 gallons of oil.

Bill

[Len Ashburn]

Re: B-36

Read about one of the B-36's black days. It must have been something to see . . . . . .

http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/tornado/tornado.htm#1090