Not the most-handsome aircraft ever made, but all the same, an amazing piece of awesome technology for its day .. historically most-valuable footage, thank you & congrats. PS I faintly remember a really-impressive movie made in the 50s, featuring this huge plane along the .. players included a young Harry Morgan, of M*A*S*H fame.
As an aviation buff, and 25 year employee for a major int'l carrier, I've had the chance to see just 2 of the "pushers" up close. The first was in 1973 at the SAC Museum in Omaha, Nebraska and the 2nd was back in 1991 at the Air Force Museum (Wright Patterson) in Dayton, Ohio. THAT B-36 was actually housed indoors and was in wonderful condition. I've heard that those 4360 radials were extremely unreliable and that it was not uncommon to lose one or more while on a mission?
@MrRonnieG The only other intact B-36 of which I am aware is at Pima in Tucson...relatively recently restored. The first time I entered the Air Force Museum I looked straight up to see the tail of a B-36 overhanging the entry way ...at considerable altitude! They've since redone that facility and I hope to revisit this year.
@Ronbo710 i was at castle yesterday and i wash doing the prop wash with my fellow sea cadets. we were ordered to do a trash walk and underneath the b36 i found a small panal from under the right wing. they told me to throw it away but instead they let me keep it
Great stuff all this Cold War Vid, and ...bernard240vdc..when in the Aussie Spec Forces I did freefall parachuting from 40-000 feet, and man it is cold up there!!
@Quadrant14: when in the Aussie Spec Forces I did freefall parachuting from 40-000 feet, and man it is cold up there!!
JM: WOW! remarkable story. I've always wondered, how can jumpers possibly equalize pressure in their ears during such a rapid descent? What is your rate of descent, anyway. I've been in a military plane that had the vertical speed indicator buried at more than -4,000 feet. Of course we were pressurized with minimal discomfort, but still some discomfort.
What was the Delta winged aircraft it carried towards the end of the segment? It looked like it was square nosed, as if the intake were there, not like the F-102/106 which the noses were conical.
@epsalonne The props were placed on the trailing edge of the wings inorder to maximize aerodynamics. This would help her get to and from Germany on one tank of gas. She was designed to carry about 85,000 lbs of bombs and had six turrent each housing two 20mm cannon in recessed bays. These turrents were retracted inside the fuselage of the ship until needed where they would pop out after their hatch covers moved out of the way. They looked like something you'd see on Star Wars.
@epsalonne This plane was designed during WWII with the idea that Briton would surender to the Germans. The US wouold then need a bomber to fly to Germany and back on one tank of gas. That bomber is the B-36. Fortunately it never came to that and the design slowed down until after the war when Russia acted like we be in for another big fight. The design was updated and went into production. She was America's "Big Stick" so to speak. She's really a design that's a hold over from WWII.
one other feat this aircraft could accomplish that very few can do even to this day was fly from the u.s to germany drop bombs there and return to the u.s that was the reason for its design the fear at that time that England might fall to Germany the U.S could of stationned carriers close to target to have fighters accompany and help defend these while flying over Germany to this day one aircraft that can do this is the B2 Spirit and it cost in the billions
The ground crews at Eieilson and other bases were heroes. Having to deal with subzero weather to keep those monsters airworthy when they couldn't be hangered took the best in the business. Makes you proud to be an American and proud of the men in the armed services. They kept us safe and secure.
This was in the days when men were men and the sheep were nervous.
It's my understanding that these long range bombers were conceived of during the time when it wasn't at all certain that we'd have England to fly our bombers from (during WWII). I cannot imagine!
I took the liberty of sharing this video on Facebook. I was in Eielson AFB 89' 91', working on RC-135s, the Chief showed videos of the ol'days, including this one, to show us "how easy" we had it.
Maintaining six 28 cyl, 56 spark plug engines in -40F, plus the propellers, was hell compared to our jets...
Hats off to those guys !
PD: in our dys dogs on the flightline were strictly prohibited !
Great footage of this legendary bomber. I have never seen it before. Soundtrack is perfect. Thanks for all the time it must have taken you to put this together. Also, the USAF had great looking uniforms back then. Today? Not so great...
One of these landed at Tyndall AFB in 1957 when I was a kid. We had F-102As at the time. IF this giant had gone to war; it would have been suicide to be a crew member in it. The B-36 was Obsolete the day it was manufactured. The Navy was dead right there. A B-36 would have been 'SPAM in a can" to a MiG.
Such a beautiful aircraft. To bad there are only 4 left, plus parts and pieces in Ohio. I've seen pics of the B-58 slung underneath but not video footage. Just awesome!!
I got to meet the man who was in charge of the project to design this plane. He had a photo album with him an Harry Truman talking about it. Quite an impressive plane.
to counter what joepilot48 says about these bombers slow lumbering obsolete etc i think they where mighty impressive for there time probably had a huge payload capacity maybe not that smaller than a b52 as for speed yes they where not as fast as b52s but could manage a top speed near 400mph with the jets lit that did reduce this planes respectable range however and i believe they could fly at some stratospheric altitude like close to 50,000 feet or so
@bernard240vdc: Agreed. The B-36 actually out-hauled the B-52 (up to 86,000lbs compared to the 52's 70,000lbs). Considering this thing first flew only a year after WWII ended, it filled a valuable 'niche' role.
@bernard240vdc: and i believe they could fly at some stratospheric altitude like close to 50,000 feet or so...
JM: B-52 can go well above 50,000 feet, at less than max gross weight. And they used to. By Air Force regs, going above 50,000 ft requires the use of a pressure suit. You can't breath O2 fast enough at that altitude, without it being forced into your body under pressure. Sudden decompression above 50 would mean certain death. Costs too much to maintain pres suit system.
The B-52 lists a max altitude of 50k feet, used to be higher, that's why they had pressure suit hook ups in them. In reality the Buff almost never goes over 45,000, they don't handle well as they approach 50,000 feet.
JM: You're right. I rode along with a crew on my aircraft on a FSAGA, First Sortie After Ground Alert. We were maxed out on fuel, of course. Me and the navigator got into a conversation about the D model compared to the H model we were flying in. Just then the pilot said, "Oh yeah, can the D model do this?" At which point he proceeded to climb to 49,000 feet at our heavy gross weight. Then he let the co-pilot take it to experience how mushy it was.
Convair B-36 Peacemaker. I find it ironic that we seem to name the biggest and baddest weapons in our arsenal with the designation of, "Peacemaker." Either it springs from the opinion that all opposing hostile entities would rather make peace with us rather than to have these monsters drop bombs across their borders OR that once they have unloaded their deadly cargo, there would be no sound, no movement, nothing but the stillness of peace and quiet to deal with. Either way, Peacemaker seems odd.
With the name 'Peacemaker', for this size aircraft, I'll definately keep my peace when it is around!! Don't think the bomber as a tool of war, think of it as a tool of wars prevented. With an aircraft this size and the amount of armory it carried, our cold war buddies will think differently about attacking first, therefore, a 'Peacemaker'. My 2 cents. Have a great day my friend.
When I was in the States in '08 I visited the Airforce Museum in Dayton, Ohio. That plane is massive. The original tyre designed for it but later scrapped is also on display. (9 ft 2 in (2.7 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) wide, and weighing 1,320 lb (600 kg), )
@BJBFOREST i lived not far from the base...a b36 sat outside by airwayroad for years...its now inside,,,big plane but they should have went with the yb49...they just could not get the bugs out of it,,,
Lumbering, slow, mammoth, probably obsolete before it flew the first time. It is awesome to observe, but did it really accomplish anything. Never fired a shot in anger, but dropped some test H-bombs. No comparison to a B-52 (BUFF) or a B-58 (Hustler) . I was born in 1948 and lived through some strange times.
This was filmed at Carswell AFB. Triangle J was the tail code of the 7th BW. Triangle U was the 11th BW. This was probably in the early 50's, before they got the white bellies.
@geinman1287: This was filmed at Carswell AFB. Triangle J was the tail code of the 7th BW. Triangle U was the 11th BW.
JM: Thanks, I was going to say that. I was with the 7th OMS on B-52's during the early '80s. There was a B-36 over by GD. Don't know if it's still there.
my uncle used be based at Travis AFB while they were still flying bombers out of there, he said the B-36 would shake his whole house while it was taking off
great video i really enjoyed the music(score)whatever.....It was kind of emotional to me,... my grandfather was in sac...this adds great reference to the stories....thak-you
I was born in 1947, so these planes were still flying a little and one came over our house when I was very young. However I'll never forget the sound that thing made. It was low enough to see the back end of the wings with all six engines. It made this low droning sound and it shook the whole house. It was cool, I remember I was dumbfounded, and so were my parents. Very cool air plane.
@artmak5: I like how each country names their tanks, planes, and other weapons of destruction, "peacemaker"...
JM: The B-36 lived up to it's name. It was never needed in a war. Nobody would dare start a war with us when those things were around. It kept the peace.
The B-36 while having great range and a fortress of twenty millimeter cannons in powered turrets for defense was outclassed by propeller driven aircraft. In a practice run a flight of Navy F4U Corsairs 'shot down' a three plane flight of B-36's over the Gulf Of Mexico. It didn't stand a chance against a MIG-15.
The canons were removed even before the plane became fully operational. This carrion-feeder was perhaps the worst airplane ever to have a lead role in Air Force operations - a testimony to the obsessions and near insanity of Curtis LeMay, a man who seemed to wish for Armageddon. I cannot understand how the facts about this miserable airscow remain generally unknown. Convair had no business making long-range bombers. They were always behind the times with impractical and expensive designs.
Great B-36 footage. Too bad no audio of those beasts. They made a sound you'd never forget. Movie Stategic Air Command, Jimmy Stewart is on the ball field and a B-36 flys over, low altitude on takeoff. Pipe that into your stereo and you'll understand what I mean!! I worked on the R-4360-63A, C-124 Globemasters. Very high maintenance engines!! 1200 hour manditory engine change. Less than 10% made it to 1200 hours. Thanks for posting
I remember C-124s at Albrook AFB. The flight path was 200 feet from the end of my high school and about 500 feet above the ground. The warmups were obvious and once full power was applied we all would hope the aircraft made it! Quite a contrast to the later C-130s.
Sadly Rico8458 all except four B-36 were scrapped between c.1956 and 1961; the four of some 385 built that have survived one is in Atwater, California - a rare RB-36H (believed with gun turrets albeit retracted). I vaguely remember them flying over Los Angeles County in the early-mid 1950s, made loud sound that "had authority" like no other piston engine airplane.
The B-36 was in active U.S.A.F. service from 1948 to 1958, the last one coming of the assembly line in 1954; 385 or so airframes were constructed, including the prototypes, B-60 & XC-99 variants. The original 1941-1942 B-36 design had twin tail similar to the Consolidated PB2Y flying boat series, it had all manned gun turrets. Hopefully in the future I'll draw full color art of the original B-36 twin-tail design as well as another eight propeller engine push-pull prop variant.
Yes, the four General Electric J47 turbojets were adjusted to burn aviation fuel and generally were used for takeoffs and during final bombing practice runs. B-36s could fly "OK" with four engines but often it was because the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines would fail in flight rather than for saving on fuel; is bit hard maintaining speed & altitude even with a modest bomb load in one of these behemoths, so was told by an old B-36 crewman.
Yes, I know they were highly susceptible to engine fires due to carburetor icing. The lack of available heat due to the pusher configuration only exacerbated the situation. The wreckage of one lies in N. BC, Canada, after the crew abandoned ship and the aircraft collided with rising terrain. Apparently, it was a 'broken arrow' flight, and there has been some controversy over the H-bomb that was being carried (dumped at sea). Carb icing/fire was apparently the culprit.
Speed bursts to awoid fighters. In fact the best defence these bombers had were high manouvreability at extreme heights. They actually outmanouvred contemporary fighters at these heights.
My dad flew the B-36 out of Biggs AFB, TX from 1954-1959. He told me that the jets were needed on take-off with a full bomb load. They were only used in flight to climb and to compensate for engine failures. He said he had to use the jets on one wing for landing because all 3 prop engines on that wing quit. He said the early models had a lot of engine failures, which added to the excitement.
I saw a B 52 in the middle of the skies over the ocean when I was in the Navy and I wondered what kept it up in the air. It was so freaking huge! I would imagine the same reaction if I saw a B36!
my grandpa was one of the ppl on a team to make this plane... ran on nuclear fuel. plane was huge he said road on it twice for test the benifets for being an engineer
If I remember correctly, B-58 wing spars were one piece honeycomb aluminum and fiberglass sandwich that ran through fuselage. Everytime spars needed work, plane had to be put in a jig to hold it in place. That was one of the maintenance costs that helped it to its demise along with high accident record. Although fast, Russians found firing missiles in volleys could bring it down. Same went for the B-36 when their fighters couldn't reach its altitude.
i remember seeing a bomber like this but im not sure if it had 6 propeller engines and 2 jet engines per wing is there another bomber like the one im talking about?
@ArkansasShaman I lived near Castle when they brought in the B-36 it was on 11 flat bed rail cars it took them over 3 years to put it back together I got to help in that process.
I have always thought the exact same thing! The wonders and excitement of reaching new and unprecedented heights - it all seems so computer based and bland to me now. From these guys to the Apollo program - this was such an amazing time.
The delta winged aircraft in the bomb bay is the prototype B-58 Hustler, the replacement for the B-36. I believe it was being flown to another Convair faciity for installation of the J-79 engines. They had to remove the props from #3 and 4 engines to allow the aircraft to fit.
My dad put in about 2500 hours in B-36's as aircraft commander, stationed at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, WA.When I was 3 he took me up into the cockpit of one. I still remember that after all these years!
They just put one on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. It's the City of Fort Worth and was the last one built. As far as I know it's one of 4 left on the planet.
The aircraft in the bomb bay is the prototype B-58 Hustler, the replacement for the B-36. I believe it was being flown to another Convair facility for fitment of the J-79 engines. They had to remove the props for the #3 and 4 engines to allow it to fit.
Amazing video... My father was a navigator and flight engineer for the B-36 during the S.A.C. days of the 50s. He's told me some great stories of his time in the B-36. He's taken some great photos out of his bubble window behind the cockpit!
I love the greenhouse plexi domes on the front of this craft. I've always had a fantasy of sawing the fronts off a few aircraft, different lengths, turn them up on end, cluster them and make a house out of them. I guess aluminum has a pretty miserable R-Factor, though.
B-36 first flew in 1946; B-58 a mere 10 years later. Both were designed by Convair. The very rapid evolution of aerospace technology at that ime attests to the prevailing Cold War paranoia.
not so bobilla, the B-52 was twice as fast at over 600 mph, carried twice the payload 60,000 lbs and flew nearly twice as high alt 60K ft.
When you go to Wright-Patt museum, the stat plaques are side by side as are the planes inside. The B-36 was cool, but only interim and too complicated with dismal capacities though I would have loved to have heard it taking off. The wings interrupted airflow to the blades augmenting the prop-noise
With the jets on full power, the B-36 could do 400mph+. I doubt it come have evaded the Russ fighters of its day. It is believed to have flown over 50K feet on recon missions. It could match the B-52's payload on short missions. Its 1940s avionics were deplorably primitive. While it could not refuel in air, it could stay aloft for as long as 2 days with a light payload and jets off.
The USA developed the H-bomb, despite its weighing 20 tons, because the B36 could carry it.
1 at Wright Patterson... 1 in Pima Air Station Tucson Az..I think there are 2 more some where....B 52 / B 36 Bombers the Best Bombers of All Time !!!!!
i thought all the bombs were droped by a b-29 i would of loved to here one of those up close idk what it is about props but they have something majestic about em
I agree. The first H bomb, designed and built in Cold War haste, weighed 43000lbs and was nearly the size of a classroom. Such a weapon would have been completely impractical, were it not for the size and lifting power of the B-36. The Soviet response was to build the Tu-95.
I'm not certain, but I think that's a B-58 Hustler being delivered, not tested under that 36 at the end. Note that the Hustler(?)didn't leave any room for the landing gear to fold up!
Yup it indeed looks like a B-58 airframe. Great video by the way! Unfortunately we won't be hearing the thunderous roar of those engines again... i wish someone had a B-36 clip (besides the SAC one) with original sound...
ahhhh... those were the days....
harryzain 1 week ago
Not the most-handsome aircraft ever made, but all the same, an amazing piece of awesome technology for its day .. historically most-valuable footage, thank you & congrats. PS I faintly remember a really-impressive movie made in the 50s, featuring this huge plane along the .. players included a young Harry Morgan, of M*A*S*H fame.
colindominy 3 months ago
@colindominy Strategic Air Command starring Jimmy Stewart, still a great movie with some amazing footage...
dustoff86 1 month ago
Where is this footage from? Carswell AFB in Texas or Elsworth AFB in South Dakota?
MrMKH2010 5 months ago
Boy that thing was Ug-O-Lee.
TheIntruders 6 months ago
was the 36 able to drop a convential load. are there any pics or vids
roydora 6 months ago
@roydora The B-36 was only aircraft to carry the T-12 Cloudmaker, a large conventional bomb that weighed in at 43,600 lbs
Dangerousbuzz934 1 month ago
Why wasn't it named PeaceKEEPER ?
isuckaman 7 months ago
As an aviation buff, and 25 year employee for a major int'l carrier, I've had the chance to see just 2 of the "pushers" up close. The first was in 1973 at the SAC Museum in Omaha, Nebraska and the 2nd was back in 1991 at the Air Force Museum (Wright Patterson) in Dayton, Ohio. THAT B-36 was actually housed indoors and was in wonderful condition. I've heard that those 4360 radials were extremely unreliable and that it was not uncommon to lose one or more while on a mission?
MrRonnieG 8 months ago
@MrRonnieG The only other intact B-36 of which I am aware is at Pima in Tucson...relatively recently restored. The first time I entered the Air Force Museum I looked straight up to see the tail of a B-36 overhanging the entry way ...at considerable altitude! They've since redone that facility and I hope to revisit this year.
CRsBeem 7 months ago
@CRsBeem Castle AFB in Atwater California has one.
dustoff86 1 month ago
It's a shame that there are only 4 left.
3ISAMAGICNUMBR 9 months ago
amazing airplane. Convair was great
loudness96 10 months ago
Great video Steve! The 36 out here at Castle AFB is AWESOME to see. Thanks for showing my favorite :).
Ronbo710 11 months ago
@Ronbo710 i was at castle yesterday and i wash doing the prop wash with my fellow sea cadets. we were ordered to do a trash walk and underneath the b36 i found a small panal from under the right wing. they told me to throw it away but instead they let me keep it
HuntingAirsoft 9 months ago
Great stuff all this Cold War Vid, and ...bernard240vdc..when in the Aussie Spec Forces I did freefall parachuting from 40-000 feet, and man it is cold up there!!
Quadrant14 11 months ago
@Quadrant14: when in the Aussie Spec Forces I did freefall parachuting from 40-000 feet, and man it is cold up there!!
JM: WOW! remarkable story. I've always wondered, how can jumpers possibly equalize pressure in their ears during such a rapid descent? What is your rate of descent, anyway. I've been in a military plane that had the vertical speed indicator buried at more than -4,000 feet. Of course we were pressurized with minimal discomfort, but still some discomfort.
JetMechMA 11 months ago
Great stuff all this Cold War Vid
Quadrant14 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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11weeee 1 year ago
Cracking video, thanks. Has anyone got a good photo or diagram as to where all the retractable gun turrets were placed?
KellieSmunt 1 year ago
This clip is awesome. Needs Jimmy Stewart though.
Pablo668 1 year ago
I was cheated......Missed watching the B-36 flyovers.....But I saw a bunch of KC-97 Tankers, C-124 Globmasters & C-133s
xxchinookxx 1 year ago
What was the Delta winged aircraft it carried towards the end of the segment? It looked like it was square nosed, as if the intake were there, not like the F-102/106 which the noses were conical.
cbxsage 1 year ago
@cbxsage B-58 Hustler
funtimesteve3 1 year ago
@cbxsage B-58 Hustler being ferried with the radome removed.
CRsBeem 7 months ago
@epsalonne The props were placed on the trailing edge of the wings inorder to maximize aerodynamics. This would help her get to and from Germany on one tank of gas. She was designed to carry about 85,000 lbs of bombs and had six turrent each housing two 20mm cannon in recessed bays. These turrents were retracted inside the fuselage of the ship until needed where they would pop out after their hatch covers moved out of the way. They looked like something you'd see on Star Wars.
16Echo101stID 1 year ago
@epsalonne This plane was designed during WWII with the idea that Briton would surender to the Germans. The US wouold then need a bomber to fly to Germany and back on one tank of gas. That bomber is the B-36. Fortunately it never came to that and the design slowed down until after the war when Russia acted like we be in for another big fight. The design was updated and went into production. She was America's "Big Stick" so to speak. She's really a design that's a hold over from WWII.
16Echo101stID 1 year ago
Short lived but magnificeint aircraft.
mgwilliams1000 1 year ago
cool, im goin to get a model of this plane
movieandhaloliker 1 year ago
one other feat this aircraft could accomplish that very few can do even to this day was fly from the u.s to germany drop bombs there and return to the u.s that was the reason for its design the fear at that time that England might fall to Germany the U.S could of stationned carriers close to target to have fighters accompany and help defend these while flying over Germany to this day one aircraft that can do this is the B2 Spirit and it cost in the billions
bernard240vdc 1 year ago
The ground crews at Eieilson and other bases were heroes. Having to deal with subzero weather to keep those monsters airworthy when they couldn't be hangered took the best in the business. Makes you proud to be an American and proud of the men in the armed services. They kept us safe and secure.
49bobbyk 1 year ago
No beauty, but the B-36 got the point across to the Soviets. We could reach them and destroy them.
49bobbyk 1 year ago
Great video !
0988497312 1 year ago
really cold war
lpipmp 1 year ago
This was in the days when men were men and the sheep were nervous.
It's my understanding that these long range bombers were conceived of during the time when it wasn't at all certain that we'd have England to fly our bombers from (during WWII). I cannot imagine!
Tubetopfan1 1 year ago
they used this plane as a flying commaned post or a commaned center in the cold war
cuddyman2 1 year ago
thats a HUGE bitch!
millercork 1 year ago
For all those who served and still serve our country protecting our sky and land, God speed brothers.
cjmyers505 1 year ago
@cjmyers505 yep ur right
cuddyman2 1 year ago
I took the liberty of sharing this video on Facebook. I was in Eielson AFB 89' 91', working on RC-135s, the Chief showed videos of the ol'days, including this one, to show us "how easy" we had it.
Maintaining six 28 cyl, 56 spark plug engines in -40F, plus the propellers, was hell compared to our jets...
Hats off to those guys !
PD: in our dys dogs on the flightline were strictly prohibited !
canals22 1 year ago
Great footage of this legendary bomber. I have never seen it before. Soundtrack is perfect. Thanks for all the time it must have taken you to put this together. Also, the USAF had great looking uniforms back then. Today? Not so great...
pxjanders 1 year ago
One of these landed at Tyndall AFB in 1957 when I was a kid. We had F-102As at the time. IF this giant had gone to war; it would have been suicide to be a crew member in it. The B-36 was Obsolete the day it was manufactured. The Navy was dead right there. A B-36 would have been 'SPAM in a can" to a MiG.
Greenhornet270 1 year ago
Such a beautiful aircraft. To bad there are only 4 left, plus parts and pieces in Ohio. I've seen pics of the B-58 slung underneath but not video footage. Just awesome!!
moonbeammustang 1 year ago
@moonbeammustang: 1957 B-36 HAULS BIG HITCH-HIKER on YouTube.
raynus1 1 year ago
When America truly was safe. God Bless those crews!!
Ronbo710 1 year ago
beautiful song
vitiland 1 year ago
ive never seen both jet engines and propellers powering the same aircraft at the same time time.
MetalApocalypse999 1 year ago
The B-36 Peacemaker looks as if it's an heavily modified B-29 Superfortress?
because the hull looks the same
Timmie1000 1 year ago
I got to meet the man who was in charge of the project to design this plane. He had a photo album with him an Harry Truman talking about it. Quite an impressive plane.
nomadnametab 1 year ago
Only 4 survive today.
th3sp0rk 1 year ago
to counter what joepilot48 says about these bombers slow lumbering obsolete etc i think they where mighty impressive for there time probably had a huge payload capacity maybe not that smaller than a b52 as for speed yes they where not as fast as b52s but could manage a top speed near 400mph with the jets lit that did reduce this planes respectable range however and i believe they could fly at some stratospheric altitude like close to 50,000 feet or so
bernard240vdc 1 year ago
@bernard240vdc: Agreed. The B-36 actually out-hauled the B-52 (up to 86,000lbs compared to the 52's 70,000lbs). Considering this thing first flew only a year after WWII ended, it filled a valuable 'niche' role.
raynus1 1 year ago
@bernard240vdc: and i believe they could fly at some stratospheric altitude like close to 50,000 feet or so...
JM: B-52 can go well above 50,000 feet, at less than max gross weight. And they used to. By Air Force regs, going above 50,000 ft requires the use of a pressure suit. You can't breath O2 fast enough at that altitude, without it being forced into your body under pressure. Sudden decompression above 50 would mean certain death. Costs too much to maintain pres suit system.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
@JetMechMA
The B-52 lists a max altitude of 50k feet, used to be higher, that's why they had pressure suit hook ups in them. In reality the Buff almost never goes over 45,000, they don't handle well as they approach 50,000 feet.
TheJomogogo 11 months ago
@TheJomogogo
JM: You're right. I rode along with a crew on my aircraft on a FSAGA, First Sortie After Ground Alert. We were maxed out on fuel, of course. Me and the navigator got into a conversation about the D model compared to the H model we were flying in. Just then the pilot said, "Oh yeah, can the D model do this?" At which point he proceeded to climb to 49,000 feet at our heavy gross weight. Then he let the co-pilot take it to experience how mushy it was.
JetMechMA 11 months ago
Convair B-36 Peacemaker. I find it ironic that we seem to name the biggest and baddest weapons in our arsenal with the designation of, "Peacemaker." Either it springs from the opinion that all opposing hostile entities would rather make peace with us rather than to have these monsters drop bombs across their borders OR that once they have unloaded their deadly cargo, there would be no sound, no movement, nothing but the stillness of peace and quiet to deal with. Either way, Peacemaker seems odd.
1955thekeeper 1 year ago
@1955thekeeper
With the name 'Peacemaker', for this size aircraft, I'll definately keep my peace when it is around!! Don't think the bomber as a tool of war, think of it as a tool of wars prevented. With an aircraft this size and the amount of armory it carried, our cold war buddies will think differently about attacking first, therefore, a 'Peacemaker'. My 2 cents. Have a great day my friend.
DansFFR 1 year ago
@1955thekeeper
DansFFR 1 year ago
When I was in the States in '08 I visited the Airforce Museum in Dayton, Ohio. That plane is massive. The original tyre designed for it but later scrapped is also on display. (9 ft 2 in (2.7 m) tall, 3 ft (1 m) wide, and weighing 1,320 lb (600 kg), )
That museum is the best.
cheers,
Bruce.
Australia
BJBFOREST 1 year ago
@BJBFOREST i lived not far from the base...a b36 sat outside by airwayroad for years...its now inside,,,big plane but they should have went with the yb49...they just could not get the bugs out of it,,,
animalcorvair 1 year ago
Lumbering, slow, mammoth, probably obsolete before it flew the first time. It is awesome to observe, but did it really accomplish anything. Never fired a shot in anger, but dropped some test H-bombs. No comparison to a B-52 (BUFF) or a B-58 (Hustler) . I was born in 1948 and lived through some strange times.
joepilot48 1 year ago
interesting shots of the B-36 (last piston-powered) bomber ferrying the airframe of a B-58 Mach-2 bomber!
BeechSportBill 1 year ago
This was filmed at Carswell AFB. Triangle J was the tail code of the 7th BW. Triangle U was the 11th BW. This was probably in the early 50's, before they got the white bellies.
geinman1287 2 years ago
@geinman1287: This was filmed at Carswell AFB. Triangle J was the tail code of the 7th BW. Triangle U was the 11th BW.
JM: Thanks, I was going to say that. I was with the 7th OMS on B-52's during the early '80s. There was a B-36 over by GD. Don't know if it's still there.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
Metalrod: Thanks a lot! I will go there in the summer and check it out. Regards.
billace90 2 years ago
That was a very intimidating piece of machinery. An awesome plane, does anybody know a museum that has one as part of their exhibit? Thanks.
billace90 2 years ago
@billace90 -Theres one at the Air Force museum in Dayton,Ohio.
metalrod23 2 years ago
and one at the Castle air museum at the former Castle AFB in Atwater, CA
AdmiralShat 2 years ago
Castle AFB Museum in Atwater California
BigmanJ29 1 year ago
@billace90 There is also one at the Strategic Air Command mueseum near Omaha, NE. They have an extremely impressive collection there.
duel007 1 year ago
I wish the one Pima just unveiled would be made airworthy. My Dad says you could hear and feel them before you could see them.
jpatt1000 2 years ago
my uncle used be based at Travis AFB while they were still flying bombers out of there, he said the B-36 would shake his whole house while it was taking off
AdmiralShat 2 years ago
WoW!!!! How did they use to say it? "6 turning, and 4 burning?
PatBALEX 2 years ago
great video i really enjoyed the music(score)whatever.....It was kind of emotional to me,... my grandfather was in sac...this adds great reference to the stories....thak-you
undertow11 2 years ago
I was born in 1947, so these planes were still flying a little and one came over our house when I was very young. However I'll never forget the sound that thing made. It was low enough to see the back end of the wings with all six engines. It made this low droning sound and it shook the whole house. It was cool, I remember I was dumbfounded, and so were my parents. Very cool air plane.
bigrockets 2 years ago 12
I like how each country names their tanks, planes, and other weapons of destruction, "peacemaker"...
artmak5 2 years ago
and it works
you child
mstaff657 2 years ago
@artmak5
Well, while this plane was in service, and quite possibly because it was in sevice, we had peace.... kinda simple huh?
kefri916 2 years ago
@artmak5: I like how each country names their tanks, planes, and other weapons of destruction, "peacemaker"...
JM: The B-36 lived up to it's name. It was never needed in a war. Nobody would dare start a war with us when those things were around. It kept the peace.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
And great video!!!!
guspech 2 years ago
Too bad the B-36 never went into combat. I would have loved to have seen what that bad boy would have done to some dirt bags.
guspech 2 years ago
The B-36 while having great range and a fortress of twenty millimeter cannons in powered turrets for defense was outclassed by propeller driven aircraft. In a practice run a flight of Navy F4U Corsairs 'shot down' a three plane flight of B-36's over the Gulf Of Mexico. It didn't stand a chance against a MIG-15.
essexlph 2 years ago
The canons were removed even before the plane became fully operational. This carrion-feeder was perhaps the worst airplane ever to have a lead role in Air Force operations - a testimony to the obsessions and near insanity of Curtis LeMay, a man who seemed to wish for Armageddon. I cannot understand how the facts about this miserable airscow remain generally unknown. Convair had no business making long-range bombers. They were always behind the times with impractical and expensive designs.
antimatterXXXIII 2 years ago
thank you I was born 1956 flew b52 this is a way thank you I am hubled thank you
steamjerry 2 years ago
Man. The cold war really brought out the best in America. Great bird. I think there is still one at Maxwell AFB.
thesixtiesguy 2 years ago
Great B-36 footage. Too bad no audio of those beasts. They made a sound you'd never forget. Movie Stategic Air Command, Jimmy Stewart is on the ball field and a B-36 flys over, low altitude on takeoff. Pipe that into your stereo and you'll understand what I mean!! I worked on the R-4360-63A, C-124 Globemasters. Very high maintenance engines!! 1200 hour manditory engine change. Less than 10% made it to 1200 hours. Thanks for posting
dongmo1 2 years ago
thats very interesting. thank for posting!!!
taterfamine 2 years ago
I remember C-124s at Albrook AFB. The flight path was 200 feet from the end of my high school and about 500 feet above the ground. The warmups were obvious and once full power was applied we all would hope the aircraft made it! Quite a contrast to the later C-130s.
artwleb 2 years ago
JATO packs won't work on a 400,000lb bomber! LOL
thedreamdealer 2 years ago
Whats the music from, 13 Days?
1126thmp 2 years ago
No enemy at the gates
funtimesteve3 2 years ago 3
Thank you :)
1126thmp 2 years ago
Sadly Rico8458 all except four B-36 were scrapped between c.1956 and 1961; the four of some 385 built that have survived one is in Atwater, California - a rare RB-36H (believed with gun turrets albeit retracted). I vaguely remember them flying over Los Angeles County in the early-mid 1950s, made loud sound that "had authority" like no other piston engine airplane.
RetiredInKalifornia 2 years ago
The B-36 was in active U.S.A.F. service from 1948 to 1958, the last one coming of the assembly line in 1954; 385 or so airframes were constructed, including the prototypes, B-60 & XC-99 variants. The original 1941-1942 B-36 design had twin tail similar to the Consolidated PB2Y flying boat series, it had all manned gun turrets. Hopefully in the future I'll draw full color art of the original B-36 twin-tail design as well as another eight propeller engine push-pull prop variant.
RetiredInKalifornia 2 years ago
This was a beast of a plane and only had a short life in SAC (like three years?).
My questions: Were the jets on the wing tips merely for take-off assist? Or were they also used during flight for propulsion?
Revelation181 2 years ago
I believe it served for a decade, and was finally phased out by 1959.
The jets purpose was twofold:
1.) Additional thrust for take-off.
2.) To boost over-target speed.
If I'm not mistaken, the jets burned gasoline rather than jet fuel.
They were shut down in cruise (to save fuel), utilizing shutters that covered the inlets to prevent them from free-wheeling.
raynus1 2 years ago
Yes, the four General Electric J47 turbojets were adjusted to burn aviation fuel and generally were used for takeoffs and during final bombing practice runs. B-36s could fly "OK" with four engines but often it was because the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines would fail in flight rather than for saving on fuel; is bit hard maintaining speed & altitude even with a modest bomb load in one of these behemoths, so was told by an old B-36 crewman.
RetiredInKalifornia 2 years ago
I imagine it was indeed.
Yes, I know they were highly susceptible to engine fires due to carburetor icing. The lack of available heat due to the pusher configuration only exacerbated the situation. The wreckage of one lies in N. BC, Canada, after the crew abandoned ship and the aircraft collided with rising terrain. Apparently, it was a 'broken arrow' flight, and there has been some controversy over the H-bomb that was being carried (dumped at sea). Carb icing/fire was apparently the culprit.
raynus1 2 years ago
Do they exist in today?
mojame100 2 years ago
Several exist in museums and there are a couple of wrecks up here in Canada.
They haven't flown for 50 years.
raynus1 2 years ago
Speed bursts to awoid fighters. In fact the best defence these bombers had were high manouvreability at extreme heights. They actually outmanouvred contemporary fighters at these heights.
ml191172 2 years ago
My dad flew the B-36 out of Biggs AFB, TX from 1954-1959. He told me that the jets were needed on take-off with a full bomb load. They were only used in flight to climb and to compensate for engine failures. He said he had to use the jets on one wing for landing because all 3 prop engines on that wing quit. He said the early models had a lot of engine failures, which added to the excitement.
neighbordavid 2 years ago
I saw a B 52 in the middle of the skies over the ocean when I was in the Navy and I wondered what kept it up in the air. It was so freaking huge! I would imagine the same reaction if I saw a B36!
verbusen 2 years ago
my grandpa was one of the ppl on a team to make this plane... ran on nuclear fuel. plane was huge he said road on it twice for test the benifets for being an engineer
McGuffin56 2 years ago
What was it carrying right at the end? It looked like the drone that was meant to be carried by the SR71. I think it was called the D21.
andrebrannan1953 2 years ago
B-58 Hustler prototype. Inboard propellers were removed and they flew leg with landing gear extended.
speedskiff2 2 years ago
Thank you.
andrebrannan1953 2 years ago
If I remember correctly, B-58 wing spars were one piece honeycomb aluminum and fiberglass sandwich that ran through fuselage. Everytime spars needed work, plane had to be put in a jig to hold it in place. That was one of the maintenance costs that helped it to its demise along with high accident record. Although fast, Russians found firing missiles in volleys could bring it down. Same went for the B-36 when their fighters couldn't reach its altitude.
speedskiff2 2 years ago
music?
knollik 2 years ago
i remember seeing a bomber like this but im not sure if it had 6 propeller engines and 2 jet engines per wing is there another bomber like the one im talking about?
butterflyXknife 2 years ago
There's one at the SAC Museum in Omaha, and one at Castle AFB, California
ArkansasShaman 2 years ago 5
really
thetrainguru 2 years ago
There is another at NMUSAF, too.
YoungJim409 2 years ago
Castle AFB in mid-California (Atwater) has an RB-36 on the open grounds with a Rascal missile.
artwleb 2 years ago
@ArkansasShaman
Don't forget the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio
den220 1 year ago
@ArkansasShaman I saw the one in Omaha. Great museum.
canals22 1 year ago
@ArkansasShaman I lived near Castle when they brought in the B-36 it was on 11 flat bed rail cars it took them over 3 years to put it back together I got to help in that process.
sledback1 1 year ago
In My Opinion it's the best and largest Bomber and my favourite.But thats my Opinion
crysis888 2 years ago
almost breathtaking the biggest bomber in the world
Destruction13131313 2 years ago
very dramatic whats the name of the song playing
limitlessracer 2 years ago
Excellent video-- I liked it -- 6 turning and 4 burning hummers
sr633 2 years ago
I Just ordered a 1/72 scale model kit of this monster.
It's gonna be huge... :-)
A very nice video, but unfortunatelly the sound of the engines is missing....
zigeunerjack 2 years ago 2
Unfortunately the footage was from a documentary so nothing i can do about that im afraid
funtimesteve3 2 years ago
@zigeunerjack building the monogram 1/72 rb-36 right now. It's a monster alright
NikitasGuitars 1 year ago
@zigeunerjack It was from Revell?Monogram right? cause I have it and am going to build it! =)
flightdeckreviews 1 year ago
@zigeunerjack Make sure that the Sans guns can be doployed in your model.
sledback1 1 year ago
One of these dude's are on static display about 20 miles south of here. It seems like the USAF version of a Navy's LST. A Large, Slow Target.
74norton850 2 years ago
Great aircraft. Sometimes I wish that I had been born in the 40's so that I could have lived through the Air Force of the 50's.
oisiaa 2 years ago
I have always thought the exact same thing! The wonders and excitement of reaching new and unprecedented heights - it all seems so computer based and bland to me now. From these guys to the Apollo program - this was such an amazing time.
rickrudd 2 years ago
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nakedleader 2 years ago
The delta winged aircraft in the bomb bay is the prototype B-58 Hustler, the replacement for the B-36. I believe it was being flown to another Convair faciity for installation of the J-79 engines. They had to remove the props from #3 and 4 engines to allow the aircraft to fit.
nakedleader 2 years ago
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nakedleader 2 years ago
My dad put in about 2500 hours in B-36's as aircraft commander, stationed at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, WA.When I was 3 he took me up into the cockpit of one. I still remember that after all these years!
Dyonisos2007 2 years ago 3
That is so cool. I envy you. Sure wish there was a few still flying.
picguy145 2 years ago
There's a few in museums, correct? We still have those.
iloverush123 2 years ago
yeah theres like 5 or 6 still in museums.
limitlessracer 2 years ago
They just put one on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. It's the City of Fort Worth and was the last one built. As far as I know it's one of 4 left on the planet.
m0ondoggy 2 years ago
just looked it up 4 and a half to be exact. lol
limitlessracer 2 years ago
Where's the half?
m0ondoggy 2 years ago
It was converted into a prototype cargo plane it doesnt fly anymore either
limitlessracer 2 years ago
what was the delta wing aircraft in the bomb bay ? a test bed or a really big stand off nuke?
gibsondrummer 2 years ago
Comment removed
Dyonisos2007 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
The aircraft in the bomb bay is the prototype B-58 Hustler, the replacement for the B-36. I believe it was being flown to another Convair facility for fitment of the J-79 engines. They had to remove the props for the #3 and 4 engines to allow it to fit.
nakedleader 2 years ago
ooo u must of flown one or something
bobilla223 2 years ago
Amazing video... My father was a navigator and flight engineer for the B-36 during the S.A.C. days of the 50s. He's told me some great stories of his time in the B-36. He's taken some great photos out of his bubble window behind the cockpit!
Danwards07 2 years ago
I love the greenhouse plexi domes on the front of this craft. I've always had a fantasy of sawing the fronts off a few aircraft, different lengths, turn them up on end, cluster them and make a house out of them. I guess aluminum has a pretty miserable R-Factor, though.
satweavers 2 years ago
oh ya i forgot that B36 Bomber is a long pipe with wings and a tail on it ;)!
moogleye 2 years ago
man one of'em crashed Near happy Valley Goose Bay They look soo awesome!
moogleye 2 years ago
@moogleye: man one of'em crashed Near happy Valley Goose Bay They look soo awesome!
JM: One also crashed into Lake Worth there at Carswell in Fort Worth Texas. Right off the end of the runway. They say it's still in there.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
What is the payload slung under the 36 in the last shot? It's huge! Some sort of cruise missile prototype?
satweavers 2 years ago
A B-58 Hustler without engines.
jimw1591 2 years ago
B-36 first flew in 1946; B-58 a mere 10 years later. Both were designed by Convair. The very rapid evolution of aerospace technology at that ime attests to the prevailing Cold War paranoia.
alnot01 2 years ago
Are those payload assist rockets on the wings at 2.32
Evilscotsman1238 2 years ago
no those are actually jet engines! The thing had, on most models, 6 props and 4 jets!
grooveclubhouse 2 years ago
u know b-36s are allmost as fast as a b-52s bout 100 miles an hour slower
bobilla223 3 years ago
not so bobilla, the B-52 was twice as fast at over 600 mph, carried twice the payload 60,000 lbs and flew nearly twice as high alt 60K ft.
When you go to Wright-Patt museum, the stat plaques are side by side as are the planes inside. The B-36 was cool, but only interim and too complicated with dismal capacities though I would have loved to have heard it taking off. The wings interrupted airflow to the blades augmenting the prop-noise
analyzt 2 years ago
With the jets on full power, the B-36 could do 400mph+. I doubt it come have evaded the Russ fighters of its day. It is believed to have flown over 50K feet on recon missions. It could match the B-52's payload on short missions. Its 1940s avionics were deplorably primitive. While it could not refuel in air, it could stay aloft for as long as 2 days with a light payload and jets off.
The USA developed the H-bomb, despite its weighing 20 tons, because the B36 could carry it.
alnot01 2 years ago
@alnot01: While it could not refuel in air, it could stay aloft for as long as 2 days...
JM: 2 days...or 10,000 miles, whichever came first. ;)
JetMechMA 1 year ago
Where are the remaining B 36 ??
1 at Wright Patterson... 1 in Pima Air Station Tucson Az..I think there are 2 more some where....B 52 / B 36 Bombers the Best Bombers of All Time !!!!!
davethomas4061 3 years ago
there's one at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Omaha, Nebraska
folkerburgle08 2 years ago
@davethomas4061: Where are the remaining B 36 ??
1 at Wright Patterson... 1 in Pima Air Station Tucson Az..I think there are 2 more some where....
JM: One right there at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, TX near the General Dynamics factory museum, just outside the base fence.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
i thought all the bombs were droped by a b-29 i would of loved to here one of those up close idk what it is about props but they have something majestic about em
bobilla223 3 years ago
i cant believe this thing dwarfs the b29 lol
xXMxExGxAxDxExTxHXx 3 years ago
the plane under the 36 looks like a teat airframe for the B-58
stuckcarlover 3 years ago
This clip had a test where they used an F84 underneath the B36 that could be released to fight enemy fighters then reattach.
osgood54 3 years ago
everyone's favorite bomber!
battechno 3 years ago
its shocking when you think of what these awesome planes could have dropped
uggla03 3 years ago
I agree. The first H bomb, designed and built in Cold War haste, weighed 43000lbs and was nearly the size of a classroom. Such a weapon would have been completely impractical, were it not for the size and lifting power of the B-36. The Soviet response was to build the Tu-95.
alnot01 3 years ago
What vehicle is being tested below the B-36 at the end of the video?
blaoshi 3 years ago
I'm not certain, but I think that's a B-58 Hustler being delivered, not tested under that 36 at the end. Note that the Hustler(?)didn't leave any room for the landing gear to fold up!
cowellwannabe71 3 years ago
Yup it indeed looks like a B-58 airframe. Great video by the way! Unfortunately we won't be hearing the thunderous roar of those engines again... i wish someone had a B-36 clip (besides the SAC one) with original sound...
e633xx 3 years ago
Its a Convair.
jfunnyguy 3 years ago