[Cobrabill]

I couldn't find the recent topic where it was mentioned,so here we go:

[Old Man Taylor]

I noticed a Pregnant Guppy in the background. Were those at Davis Monthan AFB?

[Jim Hand]

Bill,
I was stationed in Ft Bliss, Texas from 1953 to early 1955. Ft Bliss is adjacent to Biggs AF Base east of El Paso, and just to the SW of Biggs. A group of B-36's flew in and out of Biggs - I believe there was a Wing permanently based there at the time. The take-off/landing path was often directly over Ft. Bliss. When a B-36 was landing, there was no question that it had arrived. But when one took off over Ft Bliss, all conversation stopped because everything around was shaking and rattling! It was the noisiest airplane I have heard - they used all six propeller engines as well as the jets at full throttle to take off.

I never got to see one up close but they were beautiful in the air. Mary and I lived off base at the foot of and immediately south of the mountain (North Franklin Mountain) located north of El Paso and west of Biggs/Ft Bliss. The B-36's had to fly low over the mountain on their approach to Biggs. Unfortunately, one cloudy and stormy morning, one flew too low and hit the mountain top. Of course, the crew was killed and the plane was completely destroyed and burned as it tumbled down the mountain. We could see the crash site from our home - a horrible big black area on the rocks and scrub trees. The cause was never publicly disclosed. But many times I thought of that crash - an object as big as the B-36 probably traveling at 150-200 MPH flying straight into the almost vertical rock face of the mountain - it was an immediate and complete total destruction of the plane and crew!

But that airplane did the job they were designed for - to maintain the ability to destroy any country that would be foolish enough to start another war! Thanks for posting those beautiful photos of an imposing and successful plane.

Jim Hand

[hurryinhoosier62]

B-36D......six(R-4360s) turnin', 4 (J47s) burnin'!!

[Cobrabill]

Originally Posted by Old Man Taylor

I noticed a Pregnant Guppy in the background. Were those at Davis Monthan AFB?

Pima Air & Space museum...acrosss the street from DM
http://www.pimaair.org/

Originally Posted by Jim Hand

Bill,
I was stationed in Ft Bliss, Texas from 1953 to early 1955. Ft Bliss is adjacent to Biggs AF Base east of El Paso, and just to the SW of Biggs. A group of B-36's flew in and out of Biggs - I believe there was a Wing permanently based there at the time. The take-off/landing path was often directly over Ft. Bliss. When a B-36 was landing, there was no question that it had arrived. But when one took off over Ft Bliss, all conversation stopped because everything around was shaking and rattling! It was the noisiest airplane I have heard - they used all six propeller engines as well as the jets at full throttle to take off.

I never got to see one up close but they were beautiful in the air. Mary and I lived off base at the foot of and immediately south of the mountain (North Franklin Mountain) located north of El Paso and west of Biggs/Ft Bliss. The B-36's had to fly low over the mountain on their approach to Biggs. Unfortunately, one cloudy and stormy morning, one flew too low and hit the mountain top. Of course, the crew was killed and the plane was completely destroyed and burned as it tumbled down the mountain. We could see the crash site from our home - a horrible big black area on the rocks and scrub trees. The cause was never publicly disclosed. But many times I thought of that crash - an object as big as the B-36 probably traveling at 150-200 MPH flying straight into the almost vertical rock face of the mountain - it was an immediate and complete total destruction of the plane and crew!

But that airplane did the job they were designed for - to maintain the ability to destroy any country that would be foolish enough to start another war! Thanks for posting those beautiful photos of an imposing and successful plane.

Jim Hand

Jim,something i didn't know about them,is that the jets were designed ONLY to help them evacuate the drop area after they released their nuclear device.Later on,they discovered"Hey...these things help on take-off too".THe doors on the front of the nacelles were there to prevent "windmilling" which would damage the compressors & hurt fuel consumption.

[Old Man Taylor]

That looks like a great museum. I will haved to make it a point to visit it some day.

[67blackcherry]

Originally Posted by Old Man Taylor

That looks like a great museum. I will haved to make it a point to visit it some day.

It's an amazing museum - you won't be disappointed.
I was there in '07, and they had just started the restoration of the B-36....amazing job.

[george kujanski]

Yep, that's a cool place. gone thru it several times....time for another visit!

george

[MikeNoun]

The B-36 bomb bay was huge. They also anticipated the B-36 carrying its own fighter escort in the form of the XF-85 Goblin. It would lower on a trapeze, then f=go fight off some Mig's (or at least try to), then return to the mother bomber hook up to the trapeze, and be pulled back inside. While they never tried this with the B-36, they tested the concept with a B-29. The pilots had great difficulty getting the Goblin positioned under a bomber, especially in the bombers propwash. The project was not successful.

This pic is from the USAF Museum in Dayton, circa 1970, when the Goblin and the B-36 still sat outside.

[MikeNoun]

The USAF Museum's RB-36 takes up a huge part of one of their massive hangars. That's a B-58 tail on the left.



Here's the Boston Camera used in the RB-36, a 6,500 lb camera that shot pictures with negatives that were 18" x 36".



I always loved this pic of a B-36 dwarfing a B-29.



The ridiculous XC-99, which was a B-36 with a fuselage about two times the height of the B-36. Hard to believe this thing got off the ground without jet assist, and it flew many missions. The USAF has the XC-99 now, and is starting a restoration (it's currently in pieces).

[Old Man Taylor]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

The B-36 bomb bay was huge. They also anticipated the B-36 carrying its own fighter escort in the form of the XF-85 Goblin. It would lower on a trapeze, then f=go fight off some Mig's (or at least try to), then return to the mother bomber hook up to the trapeze, and be pulled back inside. While they never tried this with the B-36, they tested the concept with a B-29. The pilots had great difficulty getting the Goblin positioned under a bomber, especially in the bombers propwash. The project was not successful.

This pic is from the USAF Museum in Dayton, circa 1970, when the Goblin and the B-36 still sat outside.

I saw the Goblin with a B-29 at an Air National Guard air show at the Van Nuys airport sometime around 1954-1955. At the time I only lived about 6 blocks from there. I always loved airplanes, but I gave up the idea of being a pilot when I found that I had a very bad case of motion sickness. Fortunately I found out the year before I planned on goign to the Air Force Academy. If I remember correctly that (1958) would have been the second year of the Academy after it located to Colorado Springs.

[6x400gmc]

Here's a vid of the girl flying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruE8yhkHke8

Britt

[David Jones]

How does the B-36 compare size wise with a B-52?

[hurryinhoosier62]

"Strategic Air Command", one of my favorite movies!!

[MikeNoun]

The B-36 and B-52 had nearly identical lengths, but the straight wing of the B-36 made for a much larger wingspan.

B-52 wingspan : 185 ft
B-36 wingspan : 230 ft

The downside was that the B-36 was slow, and therefore vulnerable to attack, so one of the ideas was to have the little XF-85 Goblin inside a few of the B-36's within a formation to thwart off Mig attacks. Thankfully, that never panned out. The sight of seeing a few of these little Goblins chasing Mig's would not have been a pretty sight.

Here's a great photo showing the 3 main bombers of the era: B-58, B-52, and B-36.

[Captainofiron]

awesome pictures, I love vintage aircraft and pictures, when I was younger, every so often we would visit the confederate air force museum, it was awesome.

[Jim Hand]

I found more details on the B-36 crash at El Paso in 1953. I had thought it flew straight into the mountain but apparently it was circling and hit it at an angle. And it was one of the few times it snowed in El Paso and that caused general confusion that led to the crash!

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/B...071_Crash.html

Jim Hand

[66Post]

I remember a B-36 at Carswell AFB Ft Worth back in the 70's. believe the CAF wanted to fly it out and add it to their collection. Anyone known what ever happened to it?

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by Jim Hand

I found more details on the B-36 crash at El Paso in 1953. I had thought it flew straight into the mountain but apparently it was circling and hit it at an angle. And it was one of the few times it snowed in El Paso and that caused general confusion that led to the crash!

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/B...071_Crash.html


Jim Hand

Jim, Thanks for the link. I asked my Dad what he could tell me about B-36's & he eventually brought up a crash too. Dad was stationed at Laughlin from '53-mid '55.