Stunning B-36 In-Flight Views

[bergmen]

This is from the James Stewart movie "Strategic Air Command". I think the in-flight photography is amazing (photographed by Frank Tallman or Paul Mantz I believe):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1-urTRxeEM

Enjoy!

Dan

 

[Killroy1999]

"six turnin' and four burnin' "


Vid looks good. It seemed like it took a while for the rear wheels to lift off while the fronts were already in the air. Perhaps that's normal for that plan.

 

[dravnx]

I was in SAC. Watching that movie and Dr. Strangeglove was mandatory.

 

[bikewanker]

I watched "Strategic Air Command" a few days ago. Wanted to see the B-36 and the movie delivers. As a kid I looked up every time a TWA Constellation flew over but the only bombers I remember seeing were B-52s and occasionally B-2s. I rarely see showings of Dr. Strangeglove but am probably due.

 

[bergmen]

I grew up in SoCal in the 50s (1949-1958). All of the aircraft companies were buzzing along (Convair, Lockheed, Douglas, North American, etc.). Even though the B-36 was built in Ft. Worth, there were several flying in the area since Convair was HQ'd in San Diego and there were experimental and developmental test flights out of that facility. Even as a kid I remember the unique drone of those six engines, hearing them in Strategic Air Command really brought back the memories.

Dan

 

[bobl]

I had forgotten about JATO bottles on the outside of the wings. Jet Assisted Take Off, to get the beast off the ground. It looked like a long time between rotation and lift off.

 

[Johndicezx9]

Jimmy Stewart was a combat pilot in the 8th Air Force, so he had the cred! :thumbup

 

[bikewanker]

I had forgotten about JATO bottles on the outside of the wings. Jet Assisted Take Off, to get the beast off the ground. It looked like a long time between rotation and lift off.

I watched several C-5 Galaxy and B-52 take offs and thought they needed my encouragement!

 

[bergmen]

Jimmy Stewart was a combat pilot in the 8th Air Force, so he had the cred! :thumbup

Jimmy Stewart approached General Curtis LeMay (head of SAC at the time) in 1952 and suggested making the movie "Strategic Air Command". LeMay agreed and cooperated with the production which premiered in 1955.

He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve and retired in 1968 as a Brigadier General. He was appointed Deputy Director of SAC in the late 50s while in the reserve.

I have the movie on DVD, maybe I'll watch it again today...

Dan

 

[CDONA]

I think it was a 36 crash that renamed Fairfield/Suisun Army Air Base after Col. Travis.

 

[bergmen]

I think it was a 36 crash that renamed Fairfield/Suisun Army Air Base after Col. Travis.

It was actually a B-29 that crashed in 1950 with Brigadier General Travis on board along with 11 other crew members and passengers on the plane.

Dan

 

[CDONA]

My memory is losing some of the finer points, but still carry a kernel of fact.

That old man yelling at clouds, may be me, , ,

 

[Johndicezx9]

Jimmy Stewart approached General Curtis LeMay (head of SAC at the time) in 1952 and suggested making the movie "Strategic Air Command". LeMay agreed and cooperated with the production which premiered in 1955.

He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve and retired in 1968 as a Brigadier General. He was appointed Deputy Director of SAC in the late 50s while in the reserve.

I have the movie on DVD, maybe I'll watch it again today...

Dan

:thumbup

I lucky enough to meet him and shake his hand at the Doolittle Raiders reunion I attended.

 

[bergmen]

:thumbup

I lucky enough to meet him and shake his hand at the Doolittle Raiders reunion I attended.

Wow, what an honor! He visited Santa Rosa a few times (Pacific Coast Air Museum I believe) but I did not find out about it until after the fact. Dang!

Dan

 

[brichter]

They have one of these on display at Castle Air Museum, truly a massive aircraft. Longer and larger wingspan than the B52... :wow

 

[Eldritch]

Man, that is a butt ugly flying semi-truck. Pusher planes always freak me out for some reason. Cool video of that weird behemoth taking flight though.

 

[SFMCjohn]

This is from the James Stewart movie "Strategic Air Command". I think the in-flight photography is amazing (photographed by Frank Tallman or Paul Mantz I believe):

Enjoy!

Dan

thanks for the vid! :thumbup

think this is the piston engine?:

The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major is an American 28-cylinder four-row radial piston aircraft engine designed and built during World War II, and the largest-displacement aviation piston engine to be mass-produced in the United States.

Owing in large part to the maintenance requirements of the R-4360, all airplanes equipped with it were hugely expensive to operate ...

arty

 

[bergmen]

Yep, that's it. 56 spark plugs and since the B-36 required 145 octane fuel these became lead fouled and had to be replaced during maintenance (336 spark plugs).

In the B-36 installation the carburetors were prone to icing up since they were in front and not bathed by engine heat (as they were in a tractor mounting with prop in front).

Produced from 1944 to 1955, there were 18,697 built.

Dan

 

[bergmen]

This engine (P&W R-4360 Wasp Major) was experimentally installed in some fighter aircraft towards the end of WWII, one of them being the Super Corsair.

 

[SFMCjohn]

This engine (P&W R-4360 Wasp Major) was experimentally installed in some fighter aircraft towards the end of WWII, one of them being the Super Corsair.

:thumbup

would love to see/hear a Super Corsair someday ... got to see a Hellcat flying at Beale AFB in 2018, with the P&W 18 cyl radial, along side a P-51, which was fun ... need to get to more air shows. :laughing