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It came and went before I was born, but I have read up about it. Typical of Convair, it was nothing if not innovative. The main recip engines were installed as pushers, which was "backwards" from what the engine builder expected, among other things, this put the carbs out front where they were prone to icing.
What I would like to know, is if it was capable of carrying just one or two of the big Mk-17 TN bombs? I have read accounts of it holding 2, and of the bomb bay having to be modified to carry even one. Pretty clear the B-36 is the only plane that could carry the Mk-17, but how many?
My wife's first boss (when I first met her) was a B-36 crewmember. He flew at Fair___ AFB, either Fairchild or Fairfield, what is now Travis (it had Fair in the name). He said it was a real beast, rumbled a lot. He used to joke about "6 turning and 4 burning", referring to the 6 piston and 4 jet engines. When he converted to a newer all-jet aircraft, the B-47, he was much happier.
The size of that aircraft was exceptional for the day. The display at the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB is impressive.
Last edited by SluggoF16; 02-11-2015 at 05:48 PM..
In a Naval Academy "Book of Wardroom Songs", there's a song about the B-36. The song mentions various features of the plane, and each verse end with the line, "But it only drops one - teeny, weeny, bomb,"
There are 4 complete B-36s, 1 cargo version, and one partial B-36 airframe left.
The Air Force Museum in Dayton OH has 1, the SAC museum between Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska has 1, Castle Air Force base in CA has 1, and the Pima Air Museum in Tucson AZ has 1.
The sole XC-99 is spread out between Wright Patterson AFB and Davis Mothan AFB. The partial airframe is with a private collection in Ohio.
Six turning and four burning. That was quite an airplane. An intercontinental bomber and a transition from the reciprocating to the jet era. I have actually seen one up close and personal in the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and at the Strategic Air Command Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Big and wonderful........
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