B-58 Hustler | The First Operational Mach 2 Bomber Made By Convair | Upscaled Footage

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first Mach 2 operational bomber.
The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC). To achieve the high speeds desired, Convair chose a delta wing design used by contemporary interceptors such as the Convair F-102. The bomber was powered by four General Electric J79 engines in underwing pods. It had no bomb bay: it carried a single nuclear weapon plus fuel in a combination bomb/fuel pod underneath the fuselage. Later, four external hardpoints were added, enabling it to carry up to five weapons.
The B-58 entered service in March 1960, and flew for a decade with two SAC bomb wings: the 43rd Bombardment Wing and the 305th Bombardment Wing. It was considered difficult to fly, imposing a high workload upon its three-man crews. Designed to replace the subsonic Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber, the B-58 became notorious for its sonic boom heard on the ground by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.
The B-58 was designed to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet interceptors, but with the Soviet introduction of high-altitude surface-to-air missiles, the B-58 was forced to adopt a low-level-penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value. It was never used to deliver conventional bombs. The B-58 was substantially more expensive to operate than other bombers, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and required more frequent aerial refueling. The B-58 also suffered from a high rate of accidental losses. These factors resulted in a relatively brief operational career of ten years. The B-58 was succeeded in its role by the smaller, swing-wing FB-111A.
The genesis of the B-58 was the Generalized Bomber Study (GEBO II) issued in February 1949 by the Air Research and Development Command (ARDC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, for the development of a supersonic, long-range, manned bomber aircraft. ARDC sought the best attainable quantitative data, challenging the industry to devise their own solutions to attain the stated goal. Work on the proposed bomber's design was to begin less than two years after sustained supersonic flight had been achieved. According to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, while some military officials were keenly interested in the prospective use of supersonic bombers, others held doubts about the propulsion systems and materials science required for supersonic operations, as well as the much higher fuel consumption relative to subsonic counterparts.
Despite the skepticism, multiple contractors submitted bids for GEBO II, which was viewed as an influential step towards a development contract. These included Boeing, Convair, Curtiss, Douglas, Martin and North American Aviation. The majority of submissions were relatively straightforward, unambitious, and expensive. Convair, which had built the XF-92A and other delta-wing fighters, evaluated swept and semi-delta configurations, then settled on the delta wing, which offered good internal volume for support systems and fuel. It also provided low wing loading for the airframe size, permitting supersonic flight in the mid-stratosphere at 50,000 to 70,000 ft (15,000 to 21,000 m). Most of the configurations studied mated the delta wing to a relatively slender fuselage housing a crew of two and powered by a pair of jet engines.
General characteristics
Crew: Three
Length: 96 ft 10 in (29.51 m)
Wingspan: 56 ft 9 in (17.30 m)
Height: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
Wing area: 1,542 sq ft (143.3 m2)
Aspect ratio: 2.09
Airfoil: root: NACA 0003.46; tip: NACA 0004.08
Empty weight: 55,560 lb (25,202 kg)
Gross weight: 67,871 lb (30,786 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 176,890 lb (80,236 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: CD0.0068
Frontal area: 10.49 sq ft (0.975 m2)
Powerplant: 4 × General Electric J79-GE-5A afterburning turbojet, 10,400 lbf (46 kN) thrust each dry, 15,000 lbf (67 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,146 kn (1,319 mph, 2,122 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.0
Cruise speed: 530 kn (610 mph, 980 km/h)
Range: 4,100 nmi (4,700 mi, 7,600 km)
Combat range: 1,740 nmi (2,000 mi, 3,220 km)
Service ceiling: 63,400 ft (19,300 m)
Rate of climb: 17,400 ft/min (88 m/s) at gross weight
Lift-to-drag: 11.3 (subsonic, "clean configuration")
Wing loading: 44 lb/sq ft (210 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.919
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm T171 cannon
Bombs: 1× Mark 39 or B53 or 4× B43 or B61 nuclear bombs; maximum weapons load was 19,450 pounds (8,820 kg)
Avionics
AN/APB-2 Bombing radar
AN/APN-110 Doppler navigational radar (part of Sperry AN/ASQ-42 Navigation & Bombing System)
AN/APN-170 Terrain-following radar
AN/APR-12 Radar warning receiver
Hughes Aircraft AN/APQ-69 podded Side looking airborne radar (mounted on RB-58A)
Goodyear AN/APS-73 podded synthetic aperture radar (mounted on RB-58A)
#hustler #aircraft #b58

[@Dronescapes]

Click the link to watch more aircraft, heroes and their stories, missions: www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes

[@dougball328]

In response to the comment about the B-58 fuselage looking like the X-15 you asked in what way? I replied, I don't see it (either) I thought we were on the same page but clearly that was an incorrect assumption.

[@hertzair1186]

Deutschendorf

[@laserdad]

I'm not sure how these old military films make their way to KZbin, but I'm glad someone was able to do it.

[@mpoyart]

In my opinion the best documentary on B-58 Hustler ever.

[@rickstevens1479]

The Capt of the record breaking plane was Duchendorf . That's John Denver's father ...

[@lonniemcclure4538]

I remember this plane mostly from the 1964 film "Fail Safe".

[@covertcounsellor6797]

@@mr.sharktoothIt was a great movie wasn’t it? Early roles for Larry Hagman and Don DeLuise as well.

[@Dronescapes]

👍

[@JimAllen-Persona]

Funny, that was my first thought too. But the interior shots of the Vindicators didn't make sense. Nasty ass bird though... have to appreciate it.

[@alext8828]

@@covertcounsellor6797 Dom DeLuise started the whole thing when he installed that shabby Chinese component that was feeding erroneous info to the main board. He started trouble in all his movies. I don't know why they always hired him. He was a menace.

[@covertcounsellor6797]

@@alext8828 Agreed! And he didn’t see the humour in Comicus’s routine in History of the World Part 1 ! *Harrumph!*

[@marcusott2973]

Without the big pod it looks like it's on stilts on the ground. One of the most beautiful planes ever built.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@NeroontheGoon]

Indeed!

[@shenmisheshou7002]

The reality is that the gear was long because the B-58 didn't have an internal bomb bay. The pod was the solution to give the B-58 the range and the bomb was build into the pod along with the fuel tank, so when the target was reached, the entire pod was dropped and the B-58 made the return on internal fuel. The reality is that in actual operation, the B-58 would always be carrying the pod because the bomb and fuel were both in the pod. For testing and ferry flights the pod might not be on the AC, but in operational status, there was always a pod on the AC.

[@NeroontheGoon]

@@shenmisheshou7002 Actually, there was the inner (weapons pod) and outer (fuel pod) that made up the actual hootendicky that hung between the gear of the -58. Ingress fuel was used exclusively out of the external pod until the sprint stage of the weapons delivery began. The outer pod was discarded now leaving the smaller weapons bearing pod and the -58 went full afterburner until the pod toss parameters were met. The -58 executed +3.5 G pull, released the pod at the appropriate parameters, finished it Immelmann turn, and hopefully egressed escaping a thermonuclear shit show! Then there were beers and bullshit at the O club as clouds of nuclear detritus rained down all over the Northern Hemisphere, quite civilized actually… The two existing pods I’ve seen are located at Wright Patterson Air Force museum and at the Pima Air museum south of Tucson AZ. For you mechanical neophytes out there, the B-58’s main landing gear tires were pressurized to 440 psi using nitrogen. As an aircraft mechanic myself, that scares the living shit out of me! There were eight tires per bogie, each set of two in tandem for eight total per bogie.

[@Jimmyjackfruit]

It inspired the creation of Doritos 😂

[@glenwoodriverresidentsgrou136]

I worked at GD Ft. Worth in 1975 on the F-16 and all the old timers would talk about during coffee breaks was the B-58. It inspired engineers at GD for a generation.

[@videomaniac108]

I remember hearing sonic booms on occasion in 1963 or 1964 as a kid in grade school in Chicago, as I later learned that SAC had used the city of Chicago as a test target for its newly operational B-58s.

[@Dan.d649]

The most amazing airplane ever built. This was the "stepping stone" to a high-speed development, that probably saw future supersonic designs come after this. A truly great airplane this was.

[@hellbilly6532]

The B-58 in my humble opinion is the sexiest aircraft ever built

[@gort8203]

Amen.

[@MrBarstow]

She is a beauty, but the F22 holds that title in my heart.

[@stephenfinney5785]

I've made almost the exact comment. The Hustler is a sexy plane.

[@oliverlarsen6768]

I still have a pin on the F-15, especially the "Strike Eagle" such a beauty and raw firepower in one package.

[@oliverlarsen6768]

I still have a pin on the F-15, especially the "Strike Eagle" such a beauty and raw firepower in one package.

[@whirledpeas3477]

Convair had so many technical achievements. I never noticed how big and tall the vertical stabilizer was on the B-58

[@thomasmiller5502]

Served at K. I. Sawyer AFB 64 - 68. We had many B-58s land with Maint. Problems. A C-123 (Hustler’s mother) would arrive the next day with parts and main folks. The noise of 4 afterburners will get your attention.

[@moodiblues2]

I always admired this beautiful airplane and couldn’t figure why they would ditch it for the B52. When I was a kid, it was the 58 I wanted to fly. But now I realize what a terrific bomber the B52 still is long after the B58 only exists in museums.

[@jdmmike7225]

Yeah it's hard to beat the amount of ordinance per pound of fuel you get with the BUFF. But you are right, not many bombers can compete with the Hustler in terms of beauty. It's just so badass looking, especially because I love delta winged aircraft. I have an awesome framed poster of a B-58 Hustler in flight & flanked on each side by F-106A Delta Dart's that was taken in the early 60's. It's one of my favorite after all the F4U Corsair material and media I have 🤙

[@moodiblues2]

@@jdmmike7225 I loved the F104 Star fighter, which looks like a rocket with small wings on it like an after thought. Fast as hell and dangerous for pilots. I lived for a couple of years as a rug rat, on a SAC base in the mid 50s and loved watching the great, huge, and mammoth bombers like B36 and B47. It was just before the B57 and the big ugly fat f’cker.

[@armstronglance]

My Dad flew the B58 after flying the B47. Then his SAC wing transitioned to the B52. He said they had all kinds issues with the B58. Same with the B47, (the widow maker) which he had to bail out of once. His SAC years with the 52 were ok. His last years with SAC were spent flying the chrome dome missions out of Minot AFB.

[@jdmmike7225]

@@armstronglance It still blows my mind that we had 52's on constant over flight for years on end. Just the logistics of such an undertaking are insane let alone the actual flights.

[@davidstegne3036]

The B52 was cheaper and Soviet air defence improved. High level supersonic penetration was proven detremental too bomber crews survivability. ICBM's became the future. Such a shame, damn beautiful plane.

[@MichaelSmith-kr9qw]

It is amazing how much the Former Carswell AFB and the surrounding Ft. Worth area has changed over the years. Today this area is surrounded by Urban Sprawl to the point where it is no longer recognizable. The old Convair plant is now Lockheed Martin. Look at all the great airframes that came from Convair the F-102, F-106, B-36 and of course the awesome B-58 Not too long after the B-58's first flight in the 50's General Dynamics purchased Convair. So much storied aviation history out of Fort Worth area and still building great airframes to this day.

[@SliceofLife7777]

Very good compilation of Hustler footage. Thanks.

[@RevMikeBlack]

What a cool looking plane! One of my grad school professors was on the Raytheon team that developed the radar and altitude shifting capability of the B-58. He was a true believer and always spoke of the plane in the highest terms. Like many who worked on the B-58, he was disappointed that it never made its way into the pantheon of great American bombers.

[@socaljarhead7670]

The Hustler was the biggest maintenance headache the Air Force had. Then the B-1 happened.

[@jimfinlaw4537]

Very nice videos on the Convair B-58 Hustler. Thanks for sharing. This supersonic bomber was way ahead of its time and was a marvel of engineering when it was first introduced. It used old vacuum tube technology that eventually led to some of its maintenance issues. Unfortunately, mounting maintenance costs and the Russian SA-2 surface-to-air missiles introduced in the mid 1960's had rendered the B-58's mission profile obsolete, which resulted in Defense Secretary Robert "Mack the knife" Macnamera's decision to drop the B-58's from the USAF'S inventory in the late 1960's. It most certainly was a beautiful looking airplane and it did worry the Russians with its capabilities.

[@glenwoodriverresidentsgrou136]

It worried the Russians so much that it is the only aircraft banned specifically by name in the SALT treaties.

[@bloop6812]

Yeh the B-52 was such a great bomber McNamara lead them to get shot down over North Vietnam on a regular basis, via Russian Sam's.

[@davy1458]

Crazy times in the world back when those were still flying. Thank goodness the world was still here when i was born in 78.....

[@waltercarpenito1737]

i was with my uncle years ago at march air force base one b-58 went right over our heads what a beauty one of the best after that i bought AND MADE THE REVEL MODLE OF IT --GRATE WC

[@joemontano71]

14:15 the B-58 is a gorgeous aircraft but until now I never knew the In-flight Refueling Receptacle was located *directly* in front of the cockpit windows! I can't imagine flying an 8-12 hour training mission/bombing mission with fuel spray (14:25) all over the windows.

[@ronjon7942]

The best looking aircraft, ever. I’m so glad Pima has one.

[@Dronescapes]

👍

[@gulfchef]

One of my great girlfriends in high school's father was a major and procurement officer for the B-58 back in the early 60s. He never spoke of its specs but told me it was a great airplane.

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

I couldn’t figure that one out! Is great girlfriend of high school father major anything like my great grandmother of my best friend that helped in WW2? It was hard to follow

[@johnwatson3948]

Fantastic films and footage. They say a B-58 model should always be displayed with a KC-135 tanker - the short range meant that normal mission profile was to subsonic “buddy cruise” with a tanker from takeoff to somewhere outside enemy airspace.

[@jdmmike7225]

One of the most beautiful bombers ever built and there's no doubt about it. AND it has one of the most badass names any aircraft has ever had, The Hustler 🤙 Thanks for this Drone, you have one of the best channels for us guys who love military aircraft. Keep up the great work brother 🤘

[@ricktaylor3748]

The car looks like it came off the Pink Panther cartoons.. What an amazingly beautiful aircraft.

[@Vikingdescendent]

1956! Waaaay ahead of it's time! It still looks amazing! 1:10 the pilots had no ejection seats, only parachutes!

[@keithsurdyke2535]

They had escape pods since it would have killed the crew jumping out of the plane at supersonic speeds with only a parachute.

[@smark1180]

Wrong. "The original SACseat-type open ejection seat initially installed in the B-58A and later the TB-58A was a ballistic-initiated, rocket-catapult ejection system which operated independently of other aircraft systems. The backrest of the seat provided storage for a backpack type parachute and the bucket portion of the seat provided storage for the survival kit. A gas operated human-seat separation system facilitated separating the crewmember from the seat once clear of the aircraft. Each seat was mounted on ejection rails which were attached to each aft cabin bulkhead. Slide blocks on the back of each seat engaged the ejection rails and maintained the seat in a position such that its path of travel was parallel to the rails. The seat catapult, mounted on bulkhead attached brackets behind the seat supported a seat adjustment actuator which in turn supported the seat and the canopy actuator. An initiator to blow the hatch was activated by a hand-operated trigger handle in each armrest and a second (delayed) initiator was used to activate the ejection seat rockets in the proper sequence for "safe" ejection. The pilot station had slightly angled rails to guide the seat out of the center of the hatch opening since the pilot seat was offset to the left for visibility around the center windscreen post."

[@Michael_Bradburn]

Watching the B58 is almost as fun as getting around the ads in youtube.

[@iamnotpaulavery]

Thank you for this! I've been looking for a decent documentary on this amazing aircraft!

[@Dronescapes]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@iamnotpaulavery]

@@Dronescapes I definitely did and I'm now a new subscriber! You have so many documentaries on great historical aircraft. It like heaven! LOL!

[@Dronescapes]

@@iamnotpaulavery THANK YOU!

[@tylernewton7217]

As a guy in engineering (mechanical and structural) I'm in awe of the complexity of the capsule system. I see they thoroughly tested the system, but I wonder how well it would work under real conditions. The complexity of maintaining pressurization, communications between crew, flight stick still operating, I can imagine it would only take a minor flaw in any given system to make that fail. But it's still an amazing set of requirements met by the skilled engineers and craftsmen of the era.

[@scottstewart5784]

I'm guessing the pressurization was maintained by sealing as best they could, and over-gassing the system to accou nt for the leakage. Then again, those collapsing hiker coffee cups keep the coffee in. I'd be interested in seeing more on the design of the connection between pod sections when deployed. I'm guessing they came up with something clever.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

With no computers - slide rules! And no CAD/CAM machining. And on Time and on Budget!

[@dukeford]

I don't think it worked all that well. There were several cases where two crewman ejected successfully, but the third one got killed. Whether that had to do with ejecting out of the envelope or some flaw in the seat I don't know. Convair didn't have a whole lot of success with the supersonic seat in the F-106, either.

[@jeremywilson4326]

That's a very good looking ship . I really like it. Would love to see one built with today's tech and material.

[@s.porter8646]

I made a model of this when I was little, finally saw a real plane 30 years later in Tucson...sexy machine

[@Dronescapes]

👍♥️

[@henkvanvoorst5989]

Another great toy for general Le May 😊

[@Dronescapes]

Indeed!

[@frankpienkosky5688]

Air Force had carte blanche in the 50's because they had the monopoly on nuke delivery systems...

[@JackNiles-hc8yz]

LeMay hated it.

[@henkvanvoorst5989]

@@JackNiles-hc8yz why was that ??

[@dukeford]

@@henkvanvoorst5989 Too small, too expensive, no range, limited payload.

[@jeffmcdermott8845]

There's still a B 58 at the National Airforce Museum in the Dayton Ohio area.

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@silverdrillpickle7596]

There’s one (59-2437) on display here in San Antonio out in front of Booz Allen Hamilton.

[@frankpienkosky5688]

practically every plane you can imagine is in Dayton...my favorite was the X-3 Stiletto....got it gathering dust over in one of the hangars.......

[@solidlift]

Lots of good Carswell AFB footage!

[@Joe-ir4cd]

I may be mistaken, but I think one of those pilots is the father of the late great singer/songwriter John Denver ! His father's nickname was "Dutch" !

[@Thousand_yard_King]

Never liked Convair's delta wing aircraft, and as far as bombers go, I much more liked the North American XB-70 Valkyrie, but watching this sure made me feel proud to be an American. Go EAFB!!! Love you all.

[@smark1180]

XB-70 had a delta wing.

[@dukeford]

You didn't like the F-106? There is something wrong with you.

[@turkey0165]

Sure would like to see the Air Force restore one then fly it for air shows!

[@TheDisco672]

Love that airframe. Delta's are so cool

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

They do look cool! Unfortunately their handling characteristics at high speed are garbage

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@kamakaziozzie3038 wrong

[@stuartkidney3257]

The SR-71 and F-111's purpose, speed, altitude, and tactics come (in part) from the 1950's & 1960's development of The Hustler. NASA learned a thing or two as well about high speed and high altitude pilot cabins and stress upon the human body. The Russians were scared of what it MIGHT do in any strategic situation, putting them on the defensive and forcing them to spend $$$ countering it's supposed threat(s). Although it was flawed, dangerous to fly long term and was known as 'hanger queen' (like the F-111) it was revered in it's day for the bravery of crew and the platform's cutting edge tech a mere 11 years after WWII hostilities ended. Brigader General Jimmy Stewart piloted it and loved it as well. Thanks to all the brave men that worked on the B-58 platform during it's run in the USAF and keeping America safe.

[@JackNiles-hc8yz]

Stewart flew in the Hustler on an "orientation" flight. One time. In the second seat.

[@shenmisheshou7002]

The long landing gear was not for takeoff and landing. *There was no bomb bay in the B58* . The nuclear payload and the fuel needed to run in for attack were both built into the large "Pod" underneath and when he bomb was dropped, the fuel tank inside the pod went with it. This drop tank/bomb was the solution for getting the B58 the necessary range. The point is that in an actual attack, the B58 would always carry the pod, and the long gear was necessary so the pod would have ground clearance.

[@socaljarhead7670]

The landing gear was weak and had small tires which blew out constantly if they weren’t changed often.

[@shenmisheshou7002]

@@socaljarhead7670 Average F-35B tire life is below 10 landings. Jets are hard on tires.

[@marthakrumboltz2710]

Flew across 4 states, never higher than 500 feet agl? Try that today.

[@aussieaeromodeler]

that escape pod for the crew looks like something out of star wars

[@JohnnyFaber]

Captain Henry John 'Dutch' Deutschendorf was John Denver's father!

[@bertwright1790]

And there is video of him here

[@control_the_pet_population]

Beautiful plane, amazing engineering achievement... unfortunately bomber defenses made it's mission profile essentially suicidal right around the time it was entering service.

[@scottfw7169]

Still a good looking and generally remarkable airplane.

[@Dronescapes]

👍

[@nacerkhamou3149]

my favourite of all times ❤❤❤

[@Dronescapes]

Good choice Nacer

[@karlbark]

It's not often that you see the B-58 in flight without it's large, fuel "belly-tank". (I don't know if that's what it's actually called). But...in any case; What a looker ! What a beautiful aircraft ! What graceful lines ! (Never mind that it's a bomber. It just looks like a supermodel) 😁

[@tomt373]

That was actually a weapons pod, since it had no internal bomb-bay or wing area for hard points.

[@gort8203]

The large belly pod was actually two pods, one inside the other. The larger outer pod contained fuel, and after it was jettisoned a smaller pod containing the weapon remained. Actually it could also carry weapons on underwing hardpoints but this is not often seen in photos. This would reduce its speed and range somewhat so I wonder how often alert aircraft were configured that way. Would like to hear from someone who knows.

[@karlbark]

@@gort8203 Wow, that's really interesting ! I didn't know that. -Thank you 🙂

[@smark1180]

@@gort8203 There were several different pod configurations. The one to which you refer was the TCP - Two Component Pod. Later, the four external hardpoints that you mentioned were added, enabling it to carry up to five weapons.

[@user-pp1ni2jy3f]

I believe the modernized B-58 would have a place in our air combat arsenal. What might have been....

[@jnbfrancisco]

I heard from some former B58 maintenance coworker that if the out board engines would stall during high speed flight it would cause a large Yaw moment. A large Yaw movement will cause any airplane to roll. A delta wing even more. It caused the aircraft to shred apart at Mach 2.5.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

Sad isn't it, that these great airplane Company's are no more! CONVAIR was an innovative designer! Those F-102's deltas flew out over the Pacific every night on patrol for the bad guys. Over our house in Seattle. From McChord Air Force base. Great "crackling" sound, that no F35 could make LOL

[@jnbfrancisco]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp Yes it is sad these enovative company names are not around anymore but I'm guessing that the facilities and people still are. I worked on the F111 which was built by General Dynamics ( same company as Convair which was Consolidated before that) . The F111 was a great airplane too. You would not know how great it was if you only listen to the press and some other people who had selfish interests.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@jnbfrancisco You will have a hard time convincing this 75-year old that the F111 was anything but a huge flop! It suffered from the same insanity as the F35. A Jack of All Trades and a Master of None. And way too complex. Finally going the way of all failed "fighters" - becoming a "bomber" LOL Take care.

[@jnbfrancisco]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp well allll righty then I won't try. I got the impression you thought the B58 was great. I thought the B58 and the F111 were very similar. Maybe I'm a bit biased because I worked on the F111 for about 9 years from 1971 to 1980. News stories did not match what I experienced first hand. Was your experience different?

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@jnbfranciscoNo experiences like you have jnb. Just have loved airplanes all my 75-year life. And think the B-58 was of the most sexy (!) planes ever built! Just exudes power and speed! Beautiful. But let's face it, it was a dog with no hope of carrying out its mission. As for the F111, you get widely different opinions. Some good. Some terrible. I know the Aussies flew them for eons. But, like all these weapons systems, I believe their performance was way over-hyped by their makers and the Air Force. I don't have any experiences to match yours my man. I am a huge F35 basher. And I read lots comparing that $1.7-trillion boondoggle to the F111. But I am an armchair analyst! LOL Take care

[@JacquesLatini]

I like this wonderful aircraft ! ❤

[@Dronescapes]

👍👍

[@samsquach3799]

It reminds me of Convair's F-106 with 4 engines.

[@wlpowell63]

I know a man that was on the Champions tournament. Won the Thompson Trophy. Howard Bialas. I knew him and I wished I could have a copy of this video for his family.

[@barrymccockiner6641]

There's an awesome painting of the XB-70, that has a B-58 chase plane. The only jet that could keep up.

[@turkey0165]

XP70 Valkyrie Is one of the most beautiful experimental and fastest bomber prototypes and as screwed up as it is, the Russian Military! That old B70 today would get through and wipe out MOSCOW!

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@turkey0165 sitting duck for SAM's...that's why it got dumped....

[@turkey0165]

@Frank Pienkosky Have you been paying attention to the Russian military lately, they can't even fight themselves out of a wet paper bag! If the United States ever built a modern version of the Mach 3 plus XB-70 based them in Nato Poland, Russia in its ineptness would be glowing green glass if it Stepped out of line! 🤣 P.S. How many Russian or Chinese Communist missiles shot down Any SR71s overflights? Hmmm

[@turkey0165]

The most beautiful USAF aircraft ever built and that includes year 2023! ❤️

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

Nah,, the BONE. B-1

[@turkey0165]

@Erich Von Manstein Hans Hans Hans, the B-58 is a Mach 2 speed demon! The B-1b isn't even close, the bone would be left in the Hustlers jet wake and left far far behind! Hustler crew to the bone crew, come to 70,000 ft. if you can make it! 😆

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@turkey0165 hmmm which one is still in service?..........case closed

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@turkey0165and why would we go to 70,000 ft? You wouldnt be there B58 Ceiling: 63,400 Speed mach 2 Load 19,450 lbs B-1 Ceiling 60,000 Speed mach 2.2 Load 75,000 internal and 50,000 hard point

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@turkey0165 hard to "leave someone in the dust" when their planes faster then yours huh BWAHHHHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA 😄😅😆😂🤣🤭👉

[@kerry_glock]

I believe as a kid in the late 60s building a model kit of this plane. Like most of my models it was destroyed in combat with some plastic soldiers. I wish the models and soldiers would have been made to scale to each other! What say you kids of that era? That model glue was pretty nasty.

[@frankpienkosky5688]

a "sniff" here and there was an added bonus of model building....my kit was made by "the Lindbergh Line"......

[@ridermak4111]

Now I know where the Lancer got her supermodel figure.

[@Krhys1]

Jeez, that's one massive bomb!

[@johncovill8834]

Escape and Survive! Good advice.

[@turkey0165]

Even though it was retired in 1970 if a B-58 museum piece was made Air Worthty it would pull up to the B-1 Bone Lancer and accelerate and wave By By Not speaking of the 4 original B-1 prototypes!

[@babuzzard6470]

I often wonder if these old warbirds can be made airworthy again, or are they just too old.🤔

[@babuzzard6470]

Amazing to think all this was achieved a mere 11 years after the end of WW2.

[@acedrumminman]

Built with only a slide rule and pencil...that's how a bomber should look, like it's moving while sitting still.

[@ypaulbrown]

beautiful plane

[@Dronescapes]

Indeed!

[@ralphups7782]

looking at that airplane , i can see a lot of the typhoon jet in it. i bet it is just as fast great look for the 1950 and is still good today 👈👺👀👀👍

[@whosiskid]

Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas I spent a lot of time looking up. I entered first grade in 1960 and in the early sixties I could always see two famed bombers on a daily basis. One - my favorite - was a B-17 that had been converted into an aerial photographic platform. It flew back and for and back and forth over Little Rock taking photos that were used in constructing ultra accurate maps of Pulaski County and beyond. I was a prodigy reader and was already reading adult books on WW II. The other bomber I'd see daily was a B-58 from the nearby Jacksonville Air Force Base. They looked like nothing else in the sky - a delta wing trailing four comtrails - followed a bit later by a loud sonic boom (not sure what year they ended overland sonic flights, but it was something to hear. I've heard the problem was its effects on farm animals, but that could just be urban (or rural) legend. Prior to the B-58 Jacksonville had the B-47, which was subsonic and not very large. At the time, when I was 4 or 5, the B-47 seemed to me to be a small version of the B-52. One of the most shocking events of my life was when I was sitting at my window just after getting up (my parents insisted that if I woke up and couldn't go back to bed, that I stay in my room until they got up) came when I saw a flaming B-47 falling out of the sky with one wing missing. A few seconds later I heard a huge explosion. Turns out it landed about 10 blocks where I lived at the time, which was not too far from Ray Winder Field. It was a pretty shocking experience, made concrete by the fact that a grocery store that we often shopped at less than 10 blocks away was hit by debris from the plane, and burned up fairly quickly. The plane crashed caused a coupe of fires and a lot of minor damage all around that area of Little Rock. You simply don't get many bombers crashing in American cities.

[@charlesreidy9375]

And it killed 2 kids playing in a barn. Copilot went thru a garage roof still in his seat. I cut grass at the property. Jato bottle went bad and set agile tank on fire.

[@bob707builder8]

The B58 was a one way bomber. It could make it to the Soviet Union and drop its bombs, but there was was no way in general they could get back to base.

[@smark1180]

22:50 59-2451 B-58A The Firefly Used on 5/10/61 to set the world speed records over a 669.438 mile closed course (average speed 1,302.048 mph); on 5/26/61 set New York to Paris speed record of 3 hours 19 minutes 51 seconds at an average speed of 1,089.36 mph; crew awarded the Mackay Trophy on 5/13/62. It also won the Blériot and Harmon Trophies. Destroyed 6/3/61 -- 5 nautical miles ENE of Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France; accident cause was attempted low-altitude aerobatic flight; AF pilot Maj. Elmer Murphy (fatal), AF Nav/Bombardier Maj. Eugene Moses (fatal), AF DSO 1st Lt. David Dickerson (fatal).

[@tomlavelle8340]

JFK was really enthusiastic about this aircraft. He was pitching it in Ft Worth the day he was assassinated.

[@NickArcolla]

that 'fish skin' silver looks great on these sharky looking old jets.

[@Dronescapes]

It does!

[@maxmovers4487]

It was a very advanced aircraft for its time.

[@rogerc7960]

It could have a rocket pod for high altitude flight.

[@TheRealCFF]

@9:16 but the dog wants to go flying!

[@deanwoolston4794]

It's interesting how the fuselage on the B-58 looks like the fuselage on the X-15. Maybe this was one of the reasons, the aircraft was able to reach Mach 2.

[@tomt373]

It was called the "Coke bottle" shape, found to dissipate shock waves and reduce drag as far back as the Bell X-1 and included on the F-105 Thunderchief.

[@deanwoolston4794]

@@tomt373 I agree. I think that those configurations were the sharpest looking planes

[@smark1180]

In what way?

[@smark1180]

@@tomt373 Nope. The X-1 did not have an area rule fuselage.

[@dougball328]

@@smark1180 I sure don't see it. The X-15 had no area ruling - just 59,000 pounds of thrust in the XLR-99 rocket engine!

[@alexandrecaviquioli5219]

Mais um excelente documentário, muito obrigado por compartilhar! Esse avião é muito bonito!

[@Dronescapes]

👍🙏

[@unusedName1]

Convair made de most faster and beautiful planes

[@CarlosMorales-on1hq]

amazing all those computers the sizes of refrigerator!!!

[@Dronescapes]

🙂

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@Dronescapes And probably less computing power than the laptop you are typing on Carlos! LOL

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp space program changed all that...

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-FINDER2525]

The narrator got me thinking about charging Friday the detective on dragnet. This whole thing is before my time on a bed actually but I find it interesting. I watch a one of those old dragnet episodes in years gone by. Now this for the beautiful warbird that look pretty menacing as well. Are we going to give these to Ukraine also?

[@cowboybob7093]

I´d really like to see some of the engineering test films of the supersonic payload drop tests. Granted, I haven´t finished the clip yet, so maybe I´ll comb back with an edit to point them out if there´s any.

[@alpengewitter]

I ❤ Hustler

[@karlchilders5420]

Joh Denver, the singer, has a connection to this jet. His Father flew it for the USAF. Not a lot of people know this.

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

Or care about it.🤷

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@erichvonmanstein6876 "Rocky Mountain High" means something entirely different these days!.......

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@frankpienkosky5688 exactly what i meant good buddy😉👉

[@mcjdubpower]

Gud vid 👌👍🔥

[@edwinlipton]

Good Doc. Don't understand why we didn't keep developing the B58 further.

[@gort8203]

It's mission profile became obsolescent due to SAMs and it was very expensive to operate. It was replaced by the FB-111. One irony is that it was Robert McNamara who ordered the retirement of the B-58, and it was replaced by a derivative of the TFX program (F-111) that he had mandated.

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@gort8203 the 111 is more expensive to operate.

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

Because we developed better planes that can replace it

[@gort8203]

@@erichvonmanstein6876 I know the F-111 became a maintenance hog late in its life compared to more modern aircraft, but more expensive than the B-58 when the F-111 was in its prime? Everything I've read says the B-58 was more expensive to operate and maintain. That makes sense given four engines and older, even less reliable systems. Nothing personal, but I'd have to see documentation to believe oherwise.

[@erichvonmanstein6876]

@@gort8203 how about just look at the plane. Its a variable swing wing. WAY more money to operate, maintain, fly.

[@ericbrammer2245]

I always felt bad for the #3 seater... No outwards vision, just Instruments. That had To Have SUCKED!!

[@jamesstuart3346]

9:39 Anyone know what make this car is? I know my cars but this one's a puzzle

[@frankpienkosky5688]

looks like a Rambler....

[@jamesstuart3346]

@@frankpienkosky5688 I do believe you are correct...a 1957. Thank U

[@RomanGolubev_A]

Low level flights had a much less range, about 2000 miles

[@DetroitMicroSound]

The cars look really old next to the Hustler..during the same age...

[@fanstfs7661]

Imho it is beatiful plane.but the operational costs was too high. And balistic missile rising ended its career.

[@johnpapa8681]

I can't comprehend how delta wing aircraft fly???

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

I always think the same thing John when I am looking at those great Avro Vulcan bombers.

[@johnpapa8681]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp I think they look really cool, but I don't see how the nose comes up when it takes off. I know they fly, I just don't see how?

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@johnpapa8681 John look at their stance on their landing gear - with their nose pointing way up in the air. +ve incidence. Add a shit pot of power, go fast enough, and you are flying. Lose power - you turn into brick -and its all over.

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp notable service in the Falklands war....

[@marthakrumboltz2710]

Just nine years after Yeager recorded the first mach1 plateau, this mach2 bomber flew. Small wonder the Russkies went out of business.

[@covertcounsellor6797]

Yes, because we weren’t weakened then like we are now. So sad. We were proud and knew we were defending freedom in the world. No longer… *sigh*

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@covertcounsellor6797 We can't afford to defend freedom in the World anymore my man. Let's house the homeless in our own country first eh!

[@covertcounsellor6797]

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp Sad but true, Dennis.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@covertcounsellor6797 Some will say we waste way too much on these Weapons of War. And say that's why we are virtually bankrupt now Covert. $32-trilion in debt. It's a hard argument to refute eh? Did we really need this B-58 bomber, when we had the ability to annihilate Russia with our ICBM missiles? Do we really need B-52's AND B-1's AND now B-21's when we have nuclear submarines roving the oceans of the world with nuclear missiles - AND still have ICBM's? The Nuclear Triad. Like the old Soviet Union, have we destroyed our nation with our militarism?

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@covertcounsellor6797 so who is?....it's still our burden.....

[@ironmantooltime]

Hopefully with enough views this guy can get his adenoids fixed 🙏

[@primeaether]

This looks like a interesting plane to fly im guessing this was somewhat a test bed for the B-1

[@simbry49]

Some data mat have been used for the B-1 development. OTOH more recent data probably came from the F-111.

[@mattadams7922]

I knew a guy who flew one of these he was friends with my dad the stories he told made this plane sound positively terrifying to fly. He said poor control, body overheating and that you could cook eggs on any part of the plane pretty much after taking past Mach 1.3 for more then 10 minutes

[@vascoribeiro69]

the nose profile is very similar to the F-111 and F-16...😄

[@gort8203]

Not to mention the F-106. Nice family resemblance.

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@gort8203 both planes featured in "Fail- Safe"....one trying to shoot down the other

[@stevehartman1730]

I could never understand y B 58 Hustler was grounded. We could have stationed them worldwide and in emergency priceleddllss.

[@smark1180]

"[T]he B-58 came to a premature death, largely because of infighting among military and civilian leaders, who failed to understand the value and full capabilities of this fantastic airplane. It was a technological marvel, years ahead of its time and it should never have been sent to the boneyard." - Col. George Holt Jr (Author)

[@michaelnaisbitt7926]

The US may need bombers this fast in the not too distant future as Enemies cast their eyes towards this country

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

Nope, in the missile age Michael, these planes, no matter how fast, are toast.

[@indigohammer5732]

Paranoia: Made in America since 1945.

[@DennisMerwood-xk8wp]

@@indigohammer5732 Yep Indigo, the USA is the most paranoid country in the world, after Israel.

[@frankpienkosky5688]

@@indigohammer5732 some of it justified...genuine bad guys out there...

[@JackNiles-hc8yz]

They're already here.

[@thetopsecretpentagonsclass6350]

I think this aircraft haunted soviets for many years more than B-2 😂.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Low level penetrator. Buccaneer and Avro Vulcan soon please.

[@davy1458]

I flew b58 hustlers in my wildest dreams back in 1988.....i was ten years old....the youngest pilot in the history of bullshit.....i woke up before i could earn any medals

[@luiscarloslima1967]

A vários anos que esses ianques tem gastado dinheiro com o belicismo...enquanto isso, milhões ainda morrem de fome mundo afora.

[@alfincassimirorodrigues3787]

NOTÁVEL AERONAVE.

[@Dronescapes]

👍

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

The DOD propaganda film you added was appropriate for the time👍 It was all about making the USSR believe our capabilities were better than theirs. And vice versa