The amazing Convair B-36 Peacemaker takes off

[@freddylaunvonkiel9137]

My grandfather was a rancher near Azle, TX when I was a little boy in the 40's. The B-36s were based at nearby Carswell AFB. You could hear the drone of their engines for hundreds of miles as they flew very high over the area. One night my parents met a B-36 pilot at a party and the pilot promised to give us a fly-over the next morning. We kids were all up on the roof of the ranch house as this B-36 came over us, low and slow. What a thrill for a little kid!

[@pearified371]

damn i wish i could experience that

[@fatdaddy-viii-8672]

I lived in Cleburne, TX in tge 80s & 90s. One day, in my driveway, I heard the drone of 8 piston engines and looked up. There, flying in formation, was a B-17 & a B-24 headed to Carlswell for the Confederate Air Force airshow. The organization changed its name to Commerative Air Force several years later.

[@Critter145]

That’s an incredible gesture. I’d never ever forget seeing that. Heck, I still remember seeing two P47’s flyby at a South Bend, Indiana air show when I was a kid.

[@jckoibra2662]

I’m curious, Is “9137” at the end of your name your birth year but 1 and 9 are swapped around? So it would be 1937

[@Critter145]

@@freddylaunvonkiel9137 don’t answer personal questions on chat.

[@dashriprock9092]

My Dad was a radio operator and tail gunner on B-36, served during Korea. As a kid got to sit on the tail gunner seat on one of these bombers in Fort Worth. You lay on your back on a small rolling platform and pull yourself on a wire thru a tube to the tail of the plane, and there’s a toilet under the gunner’s seat. Those guys were ready for anything. RIP Dad.

[@zdp-189]

Sounds claustrophobic being in these tight corridors for long flights and missions! Must be great feeling though flying in a fortress like that through the air, with powerful armament at your fingertips ready to provide ground support anywhere in a blink of the eye.

[@josemoreno3334]

A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors your Father for his Service . 👍

[@countrichardvoncoudenhovek8855]

Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪,,, what a nice story, the first film I ever saw in the cinema was Strategic Air Command and I've always had an interest in these extraordinary aircraft. My second movie was Mary Poppins 😂....RIP to your Father....and mine 🙏🙏

[@Mangoshake2021]

My dad doesn’t even like me

[@fourfortyroadrunner6701]

Why would the radio op be a tail gunner? The radios were in the front cockpit section, furthest from the tail one could be.

[@g24thinf]

Typical missions were 30-40 hours long unrefueled. Crew of 20+, it had a kitchen and bunk beds on board. It was said it only landed for the crew to reenlist.

[@waldoperez3005]

whatsamatter u I really like that one.

[@ralfie8801]

Just think about the NB-36 that had the small atomic reactor on board and the heavy shielding it had between the bomb bay the reactor was carried in and the cockpit to protect the crew.

[@michaelwier1222]

whatsamatter u.... Only landed for the crew to reenlist. Love it!

[@dommopa4464]

Not really a good airplane. Was the af way to get funding. A better pick would have been an enlarged b29 with a few jets.

[@michaelwier1222]

@@dommopa4464 They tried that with the B 50/ B 54 (less jet engines). Totally unsuited for mission requirements. Even the b 36 was a stop gap.

[@rodl2024]

When I was growing up in Dallas, we lived very close to Love Field. B-36’s would fly over periodically. Probably the most distinctive sounding plane I’ve ever heard. If one flew over now, I’d know it from the sound alone. It may have been obsolete fairly early but I’d still give a good amount to see one in the air again. They were huge!

[@daveogarf]

Convair built B-36's at its Fort Worth factory, which would explain why you saw them.

[@rodl2024]

Yeah, I know.

[@marinamarciano919]

6 motores e eram atras da asa

[@BigCarmine]

My uncle commanded a B36 with SAC. He was not overly impressed with it's performance weaknesses and high maintenance needs, but did say that it was an amazing aircraft to have had the opportunity to fly, and that for it's day it was an awesome thing to see. He was very excited about commanding a B52 and had no complaints about it's performance. I personally am still awestruck by these massive, beautiful aircraft and that my uncle fly one. His stories of flying the B36 (as well as the B17,B24&B52) are etched in my memories.

[@AS-zk6hz]

Jimmie Stewart was the real deal. He served his country without complaining and crying in his beer

[@bernarddieguez2255]

AS1313 no Bone Spurs

[@a.m.v.6938]

Bernard Dieguez dang it you beat me to it 😂

[@stratovani]

That's Brigadier General James Stewart, war hero and patriot. Also a helluvan actor.

[@jonathansteadman7935]

25 missions piloting a B24 Liberator .

[@ftargr]

Bernard Dieguez much combat experience Bernie?

[@jimfowler5930]

In 1955 I remember a B-36 flying over our house in Miami, on final approach the MIA 27R.....2.5 miles to threshold and it still rattled the windows. What a wonderful sound...the B-36, of coarse! Of the 9 guys in my neighborhood, 6 of us went into military aviation during Viet Nam.

[@billbateman6062]

i remember that, i grew up in hialeah

[@joemontero725]

Thank you for your service Me. Fowler

[@joemontero725]

Yeah I live in Miami also

[@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh]

Flying to / from Homestead AFB? I lived in Perrine / Cutler Ridge in the 60's.

[@rdw551]

My grandpa worked for Convair and helped build the B-36. Used to love his stories about working on this iconic plane.

[@kennethwood713]

My dad flew stratiforiss

[@golfbuddy45]

As a kid living in Tampa Fla we used to see B-36 Bombers take off and land at MacDill AFB daily and then later B52's. Always loved to see both but those reverse props on the B-36 sounded so cool when they were up overhead . . .

[@leesherman100]

Saw one of these fly over in the 50's when I was a kid. The noise and vibes were unforgettable!

[@ZappninLLP]

Me too. Twelve years old in San Diego where my dad worked at the Convair plant, I watched the B-36 fly over low and slow and very, very loud. My favorite aircraft hands down.

[@notapilot1]

In New Hampshire, 7 years old, the thing flew over and blotted out the sun. Noisy.

[@chrisbaker2903]

@@notapilot1 An aluminum overcast for sure.

[@johnemerson1363]

So did I and he had one feathered, I just don't remember which on.

[@jimcollins2466]

Gen. James Stewart was the real deal. A true Patriot!

[@jeffwalther3935]

You are correct sir. My father flew B-47's for SAC. Our most loveable film star of his era completed a full 2 dozen combat missions during WW2 and transitioned to not only fly Pilot-in-command in B-47's, the space shuttle of its time, but then transitioned to PIC B-52's during the Viet Nam war! His role as Charles Lindbergh, the Lone Eagle, in The Spirit of St Louis was magnificent, as were all his roles. He was, like my father and their many patriotic peers, the most wonderful warriors and fathers one could hope for. Seein' this B-36 take-off was a magnificent spiritual experience I enjoy above all others today because I know that such feats were hisorically-unprecedented Herculean to achieve - and they did everything they did in the GREATEST act of love too, just for you and me.

[@michaelbee2165]

@@jeffwalther3935 Cool! My father was a navigator in B-47s for SAC. The greatest patriot I've ever known. They flew from Whiteman AFB in Missouri to Spain and back.

[@jeffwalther3935]

@@michaelbee2165 My Dad was with your Dad on that deployment most probably. I think they also went to Germany, or maybe that was another time. It was so great because THIS time when he came home we got presents of fantastic stuff ALL the Dad's bought and, since it was just an exercise, there were loads of B-47's coming home with empty bomb bays filled with nothing but souvenirs! Since Dad never talked much to me about what was happening beforehand, during or after, these landings and what he was doing were all surprises after they happened, me figuring out what happened only years later. They only deployed like that once and I think it was a major test of an intercontinental deployment of B-47's that tested the practical applicability of using the medium-range bombers in a strategic war. I think so because the Stratojets had to be aerially refueled too much and and the big externally-mounted gas tanks they had to add too, revealed to the Air Force that the B-47 mass deployment strategy was too logistically-complicated to be viable as opposed to B-52's in the same role with longer independent range becoming more feasible. My Dad died in an unaviation-related accident in 1966, so I'm just guessing from my childhood memories. I never got the chance to ask him about any of this at all. Warrensburg, MO and Whiteman AFB in the early '60's was paradise for kids like us!

[@michaelquillen2679]

Know an ol' boy who flew these from '54-'57. In '58 they moved him to the B-52, which he flew for another 25 years.

[@hopatease1]

and now his gran kids are flying the B 52

[@tomranc]

I lived about five miles from the end of the McClelland AFB runway, in Sacramento. in those days. I would routinely see B-36's and XC-99's taking off and flying over my house at less than a thousand feet. It was awesome!

[@Siryn]

I live across the street form Lackland AFB and saw the old XC-99 daily. It was in a really bad shape. It's nice to know that it's being restored now.

[@dapto234]

was the XC99 the forerunner to the B36..

[@Siryn]

@@dapto234 I know, I'm an aircraft buff. It was so cool to be able to see it everyday on my way to work. I'm glad it didn't just sit at the end of the runway and deteriorate into obscurity.

[@tomranc]

@@dapto234 I don't honestly know. I always assumed that one was built by Boing and the other by Convair. And, as I remember them, one had rear facing propellers and the other had front facing propellers. They both flew during the same time period. I could always tell one from another (I Thought) by the prop orientation. But, as I look through some of the KZbin videos today, they appear to have both been built by Convair, and both had rear facing props. Does anyone out there have an answer? Thank you!

[@widecreek]

@@tomranc B-36 and XC-99 were sister aircraft. Both were built by Convair. They shared wings, landing gear and I think the tail section. There was only one XC-99 built. Built as a concept, to prove possible. First flight Nov 1947, placed in service May 1949, and retired 1957. Also, was planed as Convair Model 37, a passenger variant, but never built.

[@hans-gunterfrieling3329]

I grew up an Air Force kid and use to watch these big planes take off and land, then my dad would take me to the flight line and I’d get to go on board with him. Great way to grow up and what a wonderful time to be a kid, not like today.

[@mhos6940]

my dad as a kid growing up in Denver remembers hearing them more often than seeing them but once he did see one. Says that they made a very distinct sound. Would love to be able to see one in the air!

[@PhotogNT]

A very good friend of mine, who has since passed. He worked on B29's, B36's and B52's plus a bunch of other USAF aircraft so he was involved right through the transition from piston aircraft well, into the jet era.

[@nhedrick100]

When i was 11 or 12 years old , a B 36 flew over my home at high altitude, even so the vibration from all those engines could be felt and the sound was something else, i cannot describe it, glad i witnessed it. I live in Lenoir, NC.

[@maryruthfarrell2158]

Me two in Tucson where it now resides

[@marshalllpgraney920]

I also remember many high altitude flyovers. The acoustic effect and the ground rumbling were distinct identification. Russians needed no radar -- spotters with telephones would be faster, more reliable, and more accurate IFF.

[@mikesmith-wk7vy]

this is one of my favorite planes that nobody really gives credit to , it actually had more range and payload than the b-52 . And putting 10 engines on a bomber that's just cool, the jet engines weren't original to the plane early models only had the piston engines

[@jamesarmstrong6008]

What an awesome sound they made. I can remember them, when I was a kid. One knew immediately what the plane was, even when it was at a high altitude. I got to see many of them at the now closed, Amarillo Air Force Base.

[@MustangSam]

Wow, it must have been awesome! If only there was one left flying now. I'll bet one of these flew over when I was a kid in the 50's but I don't remember.

[@erikkunkle9574]

I wish I could see one in the air

[@williamkeith8944]

James I remember the same as I was reared in Amarillo. The B36 had a distinct sound flying overhead.

[@jamesarmstrong6008]

@@williamkeith8944 I had a cousin who was pilot, stationed at Amarillo, right at the end of the B-36 era. He made the transition from the 36, to the B-47, then the B-52.

[@wccroft50]

wow how lucky. This was an awesome airplane

[@Jrryclmnjc]

I was born in 1943. My dad was stationed at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls Tx where he was an instructor on Pratt & Whitney engines. They had a B 36 they used for maintenance instructions. Once, when he was watching me and my brother, he had to go to the base to take care of some business. He told an enlisted man to show us through the B36, which was right outside the hanger, to get us out of the way. We went all through it from cockpit to tail, through the tunnel and all. What memories. I used to listen to the B36s fly over, probably from Carswell AFB in Ft Worth. Very distinctive sound. Deep roar.

[@roberthood9368]

My fav aircraft of all time!(next to the Concord). I can remember the sound as clear as day! Was living in Bakersfield, CA as a small boy....1952-1954 and they would occasionally shoot approaches to Meadows Field there...would come growling over town at about 1000’.....the only aircraft sound that comes close is a 747 during takeoff...especially if you’re a passenger sitting forward of the engines!

[@jarvisfamily3837]

Concorde

[@chrisbaker2903]

Obviously you've never listened to a C5 take off from up close.

[@ThePaulv12]

I remember around 1992 sitting at the runway approach lighting where this public road runs remarkably close to the runway piano keys and a 747 flew over to land and it was almost as loud as a top fuel dragster. Many times since then i have visited that location and from time to time a few 747s have landed while i was there but none were ever as loud as the that one in about 1992.

[@JohnJohansen2]

B-36 was a weird plane, with it's mix of different types of engines. Why would anyone want so many different spare parts?

[@larrypeek9278]

I remember the sound as well and you could hear it for a long time and they were so high. I lived a little east of Atlanta and I think they came from Dobbins Air Force in Marietta, Georgia. I was born 1944 and this was around 1952-53 I think. And it was a one called it growling. Would love to hear that growling again my mind would go back to that 8 or 9 year kid again.

[@robertbowman3406]

It was very nice to NOT have to listen to the music on takeoff. Here we got the full effect of the engines. Well done.

[@javamanV3]

I saw one of these fly over my schoolyard when I was a young kid. It immediately grabbed ones attention because of the 6 props on the back of the wings

[@crsvetteii1753]

Jimmy Sgtewart would be proud that footage from one of his movies was posted on KZbin. Biut that is about the best footage of a B-36t available.

[@whiskeybuilder6335]

The movie was Strategic Air Command.

[@jimmcdonald6329]

Outstanding! We had several of them at an airbase in Morocco. When one of them took off the noise was so loud that people a mile away couldn’t hear each other talking. Thanks for the memories!!

[@Me2Lancer]

This brings back fond memories. These B-36 bombers were a common sight when I was a young boy in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The scene with the lake behind the plane at take off looks like Lake Worth. The runway divides then Convair plant where the B-36 was manufactured and Carswell AFB where it was deployed.

[@timmotel5804]

Been there when Carswell still existed as an AFB. There was one (the city of Ft. Worth i think) on static display just outside the Carswell fence that i took pictures of. Great video. Thanks

[@summerrosesutton3073]

I grew up on several Air Bases that these super great planes were stationed at. We KNEW when one was taking off and even landing. What was truly interesting, was when they called for a mass take off. When that happened, ALL flyable B-36s were launched one after another. You might as well shut down your day when that happened, because you would be shaking, rattling and rolling, and it was not to the music of the day. :-)

[@pretzelogic2689]

I grew up in the Western Hills subdivision just a few miles SW of this runway (this shot is taking off from Carswell. That's the General Dynamics plant off the right wing as it runs down the runway). You are exactly right about the scrambles. Could not use a phone for about an hour. My Dad was working on the future layout of the B58 production line about this time.

[@gld5129]

@@pretzelogic2689 I Worked at that Plant, AF#4 for 38 years, after the F111, and the F16 was just starting to crank out, was an amazing place to work, also got to work on the F16XL, F22, and the F35.

[@jimfling2128]

Just like in the movie, I was told we were just going to make a hop and touch & go. We landed back at our base in Spokane 24 hours latter. The touch and go was in Alaska.

[@DB-jh1uo]

I've never seen a B-36 in person, but my dad was a pilot of one back in 1955-56 at Webb AFB in Big Spring, Tx. He said it was an incredible plane to fly and during each take-off, he was always amazed when it got off the ground, never with much runway left! He would tell me stories about their mock missions to Japan and on several occasions, coming back over the Pacific, they'd lose a prop-engine, which kept them from keeping high-attitude and in case they might lose another one, they'd drop altitude down to just a few hundred feet over the water in case they had to ditch the plane. After losing an engine, he said those remaining hours back to Webb AFB went by like days!!

[@donmcmannamy3409]

There is a b36 at the airforce museum in Dayton Oh .

[@yankeechicken61]

D B so losing an engine was a regular occurrence?

[@battleoid2411]

@@yankeechicken61 yeah, pusher props in general are harder to keep working since they dont get the airflow like conventional ones, and from what I've read the 36 really did have a hard time keeping all its engines running.

[@intuitive7274]

This is probably the most impressive aircraft of all the United States has built. 10 engines and a crew of 20. Just amazing

[@Burhanontheranch]

The planes were a nightmare though and unsustainable

[@baconbuttybash]

When i was 3 years old in 1950 we lived next to Blake Hill airfield in the UK and one of these came over the airfield at about 100 feet. The noise was something never to forget! fantastic I think they were based at Fairford or Brize Norton

[@muddtrack6969]

So Glad my Kinfolk in England fought like hell an let us Americans help ,

[@catjudo1]

It's worth noting, for those who are new to the B-36, that the plane was designed during World War II with six engines, gigantic 28 cylinder radials which turned the massive three-bladed propellers. By the time the bomber saw service, jet aircraft had been introduced. The earliest B-36's built with props only. The jet engines were added shortly afterword and could be switched on and off at will, giving the plane additional power for takeoff and bursts of speed in flight when necessary. They proved so successful that the jet engines were retrofitted to all earlier B-36B bombers. The jets were shut down in normal flight as they were not necessary; the bomber's cruising altitude of 40,000 - 50,000 feet put it out of range of most anti-aircraft guns and almost all period interceptors.

[@BILLYLAMB76]

max ceiling was 45,000 ft. even with jets it was slow. it suffered from fuel leaks in colder climates and in normal flight it was a sitting duck to fighters. the wasp major engines had cooling issues for a long time. once the B47 arrived it became obsolete and was retired shortly thereafter as the new B52 arrived. they tried making a all jet powered model with swept wings, but the air force wanted a new design plane.

[@BILLYLAMB76]

@Russ Gallagher it was, but the plane still needed the jets to make a full load take off. they had a lot of cooling problems with this engine configuration.

[@770valiant]

@@BILLYLAMB76 not so sure about them being sitting ducks to fighters of the period. Ive read that at high altitude, due to the amount of lift that emense wing generated, it could 'out maneuver ' jet fighters. More a case of the early jet fighters stalling when trying to turn in thin air.

[@SeattlePioneer]

Thanks for providing an explanation for the mix of propeller and jet engines. It's the obvious question.

[@phillipgilbert9667]

When I was a young boy I saw a low flying B-36 over Bethlehem, NH from east to west. I'll never forget it. I was born in 1938 I'm guessing my sighting at around 1950

[@MaynardGKrebs-gv4vy]

The lift it gains when the landing gear retracts is amazing. The video shows that every well.

[@jimfling2128]

Not so much the lift from the loss of drag but at that speed the turbos add more boost, the props get better synchronized and the engineer gets all 6 working optimally. I flew 100s of hours in B36D's and J's.

[@demyhr]

I lived in Atwater, CA near Castle AFB in the 50's . The B-36 was used to test the new runway at Castle before the B-52 was deployed. They flew over our house all day for several weeks until the noise complaints forced changing the flight pattern to fly over the farmland instead. The vibration and noise would cause dishes to fall off shelves. My close friend in high school was the base commanders son Bill Eubank. We pretty much had the run of the base in those days.

[@Rocdog]

One of my all time favorite Jimmy Stewart movies. His beloved Air Force. He retired in 1974 as a LTGEN. I was honored to serve in SAC! 839th MSS.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

3902nd SUPS LGSF SAC Offutt AFB, 1979-1983. I was in POL.

[@tootired76]

It is alleged he flew as a consultant on B 52 Arc Light missions in Viet Nam! The guy was no wuss!!!

[@Rocdog]

@@tootired76 Oh it’s not alleged he actually did fly to combat missions over Vietnam from Guam.

[@craigpennington1251]

I remember these flying over our farm back in the 50s. They were huge and so cool too. You knew it was a 36 because of the roar of those big radials and the whine of the turbojets. together made a unique sound like no other.

[@michaelroberts889]

I just find this thing fascinating! A mix of WWll and jet age technology all put together into a cold war behemoth to deliver the nuclear Armegeddon. Ungainly and ugly on the ground once airborne it transforms into an almost graceful form. I realize it was obsolete by the time it became active and it's purpose was to be a flying dump truck full of nukes it's still one of my favorite planes. Thank you for sharing if with us!

[@beckylipps7286]

One hell of a plane! Saw one at Wright Patt in the 80’s. I was in awe!!❤️🇺🇸

[@angieuhrich7801]

It has been awhile, but my dad was stationed at Cars well AFB, Fort Worth Texas as a crewman on a B 36 and I remember as a little kid seeing and hearing these all the time

[@MiltonFindley]

Mine too Angie, and me too.

[@nickclements1683]

Saw and heard these flying into and out of Raf Lakenheath, an incredible sound, once heard never forgotten.

[@JasonJason210]

Shame about the looped engine sound at the end.

[@penelopelgoss2520]

I was wondering if anyone else noticed it.

[@FippyDarkpaw2]

@@penelopelgoss2520 Yes, completely annoying.

[@davewestner]

@@penelopelgoss2520 yup, checked the comments to see if anyone else had. Tape loop I reckon

[@was1958]

@@penelopelgoss2520 Yes, the sound was terrible. And throughout, the sound was obviously and poorly dubbed in. My uncle flew them from Wright Patterson to South Africa, among other missions.

[@craiglachman1379]

I'm guessing there was dialog and music underneath (from the movie, of course).

[@HartDoug]

My Dad was a Navigator on a B-36; he was assigned to Loring Air Force Base in Northern Maine. He would get a phone call and have to report in. Once they took off, they could be gone for from a week to 10 days and we never knew where they went or specifically when they would return...

[@danf321]

Heard a few fly over when I was s kid. That engine drone was etched in my memory. I’ve got to get back to Pima Air Museum in AZ as they now have one on display.

[@loyalpickering9033]

There used to be one at Wright- Patterson in Dayton, OH. I haven't been there since the late 90's, that's the last time I saw it.

[@johnlowther4927]

Loyal Pickering it’s still there at the National Museum of the Air Force. It’s on display in the Cold War gallery. Years ago Our Boy Scout troop got to go inside several planes one evening, including the B36. As an Assistant Scout Master, I got to sit in all the seats and travel through the tube to the rear compartment, too. Unforgettable!

[@mikesmith-wk7vy]

I would like to see that in a museum

[@mikedriggers3635]

6 turnin' 4 burnin' It never fired a shot in anger.

[@aydenstockham1143]

It made the peace

[@raymondo162]

peace...…………. haha haha ha. are you blind and deaf m8 ??

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

@@raymondo162 In a world of escalating Soviet expansion, it did exactly what it was supposed to. And kept you from saying "comrade" instead of "mate". You're welcome.

[@jeffwalther3935]

@@raymondo162 Peace by deterrence, sir. Had the situation been reversed, our enemies had what we had AND we, there's, you wouldnt be able to speak so derisively about their Peacemaker. Most likely sir, by your simply ignorant telling remark, you wouldnt have survived. How dare you?

[@joeyjamison5772]

The motto of the Strategic Air Command: "Peace Is Our Profession".

[@tomdougherty2861]

If you would like to see one extremely up close, I would very much recommend visiting the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Az. The B-36 is outside, and you can walk all around it and under the massive wings. The particular B-36 there was the last one built. The AF Museum in Dayton, Ohio has one as well, but there are other planes stacked around it, and it is more difficult to appreciate it than when it is parked outside alone at Pima. Pima has loads of other aircraft as well, including 3 B-52s (one was the X-15 drop plane), a B-58, a B-47 and more.

[@timmotel5804]

I was a member at Pima Air Museum when I lived in Chandler, Arizona. Superb museum. Very much worth visiting if you can. Great plane and exhibits. Thanks.

[@delavalmilker]

They've got one of the these at the SAC museum in Omaha. I saw it recently, and it has to be seen to be believed. The size is truly incredible. You wonder how it even got off the ground.

[@lindycorgey2743]

And the little Goblin sitting next to it.

[@robertkeefer1552]

There is one at the Castle AFB Museum in Atwater CA. Quite impressive to look at.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

They moved the Aerospace Museum about 20 or so years ago. Now close by Ashland, Nebraska near Interstate 80. I remember watching the way they moved the aircraft from near Offutt AFB to the new location. Took about a couple of weeks to move all the planes, then they had to reassemble them and then built the new buildings to house them all.

[@jedironin380]

I've seen the one on display at Wright Patterson AFB. (Now the Nat'l Museum of the US Air Force.) It's a fairly long walk to go from one wing-tip to the other, and you pass 3 or 4 other aircraft on the way!

[@thecrippledrummer]

It has since been moved to (I believe) Texas. I saw a KZbin video regarding one of the few remaining B36s and was surprised to hear at the end of the video that it was the same bird I had seen many times at the old SAC museum. It has been restored and looks much nicer than it did at Offutt.

[@2528drevas]

They have one of these at the SAC museum in Nebraska, the size of it in person is staggering.

[@cbmech2563]

One at Castle air museum too.

[@battleoid2411]

One at the AF Museum in Dayton as well. And yeah, it's insane how big it is, especially when you compare it to the B52 and B1

[@cbmech2563]

Now imagine being a 4 year old boy on a tour of one with his sisters girl scout troop . They had problems getting me out of the tunnel .

[@terrencebradley5417]

They used to be based at Wright -Patterson AFB and when they took off and flew over our house the harmonics from those engines would make the cups and saucers dance in the cupboards. When they had a simulated alert it was awesome to watch them take off. They would taxi at high speed out to the runway nose to tail and the brakes would squeak and it sounded like the thunder of the Gods when they took off.

[@hueydevoted]

I had relatives who lived in a small trailer on the other side of I-90 right off the end of the runway at Ellsworth AFB. They said these things would SHAKE the house very time they took off.

[@TakeDeadAim]

My father grew up in Westover Hills just south of Carswell's main runway while my grandfather worked for Convair. Even though the later B58 was louder, he said the B36's would shake the house more due to their "6 turnin', 4 burnin" configuration!

[@davidgpeterson]

I’ve seen the one at the Air Force museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Insane that that thing could actually get off the ground.

[@paulweisensell8751]

Strategic Air command was an excellent movie. The producers wanted to show specifically all the startup procedures needed to fly this magnificent piece of engineering. He wanted a lot of camera time for the inside and also the outside of the plane while it was taking off and flying. That is by far my favorite plane.

[@williamprice3929]

I live in Miami, Florida and I had one fly over my house on approach to MIA during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was the loudest sound I ever herd from an airplane, shook the whole house.

[@philsears8998]

Great to see this. I remember seeing one flying very low over my house in Birmingham, England in the mid 1950's! The sound was awesome.

[@donaldsaxton7911]

This plane more than any other bought us time until more effective planes like the B-52 gained an upper hand against our adversaries. It truly was General Curtis LeMay's wet dream come true. Like or hate LeMay , his vision saved us untold grief during the 1950's and 60's.

[@paulmoffat9306]

Only If. Northrup's B49 (Flying Wing) WON the fly-off competition for the USAF contract, BUT in order to secure it, they were ORDERED to merge with Consolidated (Builders of the B36). Jack Northrup refused, so the USAF ordered him to destroy the prototypes. The B49 was fully jet powered, the B36 was radial piston engines, that were NOT designed for a pusher install, and that resulted in many crashes of the B36 due to engine fires. True that the B49 also crashed, but that was due to the test pilot doing maneuvers that were prohibited at the time for the aircraft.

[@chrisbaker2903]

@@paulmoffat9306 Sorry Paul. You are half right. The XB-35 won the fly off against the XB-36. They converted it to jet power in the hope that it would win against the XB-52. The plot by Consolidated and certain war department officials is correct.

[@9johnpaul]

This plane was thought and planned before the U.S. entered W.W.2.The reason was that Britain could fall to the Axis powers, and the U.S. would need a plane that could fly a round trip from the U.S.non stop to bomb Germany. After the U.S. entered the war, the B-36 was put on the back burner for a while. Well there is a lot more to this airplane so we will leave it.

[@770valiant]

All politics and company vs company stuff aside... the B36 was still a great plane. Flawed yes, but for the time great.

[@MiltonFindley]

Not to mention buying us time to get the Atlas and other early ballistic missiles and the B52 off the ground.

[@cbmech2563]

We lived on Fairchild AFB, about 1950 51 . My dad was the base army Corp of engineers , engineer during the construction of the runways . Our house was at the end of officers row , about even with where the 36's would clear roof top level . The only time it woke me up was when it was foggy and they didn't take off .

[@AlaskaErik]

Six turnin', four burnin'.

[@evs251]

two turning, two burning, two choking, two smoking and two unaccounted for.

[@kevinvey2658]

A B-36 crashed about 10 miles from my home in Trinity Bay Newfoundland ,it was piloted by Coronal Ellsworth tragically ,no body survived . This was in early 1950 much of the aircraft still remains .There is a monument On site .

[@willowsloughdx]

This scene is lifted from the movie "Strategic Air Command." The B-36 soundtracks are crudely edited and include tape loops. There seem to be few authentic sound recordings of the B-36.

[@wheelie63]

thank you...........wb

[@ng21644605]

The sampled sound is real though...They used to fly over my house when I was six years old........When I heard (And felt) one approaching, I'd go running into the house and hide under my bed.

[@JimForeman]

The B-36 had a sound that once you hear it, you will never forget it. Also, you will never hear it again.

[@simono.w.2995]

As an European im kinda jealous now! The loudest we had flying over as far as I have seen and heard are An-22's and C-130's

[@JustMe6bt]

Bruce M Carleton Jr fort worth tx?

[@3rdgentexan301]

As a boy, my younger brother and I grew up only miles from Carswell AFB, and as these docile giants would fly over our farm, we would just become enthralled at the drone of the six propellers pushing these peacemakers to their destinations.

[@richardschmidt2291]

I flew for 20 in SAC on KC-97'S and 135's but I would loved to fly on the B-36.

[@johnclapperton5556]

had a large model of this as a kid and it was my favorite bomber with the B-52 second. Also had that large model also, both hung from my bedroom ceiling.

[@mikestage1446]

Two turning, two burning, two smoking, two choking, and two unaccounted for.

[@WootTootZoot]

@Pronoun Majesty Boeing won the biggest contract with the B52's, and they still exists as Boeing. Convair got passed around the corporate world like a cheap whore and ended up to eventually being owned by Boeing.

[@wyattwilliams2457]

@@WootTootZoot what about the b-47(also made by Boeing)

[@jimzielbauer6112]

I was born and raised In Tucson, Arizona. Our home was right under the flight path for B-36s flying in and out of Davis-Monthan AFB. The entire house, made of brick, shook when they flew over. The sound of one of them was a deep drone with a pulse in volume about once a second.

[@carlrest6553]

Damn that take off exhausted me! I wasn't sure it was going to make it!

[@msgtpauldfreed]

I marched past one every day I went to tech school at Chanute AFB Illinois from December of 1984 until May of 1985. It was HUGE!!!! After seeing it I devoured every bit of information I could get on it. It was bigger than a B-52, which I thought was amazing. It had more engines, 10 to the Buff's 8. It carried STUPID large nuclear weapons. It carried reconnaissance fighters to and from hostile areas. IT WAS A BEAST! Fascinating bit of history if you look into it.

[@thecraigster8888]

I think you’re talking about the Goblin parasite fighter. They only made a couple of them because it never worked. They do have one at the SAC museum in Nebraska.

[@msgtpauldfreed]

@@thecraigster8888 no, I'm referring to the RF-84 it carried. Program was named FICON.

[@g24thinf]

@@msgtpauldfreed Ficon didn't work too well either. I think they lost a B36 when the F84 failed to uncouple and broke the wing off. Could you imagine being stuck in the F84 for 20 or more hours on a typical mission and having to use the bathroom! Lol

[@thecraigster8888]

Wow, that’s a new program to me. I’ve only heard about the Goblin that is at the SAC museum. According to Wikipedia the fighter pilot was able stay inside the B-36 before getting into his plane when they reached their target.

[@mike89128]

One day as a young boy in the early 1950s, I was playing in a small park on the west side of Chicago when I heard this ear shattering sound. When I looked up a B-36 was making a low level flight directly over my head. It continued on and was out of sight quickly. I found out years later that LeMay had ordered the entire B-36 fleet into the air that day with instructions to fly low and slow over large cities so the people of the US could see what their tax dollars bought and also to generate good will for the Air Force.

[@raykudlak4713]

I replied to an earlier post that around the mid-1950's I saw and heard about 6 or 8 B-36's fly over my house on the near East side of Cleveland, Ohio. Might have been this occasion! Ray

[@hughcapetien]

General LeMay would be rolling in his grave today seeing what his beloved Air Corp has turned into.

[@thecasualcitizen492]

I grew up in Hialeah, Florida just about a mile from the Opalocka and Amelia Earhart field in Miami. In the early 1950's it was common to see and hear the B36 flying very high overhead going to and from Homestead AFB south of us. You could see the vapor trail and make out the airplane and engines on the wings as the planes flew at thousands of feet in altitude. The sound was unique. Will never forget the sound.

[@timguerin7627]

Six turning and 4 burning, beautiful aircraft.

[@raiderfandew]

I remember seeing them fly out of Castle AFB in Merced, California when I was a kid. An unmistakable sound.

[@jenbill]

Another central valley resident I live about 20 miles from Atwater, little to young for this plane it was B52s would see all the time just making a circle around practicing landings and take offs what a sight to see those massive bombers fly over head just a few hundred feet above, the ground would vibrate and conversations you had going just automatically pause until it passed then start like nothing had happened Ahahahaahahah!

[@lesmartinez9804]

Lived just about 2mi. From the AFB Castle your talking about remembering the Touch N Go Training there, was cool watching them from Fox Road coming in and going back up !!! ✈🛬🛫

[@770valiant]

'36 looks wonderful in the last few seconds of this vid, with the contrails in a darkening sky. I have 'SAC' on dvd so am used to the musical score in the background (its been in my brain for as long as i can remember). Nice to hear her bellowing, like a thousand angry elephants lol!

[@hkopcf]

Worked on this big guy for 3 years in the 50's. Amazing machine. When the B36 was taking off had to stop and watch every time. One time on flying status on T.O. outboard flaps did not retract. Had to go from rear compartment thru Bombay and crawl out wing to check fuses. Replace blown fuse and got back. Tried flaps again same condition. Flight aborted. Scared? You betcha.

[@dragonmeddler2152]

The B-36 projected 1950's era U.S. diplomacy everywhere she flew in the world. She commanded respect and awe and helped provide at least a few years of peace and security for the homeland, even though she was never called on to fire a shot in anger. I remember hearing and sometimes actually seeing these great machines flying at very high altitude over my boyhood town in Kansas. When headed west you could hear their low-register note for at least 15 minutes.

[@linuspoindexter106]

I like the takeoff procedure; pitch up to a climb attitude as soon as you have enough elevator authority, and hold it there. She'll fly when she wants to fly. My crusty old CFI taught me that method in a Cessna 150.

[@m1942g]

I witnessed one of these fly over my city on its farewell flight, I think it may have been 1959-1960. Unbelievably loud! Probably never should have been built - it was obsolete even before the prototype flew. Very vulnerable to attack over enemy territory leading to the even more absurd “Goblin” parasite fighter which was intended to be carried along slung underneath the b36 to defend against enemy fighters. Those Convair guys were smoking some pretty strong stuff when they put this togerher.

[@asnrobert]

The design dated back to 1941, when it looked like we might have to fight Germany without England to use as a base, and the USAAF wanted a bomber that could fly to Europe and back from the continental US. Of course, the war was over by the time the prototype flew, and it was obsolete. However, it was put into service because it was the only bomber we had that could fly non-stop from the continental US to the USSR and back without refueling, and until the B-52 entered service, was the only bomber that could carry the first generation H-bombs.

[@suzanneterrey4499]

They flew out of Kirkland AFB in NM and the house would vibrate and dishes would rattle when it flew over the city. It had a beautiful rumble and was so exciting to see when I was 7 yrs. old. Then the flying wing would also fly around the city and land at Kirkland AFB. I only saw 3 of them fly, but it sure was a thrill.

[@robertk.5195]

I have one image in my head - of a formation of these beasts overhead at an air show in Detroit. That and an F-86 diving down and causing a sonic boom! Had to be 1950 - '51.

[@raykudlak4713]

I saw and heard a formation of 6 or 8 of them heading South over my house in the 1950's. They came over Lake Erie at about the suburb of Euclid just East of Cleveland, Ohio. Unforgettable sound and visual of these huge planes. I was about 13 years old. My Dad was employed at Cleve. Pneumatic Tool Co. and machined Landing Gear Struts for B-series Bombers, maybe even those found on those B-36's! Ray

[@joedidonato6977]

Saw one when I was a young kid in North Bergen, NJ. The sound was amazing. You could hear from miles away.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

Scenes from Jimmie Stuart movie, "Strategic Air Command".

[@Mister_Pedantic]

It's "Stewart". FFS, he's a famous public figure.

[@edwardmounsey9208]

Will Shank also a brigadier general

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

Okay, forgive me. I'm old. So there. 😝😜

[@russdority6295]

This won an Oscar for best cinematography

[@davidleaghty2943]

It's free on Pluto tv.

[@geraldoreyna4021]

I was 16 years old when I saw my first B36 fly over Keene, Texas, while I was visiting there in 1958 at South Western 7th Day Adventist seminary, flying out of Carswell Air Force, a SAC. Base at that time, very distinctive sound, and very impressive.

[@janerickson6785]

These flew over Utah quite often. They may have used Hill AFB, not real sure. I was a young boy at the time. I'll always remember the erie drone they made. Thoughts and feelings of the cold war come back when I see this. I don't remember a thumping in the drone of the props and engines. I think that's the sound clip looping over and over.

[@semco72057]

I never got to see one of them while in the Air Force, but worked with one guy who said he worked on that bomber upon entering the Air Force. He said that it took plenty of ammo and it took a long time to get it fully armed.

[@djolley61]

I'd never heard of this aircraft until I was watching a home movie my dad had made while stationed at Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. He was panning the airfield and one of these monsters was taxiing in the background.

[@shirleyjenkin8156]

My brother was a radio operator on a B-36. He loved being able to fly in the plane. He flew all over the world, but was unable to tell about his missions in SAC. 4:01

[@tylerg.2599]

It’s sad that they scrapped all but five of them. I’d love to see one of these big birds fly in person.

[@peterfrisch8373]

I did. It flew into then Port Columbus. Our brick house shook I went into the backyard looked back at our house and saw and felt a B-36. That was over 60 years ago.

[@michaelnaisbitt1639]

The cost of bringing a B 36 back to airworthiness is so prohibitive it will never be done. You are talking millions

[@tylerg.2599]

Michael Naisbitt You have to admit, it would be cool to see one fly. 😉

[@MyRofaith]

Right their with you... I never saw one fly, take off or land except in these videos...

[@BeaRrug66]

Just once?????😉

[@robertreznik9330]

I don't remember a lot about the movie Strategic Air Command but will never forget after a lifetime.

[@jameswsomers]

It's amazing how they captured the exact sound made in flight,remember that sound well.Also an excellent movie.

[@robertmartin1629]

Looks like this takeoff is from Carswell AFB Ft Worth TX. I was stationed there about 3 yrs too late to see the B36's. Had B52's and the B58's was just coming on line on my first tour there.. He' taking off north to south, can see Lake Worth in his swing around to enter the active runway. Great duty there!!!

[@daguard411]

My Dad let me know that Jimmy Stewart was most impressive in that he was certified to fly every aircraft in the USAF inventory. He also let me know that the B 36 only used it's jet engines in take offs and landings. They were turned on for landings in case they had to regain altitude.

[@42lookc]

I love airships. I always did. Not blimps, but the enormous, classic dirigibles of the 1930's. But if I had a choice between seeing the Akron, Macon, or Hindenburg and a B-36 Peacemaker fly over, I'd be *sorely* pressed to make a decision. The Aluminum Overcast was truly a feat of engineering, and a mechanical marvel.

[@johnsayles4316]

My Brother got to Pilot the Aluminum Overcast.

[@philipbrailey]

Even though it’s a clip from the movie, it’s still nice to see. Thanks for posting.

[@lesmartinez9804]

There 1 At Castle Airforce Base in my Home town Atwater Ca. now closed but the Museum is so cool with lits of Fighters and Bombers 2see ! ✈🛫🛬🛩✈

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

There's a good "broken arrow" film involving one of these in Alaska with an A-bomb on board. V interesting story if you don't know it. Frightening plane.

[@indranildey7924]

I believe it was B2.

[@ericstyles3724]

Don't you mean the B- 36 that crashed on Vancouver Island

[@ericstyles3724]

On fire & had its bomb bay doors inoperable w a live one on board. A secret team was sent to "reburn" the wreckage.

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

@@ericstyles3724 Yes, could be. Thought it was more remote, but wasCanada.

[@ericstyles3724]

@@malcolmnicholls2893 i either read about it in "air & space" or "flight journal" & there was a 20m? doc. on here somewhere. a dramatic untold story for many yrs.

[@decay21450]

They have a B-36 in one of the Wright-Patterson AF Museum hangars in Dayton, OH. Amazingly large!

[@silverwiskers7371]

JIMMY STEWART WAS AN AMERICAN TREASURE, HE'S ALSO THE 1 AMERICAN THAT I HAVE THE MOST RESPECT FOR, THAT MAN LIVED A REMARKABLE LIFE TO SAY THE LEAST, THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE HIM, HE'S GONE AND SO IS HIS KIND

[@tiger._.014]

it makes a beautiful noise, it's music to my in addition, it has crazy performances

[@delten-eleven1910]

It would have been amazing to see this behemoth restored and flying.

[@jimmydcap]

Delten -Eleven cost too much to fly !

[@MiltonFindley]

@@jimmydcap -33 tank cars of av gas to fill it up. The were about half the size or less of todays tank cars, but even so nobody has that much aviation gasoline around any more.

[@raulduke6105]

One lived 15 miles from me and I visited it often. Now it’s in Oregon what a beast

[@jamesarmstrong6008]

6 turning and 4 burning. I remember that sound, from when I was much younger.

[@josephdugal4533]

Dad was a dentist Lackland Air Force Base from ‘54 through ‘56, and there was a road around the base that passed by the end of one of the runways. (Maybe the only one long enough for the B-36?) He said if you saw there was B-36 activity, an interesting experience was to drive over to that part of the road, pull over and park, and wait for a B 36 to take off over your head. It would shake your car and get it bouncing up and down on its’ springs.