The Convair B-58 "Hustler"

Timeless, legendary.... and scrapped by the 70s.
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[@seeratlasdtyria4584]

My father was one of the design engineers on the Hustler, and was justifiably proud of the aircraft and his innovative design element contributions to it. Apparently he was not the only one who thought so as he was promptly 'bogarted' from Convair to help put what he had learned, into helping design the Black Bird, which he considered his greatest 'achievement' right up until the Air Force called him away to the mountains of Colorado (where I grew up) and where they asked him to take command of the then struggling engineering teams who couldn't seem to get the nascent Titan Missile out of the silo without exploding and killing a lot of the military and civilian tech personnel in the process. Only a few short months after him assuming control, they not only got it to rocket up out of the silo, but to become the most deadly, accurate, and reliable, not to mention longest serving , ICBM in history- in fact many are STILL there, waiting patiently in their silo's, ready to deliver American 'smack down' to ANY "Penile Potato" (i.e. 'dictator') who decides to initiate a nuclear war....Granted, I am extremely proud of my father, BUT, I am not exaggerating his importance, to not only the United States, but to the Cold War era Western World. His funeral looked like a convention of the then leaders of the fabled, " Military Industrial Complex" :) All of them for a fellow coming from a place where the name of the local newspaper, was, "The Big Pasture News" :) Not bad, Dad, not bad at all :)

[@autobreza7131]

Please accept my deepest appreciation and thanks for your fathers contributions.

[@JinKee]

What was his name?

[@atagaijewere1540]

Respect my full respect

[@Venezolano410]

Yea, right. 🥱

[@JMurph2015]

The Titan missiles have all been retired as far as I know. The USAF only operates the solid fuel Minuteman III's.

[@SteveGillow]

Just as an aside, Singer John Denver's father, Lt Col John “Dutch” Deutschendorf, was a US Air Force pilot who set three international speed records in the B-58 Hustler in 1961.

[@georgesykes394]

Also flew with BG Jimmy Stewart on more than one occasion!

[@netrioter]

Okay...nobody younger than 40 will care

[@duanesamuelson2256]

The record which still stands went from San Francisco to New York and back to LA. This record was set despite having to reduce speed and altitude to refuel. The airforce had a bunch of broken windows on both legs. The plane was very maneuverable, but had an issue that the main wing spars developed stress cracks and replacement was part of routine maintenance.

[@michaelgallagher3640]

@@netrioter Okay...the plane has been out of service for 50+ years...what's your point Douche. 90% of Simon's posts are about centuries old shit......so.

[@rastaboy_gamesnstuff7778]

@@netrioter I'm 35, thought it was a pretty neat fact.. you are very wrong 🧐

[@1959Edsel]

The landing gear has 2 wheels at the nose and 8 on each side. This makes the B-58 the world's fastest 18-wheeler.

[@timothycook2917]

Well, it's not a Peterbilt but I suppose it's fast enough 😁🤣

[@mugilv]

@@timothycook2917 wtf is a peter build

[@rustyATV]

@@mugilv Optimus Prime

[@nicholasmaude6906]

@@mugilv Peterbilt Motors Company ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterbilt ), a big American firm that builds 18-wheeler trucks and other designs.

[@rovercoupe7104]

What is grey and has 16 wheels? M.

[@prsearls]

I was assigned to the B-58's at the 305th Bomb Wing at Bunker Hill AFB in September 1963 thru 1964. I was a weapon's loading crew member. The 58 was a terrific bomber of that era and is one of my all-time favorite aircraft. I have fond memories of them despite freezing during downloading/uploading them in the alert shelters during Indiana winters. I was there during the Broken Arrow accident in December 1964. My next assignment was a bit warmer - Vietnam.

[@JC-ln6on]

Thank you for your sharing your memories and for your service, sir.

[@scooterload]

Welcome home.

[@Rastonification]

My dad flew C-119's out of Bakalar AFB during that time. I remember the sonic booms from the B-58 until they were forbidden. I also remember a B-58 crash somewhere near Wesport, IN or there abouts.

[@lelandgake5357]

@@Rastonification 9th

[@AsbestosMuffins]

yikes, almost getting nuked to going to vietnam

[@alanrogers7090]

I grew up in the 1950's and 1960's listening to the "Sound Of Freedom", aka sonic booms. Living less than twenty miles from an Air Force Base, I saw and heard early jets every day. I got to know each from its own sound. I remember one day hearing a new sound and running outside to see a flight of B-58s flying right over my house. I miss those days. Thanks for jogging my memories.

[@Setebos]

Speaking for myself, I miss sonic booms.

[@gregorydahl]

Thats why tv antennas could only be 35 feet tall i heard

[@larryswanson5953]

I used to lie in the front yard of our house in Orlando and watch B-52s fly over every fifteen minutes during 1972. Most were camouflaged. Also in the landing pattern saw an SR-71 and a U-2.

[@skychief7716]

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AIRCRAFT TO EVER FLY!!! So sleek, so fast, so sure of itself are the only words I can use to describe this wonderful flying machine. I was a teenager in the early 1960’s when I saw my first and only B-58 Hustler streak across the sky. I watched where it went until it was far out of my sight. What an experience that was!!! And I’ve filed that memory safety away to return every time I see or hear something about the B-58. Oh how I wish I could have flown one.

[@Coinz8]

Most beautiful? lol yeah, an ape with make up.

[@miketully9905]

When I was around 7 or 8 years old we got to see a flight of B-58 Hustlers do a supersonic fly by and THAT was impressive. We were told to "look to the east" (out over the Atlantic ocean). And at first we didn't see anything. But then you could just make out a few black dots that seemed to hover motionless just above the horizon. Within a couple of seconds the black dots had swelled silently until they became little more than a group of blurs that flashed past accompanied by the "pitta-pa-BOOM" of their shock waves that seemed to punch you in the chest, and they were gone! Minutes passed, maybe 5 minutes? Before they passed overhead a second time, but this time they were moving slowly enough to actually see what you were looking at, and they were magnificent. Sleek, brilliant silver, and BIG. I'd built models of this beast and had always imagined them to be just a bit bigger that a fighter jet. But they were a lot bigger than that! No one had to tell you that what you were looking at were no puny fighter jets. They looked exactly like what they really were BOMBERS. And impressively sized bombers at that. This was around 1963 or so, and yes I'm that old. And no, I will never forget that day.

[@peterterry398]

Really neat stuff!!

[@dannelson2171]

Man I envy you. The only thing I got to hear back in the 1960's was the announced speed run over and back in the Midwest. Never got to see it and by the time the boom happened it was long gone.

[@michaelwilliams8297]

Before computers, men had slide rules, ingenuity, and BALLS!! One of the the most important design characteristics for an aircraft like the Hustler, the Tu-22 or the B-1 is the appearance of speed and lethality. The 58 paved the way for every supersonic medium bomber flying today.

[@meaders2002]

At age ten I assembled a Revelle plastic model of the Hustler. It was so cool. The year was 1962. John Denver was 18 years old then.

[@spudforyou4124]

Lt COL John O. Barrett was the navigator on the B-58 Greased Lightning flight. He left to fly the F111 at General Dynamics before going to the Pentagon and retiring. The B-58(2059) still exists at the Strategic Air Command museum in Ashland, Ne.

[@tombillard5264]

Coolest looking plane of all time . My first model as a kid

[@MichaelSmith-kr9qw]

Yes it was cool looking until you stand next to the XB-70 Valkyrie then you seen the best looking bomber of all time. It was a shame it wasn't developed further

[@tombillard5264]

@@MichaelSmith-kr9qw nope it looks like something the Concorde crapped out. Too many weird shapes angles

[@Matt_from_Florida]

I built the Lindberg kit with working retractable gear.

[@grievouserror]

@@MichaelSmith-kr9qw Having stood next to both, I think I still give the nod to the Hustler. The Valkyrie reminded me of something out of Star Wars (now known as "A New Hope"), but the B-58 with its wasp waist, delta wing, engine nacelles and aluminum skin was magical.

[@robertemory3620]

Has any of you fellas ever seen or heard of a little black plane I like to call SR-71 .. other times I call it Blackbird. It can blow the doors off each of the planes you cats listed, and you get to wear a “diaper” when you fly those round the globe missions , and you can shit yourself and piss yourself ,. Bonus Plus what other plane sits on the tarmac oozing fuel from its bladders , waiting to launch .? If that ain’t cool , I’ll kiss your ass , and call it ice cream

[@Britcarjunkie]

Back in the late '70's/early '80's, I worked part-time at a skywriting company, based at Long Beach Airport, in California: they mainly flew on weekends and during the summer (they write sentences in the air, using puffs of smoke emitted from 5 aircraft, flying line-abreast), and they had a "pool" of pilots that would fly for them, as their time permitted: some were retired airlines/military, others were still working - either in civilian or military flying jobs. Some were pretty well-known in the aviation community in southern California, and some, I found out much later (in the last 15 years), were living legends. One of their pilots, a really cool guy named Jim, claimed to have flown the Blackbird, and said he was a test pilot for that program, for Lockheed. Of course, being a teenager, I bugged him about how fast/how high the Blackbird could fly (doubting his claim). He actually gave me some numbers for both - the altitude I have seen in print, but the speed he threw at me, I thought he was "full of it", and basically, blew it off. A few months ago, I come to discover via a group on Facebook, that man was none other than Jim Eastham (callsign "Dutch 52") - not only was he the lead test pilot in the Blackbird program (he WROTE the flight manuals for the A-12, for crying out loud!!!), but he also was one of the lead test pilots for Convair, in the B-58 program!!! And, here this guy was, flying old, beat-up (well, they ran like Swiss watches, but they were working planes) AT-6's in his spare time, for a skywriting company, because he loved flying THAT much! He flew for them in his spare time for 20 years, or more...a rinky-dink, little skywriting company, had this man flying for them. I so wish I'd known more about his work back then (it was still classified, of course), and could have chatted with him about it. Thinking back, now that I know there were 3 variants of Blackbird, I wonder which one he gave me the actual top speed for - and I now wonder if he was really serious about it, but having literally written "the book" on them, only he would have known what that plane was truly capable of... Sadly, he passed away several years ago. ☹

[@franciscodanconia45]

One of the few remaining Hustlers is on display at Grissom AFB (formerly Bunker Hill AFB) in Bunker Hill IN just north of Kokomo. The plane is as beautiful as a work of art, if you’re in the area it’s worth a look.

[@2steaksandwiches665]

I’m 41 years old and my grandfather was in the aerospace industry. He had this plane in his office As a lithograph frame. I fell in love with it as a kid. Just absolutely gorgeous

[@joelwright4317]

My dad flew the B-58 in the early/mid 60s with the 305th Bomb Wing at Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana. He absolutely loved it.

[@Onethirtytwo]

The B-58 is a very sharp aircraft. I had a die-cast B-58 model as a kid and it was constantly stabbing me in the hands.

[@garymcaleer6112]

Excellent! Aesthetically, the most kick-ass plane I've ever seen.

[@worldtraveler930]

I'll one up your B-58 with a XB-70!!! 🤠👍

[@fredkruse9444]

@@worldtraveler930 yeah, plus the Avro Vulcan.

[@gviehmann]

For me as a kid it was SR-71 Blackbird > Concorde > Panavia Tornado > Su-27 > F-16 > F-100

[@224Nisqually]

I was a survivor of a B-58 landing. At the Armed Forces Day show at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington DC. The Air Force brought in a B-58 and landed in front of a grandstand full of Congressional staffers and their families. It blew out several tires and skidded dangerously close to the stands. An exciting moment. That was May of 1961. The B-58 left a distinct memory for everyone in the audience. The Army, Navy and Marines all had expensive hardware to show that competed for the same dollars. I can remember one man jet packs, hovercraft, helicopter gunships, tactical missiles, anti-aircraft missile batteries, articulated vehicles, etc.

[@jwright2227]

Thanks for giving some love to the B-58! My grandpa was a B-58 pilot out of Bunker Hill. An absolute beast of a plane with the looks to match

[@paulgracey4697]

"Die young and leave a fabulous looking corpse" seems a more appropriate descriptive of the B-58. I well remember being impressed as an air and spacecraft obsessed teenager with the extreme good looks of this bomber that flew more like an interceptor. I would in time realize along with the majority of aviation enthusiasts that both of these, the F-102 and B-58 had speed on their side, but maneuverability seemed less than optimum. Then there was the fact that speed and altitude was no longer a safe refuge from air defense measures. The defensive interceptor could still function but the offensive bomber design that could not switch to below radar level penetration could not. Yes, a short career indeed, and beauty fades quickly where it cannot smoothly transition to the guile that makes for successful ability in old age. We are left with memories of what it seemed to promise, but could not really deliver. Timeless yes, and also rightly only suited to its brief period in the spotlight.

[@roberthicks1612]

The f-102 and f-106 were never meant to be maneuvered well. They were built with the purpose of interception and launching missiles at a distance. They were also meant to launch a nuclear rocket at large groups of bombers, and get out of range of the blast. Since they did not want the bombers to have a chance to get outside that range, this meant the interceptor had to do a 10 g back flip, and run like the devil was on its tail for the short time it had before the shock wave hit it. The pilots knew they were going to black out and either they would die unconscious wake to safety. As you said, the bomber only had a short time when it was feasible for it to be worth the cost. In my opinion, we are fortunate to have such a beautiful aircraft to show for that short time.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@roberthicks1612 You need to watch Bruce Gordon's channel to learn some things about the F-106 from a guy who flew it extensively.

[@roberthicks1612]

@@RCAvhstape I did not fly them, but I worked on them. Thanks for the information. Sounds very interesting.

[@gregorydahl]

No wings or tail with thin wheel holders spaced far apart could not land like a motircycle i

[@Britcarjunkie]

Everytime I see a pic of a B-58, it reminds me of two songs: "Built For Speed" by The Stray Cats, and "Jesus Built My Hot Rod", by Ministry. 🤘

[@evillemike2009]

The Hustler is an all time fave - up there with the P51, the Fokker Triplane, and the FA18. My ex-FIL was among the first line chiefs when they were deployed at Carswell and Little Rock - said it was a real bitch, but one of the best flying machines he'd ever touched. BTW - details like bears in escape pods and sexy Joan Elms - that's what keeps me comin' back.

[@rogersmith7396]

Lots and lots of humans were killed in the design of ejection seats. The Air Force refused to buy the proven Martin Baker. I read one story where a guy ejected inside a hanger and it took two days to clean up the mess.

[@ellsworth1956]

These beasts were way faster than advertised. A Sargent I was stationed with a long time ago was working the Radar at Minot when a B-58 flew by. He said the radar when Bleep, Bleep Bleep and then it was gone.

[@sproctor1958]

Reminds me of the "Fasest Train" story where 3 men on the platform said: "Here She comes!", "Here She is!", and "There She goes!"... All at the same time...

[@haworthlowell805]

I grew up outside of Kokomo, Indiana, about 35 miles south of Grissum Air Force Base, you could always hear when a B-58 was over head. Beautiful aircraft to watch take off and land; just not exactly what the doctor ordered.

[@Gson...]

Casual aviation enthusiast here, and this is my favorite overall airplane.

[@jimbrown5091]

The B-58 is classic. Put it in the class with the F-4 Phantom, the F-104, and A-5...Cold War monsters that were perfect avatars of their time.

[@kfeltenberger]

A good book written by Radar Navigator/Bombardier is Philip Rowe's "At The Klaxon's Call: What If We Actually Went to War in 1960's" which is a "what if" story of a conflict between the US/Nato and the Soviet Union as told through the eyes of a B-58 crew. It really captures the emotions, fears, and ultimately successes of the crew. Well worth the Kindle read at Amazon.

[@paoloviti6156]

Thanks for the tip, it must be a very interesting book to read....

[@kfeltenberger]

@@paoloviti6156 It is. Unfortunately, I spoke with Mr. Rowe's daughter yesterday and heard that he had recently passed away and that Amazon locked and closed his account.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@kfeltenberger thanks for telling me but I'm sorry to hear that this person has passed away but I'm surprised that Amazon has locked and closed his account!

[@kfeltenberger]

@@paoloviti6156 His family isn't happy. I am talking with his daughter about permission to share what I have; once we have that resolved I'll let you know.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@kfeltenberger I appreciate your efforts and kindness. Best regards....

[@randomobserver8168]

Here in Canada we still talk much of the Avro Arrow, a delta winged interceptor designed to intercept Soviet bombers using nuclear tipped air to air missiles. As much as it was glorious to look at, it too if produced would probably have suffered a fate like the Hustler. Where the Hustler was too small for its role, the Arrow was rather large, but otherwise- overpowered and designed for a mission that had already largely disappeared by the time it might have been produced. Imagine if we'd had a fleet of Arrows that had to be repurposed as multirole air superiority fighters, tactical fighters, ground support or even deep penetration bombers. They'd have been like the F104 Starfighters' tragic story only worse.

[@gregorydahl]

Airplanes are just cheap flimsy hollow paper thin parts . Get iver it . Make another .

[@CrusaderSports250]

Very much like the F111 which had to be repurposed several times before it found its its niche.

[@darlin_pants]

So thrilled to see this! Dad used to fly these back in the day. He's no longer with us but, oh the stories! It's actually still the license plate on the car he passed down.

[@tomcooper6108]

My older brother was a J-79 engine mech on the B-58 out of LRAFB...Little Rock Air Force Base. Heard many stories. And I actually got to see one take off. Loud as fuq!!! Fast as fuq!!! My favorite aircraft of all time.

[@nicholasmaude6906]

The scrapping of most of the B-58s in 1977 was a disgraceful act of vandalism and more of them should've been preserved in museums or as gate guardians.

[@rustyhanna6709]

If I would have worked at one of those scrapyards, I would have tried to keep one.

[@RCAvhstape]

5:55 one thing I love about these aircraft is that even though it's a military contract the company still puts its logo where the crew can see it, such as on the rudder pedals in this shot. Boeing also put their logo on the control yoke of the B-52. It's like buying a Chevy and the bowtie logo is on the steering wheel. Presumably, after delivering their nuclear weapons, the crews would be impressed enough with the product to demonstrate brand loyalty and insist on buying the latest Convair aircraft to get ready for the next nuclear war.

[@RivetGardener]

When I was little I made a plastic model of this plane. I built a B-17 one as well. I thought it would be the most awesome pilot job to fly the Hustler. I still love this bomber. It had many superb designs within it.

[@darrellh1840]

The B-58 has always been one of my favorites. The first one I ever saw was on display at Chanute AFB in late 1974…. It was an Air Force “hot rod”…. I’m sure it’s technology led to many of the developments of aircraft since…. Thanks for the video!!!

[@keithsurdyke2535]

I remember marching past the b58, b36 and b29 on my way to tech school at Chanute in late 1973 and early 1974.

[@darrellh1840]

@@keithsurdyke2535 Yep…Marching at Chanute by those AC….Nov 74 to Jan 75…did I mention in the ice and snow???!!! Coming up on 49 years ago…where did the time go???

[@TisiphonesShadow]

The B-58 pioneered many of the technologies used in later aircraft, and it caused the Soviets to spend insane amounts of money on systems to counter it. It was, indirectly, an incredible success.

[@surf71]

The ‘Hustler’ has always been my favorite AF jet. I first saw it at the AF museum at Wright-Pat and lived it.

[@richardmattingly7000]

The B-58 Ejection Seats were a Nautilus Shell like enclosure that would cover over those in the aircraft to save them from the blast of the super sonic slipstream if they had to exit. The pod covering came down so rapidly that crewmen could risk getting their toes\feet being amputated if they were in the way and it also limited the crews height because of it. Testing the seats with a live occupant was one of the most bizarre programs in aviation history because it principally used Bears as its riders. Their choice came down to having about the same arrangements of internal organs as humans and the Bears were ejected in ground tests and in flight at supersonic speeds. One Bear named Yogi held the record of being the only living being ever to be ejected and survive from an aircraft at over 1K miles an hour during the program. Indeed she took many rides sedated in the B-58 Ejection Pods but didn't get to retire as the Supersonic Bear not because her and the others including some primates died as a result. These Cold War heroes were often killed and and were autopsied after or during testing to see how their organs were effected or damaged for "scientific" purposes and Yogi the fastest of them all did as well.

[@MP-pz9oe]

That sounds like Nazi science, yes, Werner Von Brown ...

[@richarddrum9970]

Another aside....my father worked for the company that produced the power supply for the B-58, he was invited to Edwards AFB to see the aircraft as they were tested. Years later I was in junior high school in NJ when the record breaking B-58 crossed over during its coast to coast flight, what a shock wave that was. Had the opportunity to see one on the ground at an air show at Andrews AFB.

[@irongron]

that's cool as, I was the Wikipedia editor that added the "Adverse Flight Characteristics" sub section and the part about "fuel stacking", made me feel special hearing Mr Whistler mention those in his posh British accent!

[@timengineman2nd714]

"Sometimes when you push the edge of Technology, Technology pushes back!" (forget who said that, but considering with the issues that both the F-22 & F-35 still have, it is obvious still true today!) Also, the idea about the pod was to allow dropping the fuel & bomb pod after releasing the bomb (or later bombs), or even dropping it on the target just after dropping the bomb. This meant that the aircraft would be "cleaner" and therefor faster on the way out, since they figured that both the Soviets and the Chinese would probably be "extremely displeased" by the mushroom clouds popping up over their country!

[@1pcfred]

The Convair B-58 "Hustler" for when your package absolutely has to get there overnight.

[@icalexander]

The B-58 one of the greatest planes ever to fly. Right up there with my personal favorite the Avro Arrow (I'm Canadian so I'm a tad biased)

[@darkknight1340]

I'm British and usually biased towards British aircraft,but the Avro Arrow was incredible and sadly,like our TSR 2,killed off by governmental idiocy!.

[@icalexander]

@@darkknight1340 the British made some amazing aircraft my great uncle flew a Hawker Typhoon and my other great uncle was a navigator in a Handley Page Halifax. The other modern British aircraft I love is the Avro Vulcan that engine howl

[@jaydd7422]

I grew up about 15 miles from Bunker Hill in the 60's and never heard of the "Broken Arrow" there. But our house which was nearly 100 years old had big old single pane double hung wood windows that rattled like crazy whenever the Hustler guys gave us the 'sound of freedom'. As a pre-teen boy I always loved the Hustler!

[@wyattwilliams2457]

My grandpa was a mechanic on these

[@richardmardis2492]

As I kid, I saw one in a museum- in my child’s mind, that became my personal favorite plane. I saw myself piloting this aircraft and flying around to secret destinations and missions. I never did buy one, or even learn to fly- but this will always be my personal aircraft- child’s mind🤣❤️

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:40 - Chapter 1 - Origins 5:15 - Chapter 2 - Design elements & weapons 6:55 - Chapter 3 - Animal testings & sexy voices 9:05 - Chapter 4 - Design flaws 10:40 - Chapter 5 - Mishaps & accidents 11:55 - Chapter 6 - World records 12:35 - Chapter 7 - The last hustle - Chapter 8 -

[@Damons-Old-Soul]

#PinThis

[@mattholland8966]

When I was a young kid I saw one of these in its full glory. This would have been in the 60,s She may have been designed to be a high altitude bomber, but when I saw it she was silent several hundred feet up and impressive as all get out. Once she went by the sound followed and it was loud. I think it may have been a mock war game going on. The best I can figure they were.making a run to get by Charleston Hill radar location to get to Dow air force base in Bangor Maine. I lived 20 miles from the radar station and Dow was 20 miles beyond that. But I will say it was amazing to see it. Hear it and experience it.

[@bcgrittner8076]

I remember my first sonic boom in the early 60’s. It just about scared me to death. My father told me what it was and then told me to look up (CAVU). A tiny speck was moving across the sky at great speed. That was unforgettable.

[@rms-vp6hf]

It was a masterpiece. Thank you for not comparing it to contemporary aircraft. The threat it posed and the direction it took US aviation and missile technology shouldn’t be underestimated.

[@andreaslermen2008]

3rd coolest plane from the cold war. The other two are the SR-71 and the XB-70 Valkyrie. Considering how much brain power was needed to engineer them, todays planes feels like stone age.

[@summerkagan6049]

Also beautiful was the A-5 Vigilante and the F-105 Thunderchief

[@kousand9917]

I mean we don't know the full extent of designing of today's planes plus the vtol on the F-35 is pure genius

[@potatofuryy]

The ekranoplan was really cool too

[@petrhanak862]

@@summerkagan6049 F-105 is cool and all, but F-104 always win for me. I know the reality, but Hustler and Starfighter just are ment to be next to each other.

[@rhyangautreaux4499]

The f-35 required some pretty big brain power though.

[@artisan002]

Never thought I'd get to say this: You missed something. LOL! My dad was a mechanic in the nuclear bomber wing of the Air Force. He was stationed at Mountain Home AFB, in Idaho. They had been home to B-58s, as well as the B-47 and B-52. And he has told me of one particular quirk of the B-58 everyone hated (especially by ground crew).... The tl/dr summary: The Hustler would fall on it's tail! (Just Google "Unbalanced B-58") As my dad explained it, fueling the Hustler the same way they did any other jet would send fuel to the aft cell before the others. The result was very cartoonish; the plane would suddenly tilt back on it's main gears and bang the tail into the pavement, dealing significant damage to itself. Evidently, you could fill different fuel cells individually in order to defeat this design flaw. But, that took more time. And ground crew at nuclear air bases didn't really have time to spare. The best quick fix they could rely on was a rope with some cinder blocks on it to effectively lash down the front of the plane... All that money, for a nuclear armed dipping bird. Oh yeah! And there was an unfounded myth that one could fly the wings off the plane if you flew too fast! Strictly a kind of urban legend, but even I heard people claim it as fact in the '80s.

[@seangleason260]

One thing I like about these videos is how they vary in subject matter and topic, im not a big aviation person but watching these videos that are outside of my core interests I feel has definitely made me a bit more well rounded and I've found new subject matter and topics that I've found myself finding more intriguing that I I before

[@jerrydiem7755]

I saw this plane at Chanute a.f.b.in Illinois in1969.I was training to be an Egress systems mechanic.this was what the Air Force called the mechanics who worked on ejection seats.We were given a course that explained it's egress system.The pilot and his co pilot would punch out at very high altitudes encapsulated in a capsule that would protect him from the cold and thin oxygen.I believe that at s certain altitude he would finish the trip in an ejection seat that would push him out of the seat with an inertia reel, allowing him to deploy his parachute.The inertia reel was later adapted by the auto industry when creating the seat belt.

[@oldguy1528]

You say "Timeless", I say "BAD ASS' !!!" I wish I still had the model I built when I was a kid !

[@2528drevas]

A friend my Dad, a guy named Bob Stillwell, worked on the development of this plane. He told a story to us when I was a kid that illustrated its speed perfectly.

[@cpthornman]

I grew up not far from Dayton OH and I always loved getting to see the B-58 they have on display at the Air Force museum. What an amazing aircraft.

[@reidbronson6358]

As a kid, I was enthralled with the B-58 Hustler. Hollywood used the B-58 as a stand-in for the “Vindicator” bomber in the movie, Fail-Safe staring Henry Fonda. I went straight home from the theatre and hid under my bed. I was so terrified of nuclear war. Great movie. Great plane. Funny coincidence: my son is on the team building a new plane. It’s big. It’s black. And it’s in the shape of a triangle. That plane. Small world.

[@neilgibson9959]

Hi, if it was possible to enjoy a movie about (almost) the end of the world, then FailSafe was it. It seems that, the difficulty that pilots had flying the B-58, was embodied in that movie... difficult to go through, like riding a scary rollercoaster... but, when it's done... you finish satisfied. A masterfully done movie, and, yes, those images of the B-58 were scary as anything... Also, the perceived effect of dropping 2 20 megaton gravity bombs on NYC, (as was portrayed in the movie), as an appeasement to avoid Global Thermonuclear War, is mind blowing, all in itself. The radiation from 2 bombs would have gone from Boston to the Carolinas, and, even with Easterly blowing weather patterns, gone west to central Pennsylvania... Now, THAT'S scary. 1/3 of America would be destroyed, or uninhabitable, with just 2 weapons. 50 years to begin to recover. Scary.

[@DriveByShouting]

I’d love to see you do an in depth video on the F-20 ‘Tigershark’. According to many, an outstanding fighter developed from the F-5 Tiger. It was so good that it gave the F-16 a run for its money.

[@Old_B52H_Gunner]

The defensive fire control system aka tail gun on the B58 is very similar and the predecessor to the one I used in the B52H model, it was extremely cutting edge when the B58 came out.

[@michaelniemeyer6164]

My dad was 3rd seat DSO at Carswell and Little Rock AFB.

[@is4737]

Hustler definitely brings back memories from when I was a teenager. Obtaining the bloody thing.. Finding a hideout to read in secrecy.. The chrome pages... the pretty "ladies".. the readers' letters.. and all the resulting liquids released.. ha ha .. Thank you, Larry, for spicing up my teen years 😁😀😉

[@jitterysquirrel76]

Yes!! It’s about time you profiled this beauty!

[@DanielBrown-sn9op]

Legendary. Short reign. Beautiful.

[@davidkuder4356]

Wondered what happened to those B-58 guys. Great intel & historical perspective. Thanks for sharing...

[@Real_Claudy_Focan]

FINALLY ! The "silver surfer"

[@davidadams9849]

I can't believe that your researchers didn't include the fact that the B-58 was tested to fire ballistic missles...something no other bomber has ever done.

[@TakeDeadAim]

My grandfather was a lead EE for the newly designed terrain following radar in the B-58. He spent a lot of time between Carswell and Wright Patterson where they did a lot of research at that time. He even got to ride in one flying from California back to Ft Worth. I still have many items regarding the Hustler from his estate. Things like B-58 shaped tie tacks, cuff links, pictures, manuals and such. Even have a J-79 tie tack as well. My father grew up in a house just south of the main Carswell runway and said that although the B-36 was louder, the B-58's really rattled the walls when taking off at full A/B.! Oh, fun fact; Jimmy Stewart had always wanted to go supersonic so he showed up at Carswell and they put him in the back, took of a B-58, took him up over Oklahoma/Arkansas and brought him back an hour later! He always said that along with the F-111(which by that time he was the liaison EE for GD/USAF equivalent to a "bird" colonel), the reason for so many issues was that they were both testbeds as much as front line aircraft. They were very much groundbreaking for their time. He retired after 30 years in 1972 having started with Consolidated at the beginning of WWII.

[@dwightsmith4641]

Strangely enough my father got extensively angry at me when I told him about the radar terrain following on that aircraft. My father was a flight test engineer on the B-58 (Convair later General Dynamics) and he told me B.A. Erickson, and Ted Tate would have shot me had I brought it up. I met many of the test pilots and attended some funerals as a result of that aircraft. We moved like Gypsies because of that aircraft’s testing phases. Later we did the same thing for the F111. I can’t tell you how many people I have met who were employees of General Dynamics. My father was the 97th member of the Mach 2 club. I forget which number was assigned to Jimmy Stewart. All my best to your Grandfather though I would bet he has passed as my father has.

[@adamtheninjasmith2985]

It's so crazy because the way the aircraft industry like many others works and even more so used to work like that. Many smaller companies supporting the larger ones. That's why Boeing leaving Wichita back in the day was such a big deal. Yeah Boeing left and that took a lot of jobs away from highly paid skilled workers. Then the companies that used to supply them didn't have anyone to supply anymore and they went under losing even more jobs for well paid skilled workers. It was devastating and Wichita is still recovering from it to this day. It affected the entire economy. Less people with less money trickles down to affect everything. I say this as someone who was actually impacted by it. Trust me trying to find a job as a welder fresh out of school in a job market that's flooded with extremely skilled and experienced people with no jobs is hard! Hell I literally had a guy with 15 years of experience as a foreman with boeing hand me an application and resume for a management position at McDonald's because he was desperate and couldn't pay his bills...

[@rabidlenny7221]

Great topic. The B-58 has always fascinated me for its capabilities and not withstanding its era. It was truly an impressive machine. Great topic.

[@johnwallace4797]

When I was stationed at Chanute AFB in the 1970's we had one on static display. I understand it eventually wound up in some museum...

[@jasonpeacock9735]

It’s been moved to the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California

[@ellsworth1956]

I was at Chanute in the late 70's. There was one in Keesler when I was there. i remember taking a photo or two of it.

[@Dan......O]

Probably one of the best videos of the b58

[@BooDamnHoo]

Back in 86 I was in Navigator School at Mather AFB in Cali. At that time we STILL learned how to use some of the equipment from the B-58. I fondly remember the astro-tracker, the automatic star tracker for celestial nav.

[@bronsonstrange3827]

So glad to finally see this aircraft covered! Keep up the great videos, Simon!

[@tubebobwil]

B-58 single most archetypical looking bomber, together with the Starfighter, are what every kid growing up would draw when thinking bomber and fighter.

[@johnkress2360]

There's a ( re-constructed) B-58 Hustler sitting at the entrance to Kelly AFB, in San Antonio, TX, now City Base. It was blown apart by a small tornado. It looks impressive from the road.

[@nathanmeece9794]

My late Uncle Charles P. Creech served on B58s at Little Rock Air Force Base. He was a defensive system officer if this is the correct term. After he retired from the USAF as a Lieutenant Colonel he worked for the company that built the B2 Stealth Bombers

[@claytonblanchard4451]

Great video, thanks. As a ten year old, I lived directly off the end of the Carswell AFB runway with the B-58s rattling the windows as they flew over at 1000ft or less.

[@IrishMike22]

I will never get tired of hearing the military excuses for, well anything. "The bear had a pre-existing brain injury; we spoke to his wife and personal doctor post-incident and have since determined fkn Yogi here was at fault. Please accept our deepest and most sincere condolences during this difficult time."

[@timothycook2917]

Yes, and unfortunately, due to the pre-existing condition, his wife and cubs were not eligible for survivors benefits

[@IrishMike22]

@@timothycook2917 Naturally 🤣

[@williamjeffreys2980]

The B-58 was the first model I ever assembled as a kid. Sonic booms were a daily occurrence back then :)

[@christianoakley1686]

Without doubt my favourite aircraft ever. Spectacular looks with spectacular performance. It is just awesome. Thanks Megaprojects.

[@rixxroxxk1620]

Without a doubt, my favorite jet ever! It’s jet engines were also modified and used on Convair 880’s and 990’s. Those passenger jets were capable of supersonic flight, however, the jet bodies weren’t made for it. Nice to see fact boy merging Brain Blaze and mega projects with “allegedly” and “BIG COINCIDENCE”🤣

[@tootired76]

I was a small boy in the early 60s in a north suburb of Minneapolis and we frequently heard sonic booms. The only information I could find about supersonic aircraft over flying then was the B 58 practicing bombing runs.

[@lonfowler9843]

As Mr Gillow mentioned, Denver's Dad did these feats while based in Fort Worth. Fitting, as all B-58s were built in Fort Worth.

[@camdenharper7244]

Fun fact. "Greesed Lighting". Is on display at the SAC museum in Ashland Nebraska

[@garnermcculloch2778]

Me of my favorite planes when I was a kid. I never thought planes would ever look cooler.

[@trespire]

First time I've heard the J79 described as small !

[@dave20thmay]

Remember hearing the Hustlers doing engine runs on the Peru airforce base in March 1966. Very ghostly sound, with a sudden shut off.

[@robbrannen193]

Been waiting for this one. One of the sexiest aircraft of all time.

[@raynus1160]

B-58 fun factoid: B-58A's (operational bombers) had the Stanley ejection capsules. TB-58's (trainers) were equipped with conventional ejection seats.

[@dmk0210]

B-58 Hustler: The sexiest weapon of mass destruction ever.

[@RMSTitanicWSL]

The sad thing is that the B-58 was actually far more cost-effective and maneuverable than the B-52. The numbers were jimmied to ignore a bunch of costs and not properly reflect them. Fuel consumption was seriously exaggerated, too. It was also substantially more combat-ready than the B-52, and had a much quicker response time. The reality is the heavy bomber faction in the USAF was determined to keep the B-52 at all costs, and did.

[@jeffagain7516]

Thank-you Sir. Today I've watched many of your aircraft vids and I very much appreciate the details and pics you provide in addition to the short synopsis on each ac's history. Enough to subscribe! (and I very rarely subscribe on YT.) I've always adored the exceptionally beautiful lines on the Hustler and it's on my short list of fave aircraft. Knowing (firsthand) what the J-79 engine is capable of (i,e, the Starfighter), to think of 4 of them on one craft is quite titillating. Ta!

[@The_Raven_]

This plan as a kid was my dream too fly. 20 years later now I'm a pilot :) getting my commercial license now

[@allensanders5535]

I remember the fire at Grissom AFB in 68 I grew up about 8mi. of the end of runway 05/23. the B 58s and KC 135s flew right over our house continually night and day in the 60s & 70s. and by the way they never let us in on how close we were to being vaporized didn't find out till years later.

[@comradeiosif2794]

If you're in the central valley of California, the Castle Air Museum of Atwater is restoring a B-58 for display.

[@user-lc1nm3me3f]

A Hustler sits at the entrance of NAS Boca Chica. Key West Florida. A beautiful aircraft without a doubt ! Looks like its going a 1000mph sitting still !

[@danielocarey9392]

A correction: the B-58 had a skin on wings and fuselagesandwiched with fiberglass, not aluminum and fiberglass. They were heavy. But they certainly were strong. My father was a Convair engineer.

[@Joepacker]

The one thing you forgot to mention is it's one of the the most beautiful aircraft ever made

[@ThePaulv12]

A couple of things worthy of mention was the application of Whitcomb's Area Rule is shown of to great effect in the B58. A design que that that was incorporated from a Coke bottle to car shapes. You can see it in the B58 as the narrowing taper in the fuselage at about the mean wing chord area. Another thing worthy of mention is the mid 1950s J79 engine. It is so mechanically correct that it's still used today. Like the B58 it is a masterpiece of engineering. 'Only' single spool - today we'd call it old school. None of this bypass air, core injecting twin and triple spool hipster rubbish - no a simple single shaft jet engine with 17 compressor stages, variable inlet guide vanes, variable pitch stators and a 3 stage turbine section. A very excellent engine with a distinctive howl at certain throttle positions. Apparently no one knows why they howl like that adding to the mystique of the engine. You gotta love mystique. I actually don't want to know why it howls because it's like knowing the secret of your favourite magic trick; once known it's ruined forever. The other thing that helped to B58 to a short service life was the 150hr maintenance regime per flight hour. This sounds like a lot and it is but recently I was reading the maintenance requirements of a WW2 era Sherman tank on Wikipedia and I can say the B58 maintenance regime is perhaps inline with older tech of WW2 era tanks rather than other aircraft that were B58 contemporaries. The flight computer must've been powered by valves or vacuum tubes. Transistors weren't mature tech yet. Imagine that! On KZbin there's a low altitude declassified vid of a B58 with in cockpit footage. You show part of the footage. It's worth looking at the airspeed indicator while it has terrain following radar on. I think it's reading 800knots indicated in one scene. That is incredibly fast. Very few aircraft built have ever been able to sustain that speed at low altitude. F111 was one. I'm no expert I just happen to really really like two Cold war jets - the B58 and the EE Lightning. Both those aircraft have this audacity that imagination can create if given half a chance. With hindsight, both impractical, both masterpieces, both dramatic looks consistent with form follows function design, both very fast. The B58s according to Wikipedia there's 8 display survivors. That's 8 better than none but I have seen a couple of vids of aircraft graveyards and have been amazed that I spotted some other B58s albeit in various states of disassembly so I think there's more out there than just the display aircraft listed on Wikipedia.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

Part of the service time vs flight time is it ate main wing spars. Stress cracks would develop and they would be replaced. Eats up a lot of time to do this every 1000 hours of flight or so. The terrain following radar/avionics of the B58 was the bases of the F111 system..

[@scottyford4224]

I live two miles from Carswell AFB. We have the F35 being built and flown out of here now.

[@stefanwilliams1687]

Another excellent honest balanced video. Your videos are the very best Simon, thanks again to you and your team.