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From: tackett@wivax.UUCP (Raymond Tackett)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: B-36 and the Flying Wing (nostalgia)
Message-ID: <19825@wivax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Aug-84 17:26:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: wivax.19825
Posted: Sun Aug 26 17:26:18 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Aug-84 19:09:36 EDT
References: <12777@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: Wang Institute, Tyngsboro, Ma.  01879
Lines: 31

Love that nostalgia!  For those of you aren't old enough to remember
piston engines, the B-36 was originally all piston powered.  The jets
were added to the B-36D.

The B-36 was used as "mother ship" to some other aircraft.  At one 
time there was a specially built fighter which could be launched and
maybe even retrieved via the bomb bay.  This was an early answer to
the relative useleness of .50 caliber turrets against jet fighters.
The experiment was also tried with an F-84 Thunderjet, although the
wings protruded from under the B-36 fuselage.

Some years later, a B-36D was used to transport a B-58 Hustler 
(supersonic delta wing bomber).  The props had to be removed from the
inboard engines to clear the B-58 wings.  Anybody remember why this
was done?  I seem to remember B-58's flying under their own power without
air launch.

You can see a B-36 and lots of other exciting goodies at the Air Force
Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Fairborn, Ohio (near Dayton).  Anybody 
know if the Confederate Air Force has one?


P.S.  The new bomber in the movie was the Boeing B-47.  The B-49 was the
jet powered flying wing.  There was also a propeller driven flying wing
in the B-3x range -- B-35 I think.


-- 
			  Random Access is IMMORAL!                     

                                   Ray Tackett