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| The first intercontinental bomber, the Convair B-36 originated from a specification issued on 11 April 1941 which called for an aircraft with ability to carry a maximum bombload of 32659kg and, of even greater importance in view of the state of affairs at that time, to deliver 4536kg of bombs on European targets from bases in the United States. An unrefuelled range of 16093km was a prime requirement, with a maximum speed of 386-483km/h and ceiling of 10670m. Selected from four competing designs, the Consolidated Model 36 featured a pressurised fuselage, and 70.10m span wings with a root thickness of 1.83m to permit in-flight access to the six pusher engines. The aircraft was designed originally with twin fins and rudders, but by the time the XB-36 prototype was ready to be rolled out at Fort Worth, on 8 September 1945, single vertical tail surfaces had been substituted.
First flown on 8 August 1946, the XB-36 had single 2.79m diameter main wheels, also a feature of the YB-36 second prototype on which they were replaced later by the four-wheeled bogies adopted for production aircraft. In this form the aircraft was designated YB-36A and also differed from the first aircraft by introducing a raised cockpit roof. On 23 July 1943 100 aircraft were ordered but it was more than four years before the first of the 22 unarmed crew-trainer B-36A models took off on its maiden flight, on 28 August 1947. Production of the B-36 continued for almost seven years, the last example being delivered to Strategic Air Command on 14 August 1954, and the type was retired finally on 12 February 1959.
| CREW | 16 |
| ENGINE | 6 x P+W R-4360, 2575kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 162162 kg | 357508 lb |
| Empty weight | 72051 kg | 158846 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 70.1 m | 230 ft 0 in |
| Length | 49.4 m | 162 ft 1 in |
| Height | 14.3 m | 47 ft 11 in |
| Wing area | 443.3 m2 | 4771.64 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 696 km/h | 432 mph |
| Cruise speed | 362 km/h | 225 mph |
| Ceiling | 13700 m | 44950 ft |
| Range w/max.fuel | 16000 km | 9942 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 12-16 20mm machine-guns, 32600kg of bombs |
| Alec Stone, e-mail, 02.01.2012 15:00 RE-The Plane crash at Nut Cove nl. Canada march 1953.Our house was seperated from the crash by just a small body of water.There is one man who knows as much about that crash as anyone,as he and his cousin was the first two people along with two U.S. Military personal at the crash site,he was also involved with the task of locating bodies and the cleanup of the site.With so many stories written and told it is unfortunate that nobody took the time to interview this man.he was also the last man to leave the site before it was open to the public.That man is my father Martin Stone.He is still alive today at 95 and can recall the event as it happened yesterday. reply | | Arthur Solomon, e-mail, 19.12.2011 19:13 I was stationed at Fairchild 1953-1955. I worked on the A-10 power units for the B36. The B36 is now on display at the Pima Air Museum in
Tucson. reply | | Jim f, e-mail, 18.12.2011 21:17 I was going through tec school at Lowery AFB, Denver as a ammunitions spcl. And heard a story of a B36 that made a emergency landing at Lowery. Because of the high altitude, the B36 couldn't take off. Matos racks were attached and as the plane made a T /O attempt, the rack broke and swiveled and the Jatos burned the tail off the plane and it crashed.
Can anyone verify this story ? reply | | Frank Anderson, e-mail, 29.11.2011 06:31 A relative was on this flight at Egland AFB. He said there was a film made of the flight. Is there a copy out there anywhere he can acquire? reply | |
| | roger stigney, e-mail, 12.11.2011 22:17 I would like to contact JERRY HARDESTY who made a post on 24.09.2011 regarding Biggs AFB. Please contact me via this forum or email me at rstigney@hotmail.com or call me at 763 786-3156. Thanks, Roger reply | | roger stigney, e-mail, 07.11.2011 17:53 A recent posting commented on the RB-36s that he remembered while being stationed at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico during the 1950s, some 50 plus years ago. I also would like to add a few comments as well. At that time Ramey AFB was home to the 72nd Strategic Reconnaissance /Bombardment Wing. It consisted of three recon /bomb squadrons, the 60th, 73rd, and 301st. The YB-36A mentioned was the first B-36 to have the eight wheel undercarriage and the bubble canopy above the cockpit. This was aircraft number 571 and was assigned to the 60th bomb squadron. The complete number was 42-13571. It was later upgraded to a RB-36E and subsequently featherweighted. It is my understanding that this aircraft was on display at the Wright Paterson Air Museum until 1971 when it scrapped and replaced by a B-36J model at their new air museum. I was a crew member on aircraft number 571 and would like to hear from any others that were associated with it. This forum brought back a lot of memories on this now historic aircraft. reply | | roger stigney, e-mail, 28.10.2011 20:47 I was a Radio /ECM /Gunner with the 60th Bomb Sqdn, Ramey AFB in the mid 50s. I had a lot of adventures on this aircraft. Some more noteably ones are a rapid decompression event when a gun blister blew off, an engine that burned until it fell off the aircraft, a very heavy bomb that we had to jettison because of engine problems and tracking a UFO both visually and by radar (or perhaps it was tracking us), I'm not sure. Any other ex crew members see any UFOs? reply | | Donald Smith, e-mail, 25.10.2011 21:44 I enlisted in 1950 twoweeks after high school graduation and following basic training, I went to A&E School at Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa. Folling that I was assigned to Sheppard AFB, where I was a tech instructor on the B-36 from 1951 till it phased out. Sent students all over to the SAC bases with B-36's. reply | | marvin harthcock, e-mail, 18.10.2011 03:30 I was NCOIC flight line comm /nav at Ramey AFB, PuertoRico in the late 1950's. We had a Recon wing (305th) of RB36s. Among them was 4923571. It is my understanding that this bird was the original YB36 with the first eight wheel undercarriage. If an aircraft with R4360's on it flew over right now I would recognize it! These aircraft were awesome, to say the least! reply | | Jerry, e-mail, 24.09.2011 02:12 I flew the B-36 at Biggs AFB. I remember the Ops office coming out to the aircraft after I had flown a 20 hour flight, and told me not to go to operations. Instead I was told to load my gear on another B-36 and fly four hours of transition flying at Biggs AFB and El Paso international. Had to fill all those squares!!! I fell asleep with my eyes wide open on the drive home. Drove into the back of a truck with my brand new 1955 red /white Chevy convertable. Another time, we were receiving a flight check from a standardization crew. When we took off, the left main gear didn't come all the way up so we recycled it. It went down, but did not lock so about five of us went out into the wind. There we tied a rope around the engineers waist, lowered him into the wheel well and he beat the downlock over center with a crow bar while we circled at 3000 feet over the El Paso desert. When we got it down, we called the control center and they said to fly the rest of the mission with the gear down so we flew the remaining 17 hours of the 20 hour mission with the gear hanging. Ah yes, those were the days. reply | | Randy Dellis, e-mail, 30.05.2011 00:08 After munitions school at Lowry AFB in Denver, I was stationed at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas, (my home town). As part of the 824th Supply Sqdn. the munition section furnished all the 20MM ammunition, practice bombs. and nukes for both the 7th and 11th Bomb Wings of B-36s. Our job with the ammunition was to make certain that all the brass was "in alignment" so that it would feed through the guns. With two bomb wings of B-36s, each taking 9,200 rounds of 20MM, we handled a lot of ammo. After 18 or 19 months at Carswell, I was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Depot Squadron at Andersen AFB on Guam. I arrived there in September, 1955 after a two week trip across the Pacific aboard the U.S.N.S. General D.E. Aultman (the cattle tub of the pacific). On Guam, we handled only the nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. The B-36s there were on TDY and in July, 1956, we received the first TDY B-47s. We also had to train to load nukes on them as well. I made Staff Sergeant and wanted to re-up, but got out and married instead. I must say that I enjoyed my service time and especially my time on Guam. Oh, by the way, I married in May, 1957 and as I write this, my wife and I have been married 54 years. I guess I made a good choice after all. reply | | bombardier, e-mail, 25.05.2011 10:33 The equivalent to the Tu-95 but larger reply | | Terry Smith, e-mail, 25.04.2011 23:42 Hi All, I was wondering where I can find info about my uncle
Calvin Johnson Grubbs He was a radio operator on one of these
massive bombers...and it was because of him I joined the Air
Force in the first place ad I worked on C141 a /b models then
F-16's A,B,C,D upto block 40 Fighters.
Thanks in advance for any information.
I heard in his stories Fairbanks, Alaska, and Biloxi, Mississippi and also Anderson, Guam where he sometimes strapped a motorcycle on a bombay door as they went to different places.... I am not sure of any other areas or bases. reply | | Fausto DelGrosso, e-mail, 13.04.2011 17:01 To Miller Graf. I knew your crew pretty well, particularly Dave Reese. A very interesting critter to say the least. We hoisted a few now and then at The Outpost, and various other establishments. Them were truely "the days" I think I thawed out about 1997. reply |
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| | Dave Phemister, e-mail, 02.04.2011 22:42 When we lived in Port Angeles,WA, we couldn't wait for the B-36's to fly over, which they did every day. They would rattle everything in the house and mom would curse them for shaking things off the shelves. I coundn't wait for the fly-overs and would sit on the front porch waiting for it to happen. I will never forget those fun times or the sound they made. reply | | Ray Sanderford, e-mail, 28.03.2011 18:40 I notice a couple of guys are interested in the "broken arrow" crash of a B-36 in Canada, the flight originating in Faibanks AK Feb. 13, 1950.
There's a story of this incident in the Dec. 2000 issue of "Flight Journal" magazine. reply | | Ken Hoppens, e-mail, 19.03.2011 19:01 This is to Robert Jones who left a comment in 08. He was the crew chief of one of the B-36 coming home from the Azoures on March 18, 1953. I hope I will be able to contact you. I was only 8 days old when the B-36 crashed in NL. My father was on that flight. I'm hoping on visiting the site within next few years. I have been in contact with General Ellsworth son who has a summer home near the site. reply |
| Miller Graf, e-mail, 13.03.2011 19:43 Was stationed at Loring AFB 1953-56 as APE on crew S-10 Maj Clem Maloney as A /C, Jim Spearman as CP, Jake Demond as Nav, Pete Kolmenick as RBN, Dave Reese as 3rd Nav inter alia. Went on to B-52 at Westover. The B-36 was the greatest! reply | | gorton j thomas, e-mail, 12.03.2011 15:49 dear old B36s. i was at hunter a.f.b in GA.. when a B 36 landed with two engines feathered. thats when i made up my mine i wanted to work on them. after leaving Sheppard a.f.b. i went to Biggs a.f.b TX. where i crewed b36s for 6 years. i can rember the lost feeling when the last one was sent to ft worth on it final flt. i then went to NC.. on b52s. reply | | James F Miller, e-mail, 12.03.2011 01:30 I was called back Aug 7 1950 got assigned to Rapid City, I had a bombsight and auto pilot MOS 514 they sent me to school for the new auto pilot on the B36. If the auto pilot did not work there was all hell to pay. The cockpit was bigger than our den. We had one bomb bay converted to photo recon. We had coal fired hot water heaters not very good, Gen. Lamay was on base and asked what we wanted. Plumbers were out the next week.
I still remember using the carrier front to back.
I was 22 going to transfer to Florida State where it was warm, but never happened, they sent me to Endland, doing nothing at Warrington AFB except dancing with the local girls at the NCO club. reply |
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Ken Hoppens
I pray that you are still alive and kicking and regret that it took me so long to discover Virtual Aircraft Museum; now I'm hooked, and pleased to see your three posts on the B-36 page. As they say, we go back a long way: from
"Muldoon" in '52, with "McGoo" and the iron bird; to Ellington, Mather, and Loring. What a trip! May God bless you, wherever you are. Hans.
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