B-36 Over Fort Worth

[Tannerm]

Merely a question. Thanks for explaining it.

You are most welcome. Now get back to work!

[46Tbird]

Thats one funky looking inverted purpolsion (sp) plane. Never heard of a B36 and I love old 30-50 aircraft. Had to google for reference.

You never heard of a B-36? Aren't you FWPD?

[Tannerm]

You never heard of a B-36? Aren't you FWPD?

No sir. And no to FWPD. Once I saw it on google I remembered it but just never heard of a B36...

[blownragtop]

Me and my mom circa 1970. This 36 was located at the old Greater Southwest International Airport off of 360 and 183.

[Gtracer]

Me and my mom circa 1970. This 36 was located at the old Greater Southwest International Airport off of 360 and 183.

Cool thing is that part of the runway is still there. Kinda cool driving past and knowing what used to be there.

[46Tbird]

You must be old! That is the last B-36 built, B-36J City of Fort Worth, and it left Greater-Southwest in 1969. The foundation that was preserving it wanted to fly it to Meacham, but the USAF stopped them cold. So they drug its carcass over to the entrance of the General Dynamics plant at Carswell (now Lockheed at the JRB). A few teams at GD and Lockheed were "restoring" it in their free time, but progress was really slow and it was missing a lot of parts.

It was semi-restored but still in pieces when they decided that it was just too much to deal with. They donated it to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson AZ. I went there about two years ago but the plane was not on display. It looks great now, even though the paint job is pretty far from what it had (or what any B-36 had) when it served.

Here's a pic from 2008.

[white trash wagon]

They used wind tunnels to figure out how to cool a three-row radial in a pusher configuration.

Actually Danny, the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 was a 4-row, 28 cylinder engine.

It's my favorite aircraft engine. 4360 cubic inches, 4 rows of 7 cylinders, 56 spark plugs, roller cam rings, roller rockers, direct fuel injection, a centrifugal supercharger, 2 turbochargers, intercoolers, aftercoolers, and water alcohol injection. The R-4360-53 could maintain 3800HP up to 45,000 feet.

[Treadhead]

Awesome video. Wish it some sound to it though.
Danny, I remember that B36 at the gate to GD. Never heard what happemed to it. Thanks for that bit of info. Glad they finally got it together.

[Downs]

The Corncob :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-4360_Wasp_Major

[46Tbird]

Actually Danny, the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 was a 4-row, 28 cylinder engine.

You are correct. I blame CRS. But they did do extensive testing to figure out how to cool it.

[white trash wagon]

You are correct. I blame CRS. But they did do extensive testing to figure out how to cool it.

Danny, I just figured you finger slipped off the "4" & hit the "3".

I've got a half dozen books on the B-36, 2 on the the P&W R-4360....including the overhaul manual. About 23 years ago I met Beryl Erickson, the Convair test pilot who flew the XB-36 & all subsequent models.

[JP135]

Me and my mom circa 1970. This 36 was located at the old Greater Southwest International Airport off of 360 and 183.

Awesome pic, man. GSW was a cool place back in the day.

Thanks for the video. I miss the old of Fort Worth.