Hydrogen bomb nearly detonated in S. Carolina in 1961

[46Tbird]

The B-36 was an Unreliable piece of crap. Whoever decided it should carry nuclear weapons should be bitch slapped.

Remember that thermonuclear war we had with Russia during the '50s? No? Well you can thank the B36 for some part of that. Those "unreliable pieces of crap" were the 'big stick' that kept the Soviets in check.

The B36's reliability was pretty damned good considering it was the most complex aircraft of its time and the world's first truly intercontinental bomber. The airplanes were constantly undergoing systems, powerplant, and airframe upgrades while on the ground and kept in the air as much as possible - sometimes on 40hr, 10,000 mile missions BEFORE the advent of inflight refueling.

It's one of the most interesting airplanes in aviation history, IMO. And since it was built and largely serviced here in Fort Worth I'm not going to let you talk too much trash about it.

[talisman]

You've unleashed the puma!

[The King]

Remember that thermonuclear war we had with Russia during the '50s? No? Well you can thank the B36 for some part of that. Those "unreliable pieces of crap" were the 'big stick' that kept the Soviets in check.

The B36's reliability was pretty damned good considering it was the most complex aircraft of its time and the world's first truly intercontinental bomber. The airplanes were constantly undergoing systems, powerplant, and airframe upgrades while on the ground and kept in the air as much as possible - sometimes on 40hr, 10,000 mile missions BEFORE the advent of inflight refueling.

It's one of the most interesting airplanes in aviation history, IMO. And since it was built and largely serviced here in Fort Worth I'm not going to let you talk too much trash about it.

I remember seeing one of those parked on Kelly AFB back in 80's. Don't know what finally became of it.

[Downs]

The B-36 was pretty damn cool but that doesn't make it reliable or safe. Part of the problem was using those Pratt and Whitney Corncob engines in a pusher configuration which caused cooling issues.


Sent from my iPhone

[46Tbird]

The pusher configuration was used to reduce drag from propeller turbulence over the wing, which worked well as evidenced by the bomber's range. The thin air at 50000 feet (higher than any military aircraft flew until the U2) is what caused cooling issues. I'm still calling this a Win considering its era.