Six Engine military push prop from around 1946?

[CaptainProp]

Sitting here watching "The Atomic Bomber - Planes that never flew" and in one of the clips from around 1946 there is a six engine push prop taxiing by. Anyone who knows what it is (was) called?

[CaptainProp]

Got the answer later in the documentary, Convair B36. Quite impressive machine!

[BOAC]

B-36, but that was in service.

[CaptainProp]

Yes, I realized that but it was used as a test bed for a nuclear powered bomber that eventually was scraped and never flew.

[BOAC]

In that case you seek the NB-36H and it did fly I think you will find. It was not 'nuclear powered'.

[arearadar]

I saw aircraft as you describe, in the early 1950`s, near Manchester. They were B-36 operating ot of Burtonwood. I believe they were later fitted with additional turbojets. Four jets in two pods like a B-47, mounted on the wings outboard of the piston engines.

Dave

[Phalconphixer]

... featured extensively in the James Stewart film 'Strategic Air Command'

excerpt here... Six Turnin and Four Burnin - YouTube

pp

[CaptainProp]

Yes, NB-36H. It did fly but never nuclear powered flights. They apparently even did some flights with a reactor on board, but the risks involved in case of a crash were to big. Then came political shift in the US etc etc and the program was finally cancelled in 1961.

They mentioned in the program that there are renewed studies in to nuclear powered flights for UAVs. Will be interesting to see what comes out of that.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Saw a B-36 over Morden, Surrey in the 50s and I can still hear the sound now. Most fantastic aeroplane.

[JEM60]

Saw one at a distance when I was at a Farnborouigh show. It seemed to be somewhere over Blackbushe in a climb to the north at only a couple of thousand feet. Very very different noise to any other aeroplane!.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Which Farnborough Show was that? I don't recall any B-36s being that low in the Farnborough area but it would be nice to know there was.

[CaptainProp]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/NB-36H_producing_contrails_in_flight.jpg

[BOAC]

FARNBOROUGH
I believe they were in and out of Greenham Common

[aviate1138]

The Nuclear B-36 had a Thorium reactor/generator on board. About as safe a way of using Nuclear Power as is possible. Produces barely 1% waste and is not a high pressure device. The reason why the USA did not pursue Thorium reactors was because there was no by product that could produce nuclear weapons. Now the Chinese, Indian and Russians are on the way......

"Though several reactors have made use of thorium for experimental purposes, a thorium power reactor is not as yet a reality. Countries like Russia, India and China are looking at the use of thorium and such a reactor may one day soon be a viable energy source.

So why has it taken so long for thorium to hit the nuclear power agenda? The key reason seems to be that because it can't be used to make a nuclear bomb, it was largely ignored during the Manhattan project and in the development of nuclear power stations that followed."

Sad that mankind has so far missed a chance to provide almost limitless power with little danger, waste and we could have avoided all those ghastly wind farms and biofuels and other green garbage foulups.

[JonnyT1978]

There was also the experimental Convair (Consolidated XC-99) which was very probably based on the B-36. I remember that from the old 'Reaching for the Skies' series on BBC2 narrated by Sir Anthony Quayle :)

Convair XC-99 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XC-99)

Air-and-Space.com: Convair XC-99 (http://www.air-and-space.com/xc99.htm)

[chevvron]

I remember an article in a magazine - could have been 'Flight' or possibly 'Flying Review' c1960 -1962 about a plan by an american organisation to buy one of the Saunders-Roe Princess flying boats (cocooned at Calshot) and instal a nuclear reactor in it. Can't remember if it was actually to be used to power the aircraft though.

[Groundloop]

There was also the experimental Convair (Consolidated XC-99) which was very probably based on the B-36.

No "very probably" about it - it was based on the B-36 with a new fuselage. Only 1 built.

[JEM60]

HDIRECTOR. Cannot unfortunately give you an accurate date. Probably about the same date as the Gyron Sperrin was appearing??. All I can say is that it was most definitely a B.36. The only one I ever saw, apart from the one at Wright Patterson Museum.

[BOAC]

I think the mid-50's would be about right for both, B36 at GC and the Sperrin at Farnborough..

[Agaricus bisporus]

What the heck did all those people do on that thing? Did they hold football games between aircraft crews? There seems to be enough of them.

[PAXboy]

That is a really fascinating, uummm, 'thing'? The clip from the Jimmy Stewart movie is a fine example of US guff and pomposity.

This article is interesting Convair B-36 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-36) particularly where it talks about the reason for the numerous engine fires. A result of non-joined up thinking, the kind of which we still enjoy today! Here is part of the relevant section with a humouous crew observation ...
Much more than other large aircraft powered by piston engines, the B-36 was very prone to engine fires, to the extent that some crews changed the phrase "six turning, four burning" into "two turning, two burning, two smoking, two joking, and two unaccounted for". This problem was exacerbated by the propellers' pusher configuration, which increased carburetor icing.Then is an interesting point about handling and crew accomodation (from the same source:
The B-36 was not a particularly enjoyable aircraft to fly. Its overall performance, in terms of speed and maneuverability, was never considered sprightly. Lieutenant General James Edmundson likened it to "...sitting on your front porch and flying your house around." Despite its immense exterior size, the pressurized crew compartments were relatively cramped, especially when occupied for 24 hours by a crew of 15 in full flight kit.

[MarkerInbound]

What the heck did all those people do on that thing? Did they hold football games between aircraft crews? There seems to be enough of them.

Well, you've got at least three pilots, a couple of FEs, bombardier, nav and a bunch of scanner/gunners.

The last one built was parked at the old Ft. Worth airport just south of DFW. Spent a summer home from college helping a group of old Convair guys who were working to fly it out before the airport closed. They had the hydraulics and a couple engines working when the Air Force pulled the plug on the idea. Ended up cutting it in three big pieces and trailering it to Carswell AFB.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I believe they were in and out of Greenham Common>>

Thanks BOAC. Never did go there as a kid..... and not even when we first lived not far from the place 40 years ago so I missed out badly.

[pulse1]

They also operated out of RAF Fairford. We used to see them quite often over South Wales, probably going in and out of Fairford. They seemed to take ages to fly over because they were higher than they looked, I guess.

[JEM60]

Thanks BOAC. It was certainly around that date.

[His dudeness]

There is a very nice book on the B36, called 'Magnesium Overcast', the 36s nickname.... since large parts of the B36 were made from magnesium.

The XC99 is covered in there as well.

[zetec2]

B36's were based at Brize Norton mid 50's , I lived in Oxford & they often overflew, have a photo as a schoolboy at a Brize open day with a B36 in the background, think 1956/57 ?, once heard never forgotten, Paul H.

[spargazer]

A squadron of them flew into RAF Burtonwood (near Warrington) during the 1956 Hungarian crisis. Halfway through the excercise the runway collapsed because the NCB (coal mining) mine shafts had strayed and caused a B36 to run off the runway. Subsidence had caused a crack to traverse the runway. There were at several B36s circling above deafing most of south Lancashire and North Cheshire. They all gave up and flew back to the states! even though the runway was repaired RAF Burtonwood,as an airfield, closed soon after. Even 20 years ago the airfiled site was larger than Heathrow.

[zetec2]

Another very good book on the B36 & YB60 (remember the jet based on the B36 that lost out to the B52 ?) is:
COLD WAR PEACEMAKER, The Story of Cowtown & the Convair B36.
ISBN: 978-1 58007-237-7. Hardback 240 pages.

Adds some more detail to the Magnesium Overcast book, I have both & are superb entertaining reads, Paul H.

[zetec2]

Remembering the B36 here is a picture of B36-J-CF 52-2220 (which is now in the USAF Museum) at BZN I think 1956 or maybe 1957, I was a mere school boy, also at the display was B47, 2287 (think came over from Upper Heyford ?), T33A, TR-055, KC97 3108 info from the couple of pictures taken with my box Brownie ! , am looking for a complete list of participants if anyone can help also would like to pinpoint actual date, thanks, B Rgds, Paul H.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/zetec2/B36BZN1957.jpg

[dixi188]

I've just been reading the book "Magnesium Overcast".

The longest flight of a B36 was 52hours 30 minutes. You could read "War and Peace" in that time.