Strategic Air Command

[ORAC]

Still can't get over the imagery of Rock being a homo.
Today 18:00

Many of those who served, no doubt including Colonels, were, and did there job as well as any other man....

[Footless Halls]

Classic thread creap - I post a note about a film about B36's (and B47's), and 3 hours later we have postings about homosexuality.

Getting back again - did anyone spot the model of the B52 in the General's office at the end of the film? That struck me as odd. Was it an early example of Boeing 'product placement'.

[ORAC]

Well its certainly an anachronism. The B-47 entered service in 1951, assuming he is on his "21 month" reinlistment, it cannot be later than 1952. The first B-52 prototype didn't fly till 1954, the movie was made in 1955.

I presume that SAC just stuck in evrything they could find for PR.....

[Mycroft]

You're almost certainly right ORAC, just an anachronism; however in the plot he re-enlisted full time; so the 21 month limit is not important. Also although the B52A did not fly until 1954; the YB52 flew in April 1952, about the same time SAC had 45 B47s to do the Japan flight (let alone have enough left to carry on with the real job) and the model may have existed pre-flight (it is definately one of the prototypes as it has a B47 sytle cockpit.
It was rather strange to see all the crew of a B36 wearing parachutes at 40,000'

[Brian Abraham]

Husky voiced June Allyson - one to make a pubescent boy fall in love, and Grace Kelly, but I digress. Absolutely loved the movie (pubescent boy) but the one I would love to see again is "Flying Leathernecks". Made an impression (pubescent boy again) all those F4U's.

[Groundloop]

Originally Posted by barit1

Sad coincidence: June Allyson, Jimmy Stewart's co-star, has died this past week.

That's why the BBC showed it yesterday!

[BEagle]

I remember seeing 'A Gathering of Eagles' in the local Gaumont years ago. 1963 or '64? Quite a good movie - hope to see it again some time.

Sadly, not available on DVD as far as I can establish.

[John Eacott]

Going slightly OT, but does anyone know what the USN were doing operating B-47's? I took this shot at Roosevelt Roads in the early 70's:

[barit1]

At least one USN B-47 had some kind of large APU to generate vast KW of electricity, and a large aircooled dummy load bank resistor in the bomb bay. It was later modified (1970) as an engine testbed for the TF34.

[Evileyes]

"Two modified B-47Es, redesignated EB-47E, were loaned to the US Navy for electronic warfare tests. The long-range external wing tanks were replaced with a variety of pods filled with electronic countermeasures equipment, and more chaff dispensers were installed. These two planes remained operational with the Navy long after after the last USAF B-47s had been retired. One of these, an EB-47E-45-DT, had the honor of making the last flight of a B-47 when it was ferried in the late 1970s with civil registration N1045Y from Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona to an aviation museum in Colorado."

[John Eacott]

Eyes,

Ta: I'll have to see if I can tweek the picture to get some better markings. And to highlight the Gannet parked between the B47's

[411A]

My neighbor, a retired USAF Colonel, flew the B-36 (and later, the B-52) and mentioned that his personal altitude record in the PeaceKeeper was 46,000 feet, and he had photos to prove it.

How do piston engines operate at 40,000 feet plus?
Apparently quite well, as each engine not only was a supercharged, but had TWO turbochargers as well.

A quite unique design.

BTW, if you ever noticed a B-36 overhead at high altitude, the noise heard was not engine sounds, it was propellor beat (noise).
Stratocruisers made a similar sound at high altitude.

[Final 3 Greens]

411A

In terms of impressive piston engined ceilings, you might be interested to note that a reconnaissance Spitifre Mk19 made it to over 50,000 feet on a single RR Griffon engine.

This in the early days of the Comet, when the Spit was doing a met flight before the shiny new jet arrived in the Far East.

It came back down a lot faster than it went up, logging m0.94 at one stage

[treadigraph]

All pusher prop designs I've heard flying seem to have a distinctive sound - Cessna 337, VariEze, Piaggio Avanti and 166, etc - presumably this is something to do with the disturbed airflow through the prop disc?

Love to have heard the B-36 in flight! I 've seen a couple of KC-97s overhead in the mid-70s, not sure how high they were and I regret that I can't remember how they sounded!

[Nogbad the Bad]

but the one I would love to see again is "Flying Leathernecks". Made an impression (pubescent boy again) all those F4U's.

Actually it was more the F6Fs that grabbed my attention. Thank goodness some had the sense to make their films in colour [THUMBS]

[Gordon Fraser]

One of the highlights of my spotting career when when I saw my one and only B36, in 1957,at altitude near Greenham Common. I still have the photographic proof and vividly remember the unique throb of the engines.
Happy days!!

[Farmer 1]

Totally miscast, wayyyyyy too old

I presume you mean James Stewart, Orac. Don't forget, he flew at least one mission in Vietnam in a B52, at the age of 58(?).

[MReyn24050]

Originally Posted by John Eacott

Eyes,
Ta: I'll have to see if I can tweek the picture to get some better markings. And to highlight the Gannet parked between the B47's

Not skilled at this at all but the Gannet is a Gannet AEW.3

[pulse1]

In the mid 50's a B47 beat up the whole of South Wales and most of Gloucestershire. I was just leaving school when he came over and then carried out a tight turn over the town at about 500', frightening lots of dear old ladies. According to the papers, the pilot was fed up and wanted to go home.

[glhcarl]

Originally Posted by 411A

.
BTW, if you ever noticed a B-36 overhead at high altitude, the noise heard was not engine sounds, it was propellor beat (noise).
Stratocruisers made a similar sound at high altitude.

When I was about ten I was playing in my back yard and I heard a strange noise. It went on for about fifteen minutes, then I saw them way up in the sky, three B-36's. It took about ten minutes for them pass over and out of sight and the noise could be heard for at least fifteen more minutes. When they were visable the ground actually vibrated.