One of the most Beautiful Planes ever Built

[mrt]

This scene is from Strategic Air Command with Jimmy Steward, filmed at Carlswell AFB Fort Worth. It was so long ago it was actually outside the city limits at that time. While stationed 30 miles south at Alvarado the Nike Site we had very liberal sick call because we were a very small unit and isolated outside the big city. We had a choice of how we got to sick call and where we chose to go to sick call. We had a large IH van that you could ride to this base Carlswell. If you wanted you could drive to Cleburne Tx 12 miles away or you could even drive 90 miles to Wolters Army Hospital Mineral Wells. I always love to look at the scenery of the surroundings on the take off of the airplane because it was so sparse then and still out in the country. Eventually like all bases it finally was closed due to the large population surrounding it, people complained about the noise etc.

 

[WARfn3AGLE]

Was this a predecessor to the B-52? B-36 maybe? Regardless, cool video.

 

[GarnetPild]

What a unique looking plane.

Crazy cockpit.

 

[mrt]

Was this a predecessor to the B-52? B-36 maybe? Regardless, cool video


Not the predecessor, the first nuclear delivery aircraft. The B-36 Peace Maker... The actual predecessor was the B-47 Stratojet which was smaller but built by Boeing and looks very similar to the B-52 using 6 engines but the overall design was the same. There was a short run named the B-50 Hustler which also appeared in this movie as the replacement for the B-36. From 1949 until the introduction of the B-52 aircraft development was very fluid and just about the time all the bugs were worked out a new aircraft appeared. The B-52 is scheduled to stay in service for another 30 years. All of the B-52's used for heavy bombing in the Vietnam war had to be rebuilt from the frame up due to all the stressing of the wings because of external bomb loads hanging on the sides of the airframes. The skin of the aircraft was sagging and looked very wavy. The B-52s would leave Okinawa with minimal fuel loads and then meet up and refuel , it was the only way to get off the ground they were so heavy. The Peace Maker was a very big game changer in the cold war, Lemay knew these planes were all short lived but it didn't matter, to have a deterent was more important than a long term aircraft. The plane only served for 10 years

 

[Taggart]

I always loved the DC-10... they just crashed a lot though.

My favorite one to fly on has been the 717-200... little quieter than the mad dogs, and the bigger engines look so badass in person. Sad to see them phased out by Delta.

 

[Lilburncock]

I always loved the DC-10... they just crashed a lot though.

My favorite one to fly on has been the 717-200... little quieter than the mad dogs, and the bigger engines look so badass in person. Sad to see them phased out by Delta.

L-1011 better than DC-10.

767 great plane as well.

 

[huffbuffer]

I live in the flight path of HSV and anytime I hear the roar of a 747, I run out the door to enjoy the fly over. We used to get a lot of C-17 doing touch and goes, but that has waned over the years. Those were great to watch.

Regards
Huffbuffer

 

[mrt]

I always loved the DC-10... they just crashed a lot though.

My favorite one to fly on has been the 717-200... little quieter than the mad dogs, and the bigger engines look so badass in person. Sad to see them phased out by Delta.

My last plane ride was 1989 Houston to San Diego, I had to fly back and drive a second vehicle moving back to La. It was hot weather and the stop at Phoenix ruined my need to ever fly again. The runways are warped and like a washboard and the plane I was on had an extremely loud hydraulic system on the right side landing gear. On landing it sounded like the plane was coming apart. I told myself then it would be the last flight for me and it was. I think a lot of cost cutting back in the 80s caused a few accidents. One in particular was planes losing engines in flight due to using cheap bolts and nuts purchased from China, no kidding ! The feds were quick to find out what was happening and put a stop to it. Just 10 years ago a commercial passenger plane belonging to China was red x ed in Canada and a photo was taken of one of the engines, it had a seat belt securing the front turbine to keep it from vibrating, they were still flying the plane until caught. In the end it caused a complete inspection of all their aircraft in country and 4 were forced to make repairs before being allowed to take off in Canadian airspace. I don't foresee any flying in my future heh. Strange there are still men I flew with in RVN same age mid 70s and they still fly. I think the people I still know and flew with have tapered off and will slowly stop altogether. My greatest flight was going back to RVN Jan 69 for the second tour, we stopped at Mid Way Island to fuel and it was a real joy to be able to actually see Mid Way. It is no more than a Pacific gas station, I looked out my window and watched the Pilot hand an Exxon credit card to the refuelers. I can imagine how much that load of fuel cost.

 

[mrt]

What a unique looking plane.

Crazy cockpit.

The cockpit was glassed for visibility since this aircraft also brought into service the air to air refuelers needed to make it to target and back. No computers everything was by eyesight only.

 

[RJ2kWJ]

^^^ What he said. Eyesight plane only. Pretty awesome but also a shitshow at the same time.

 

[Cards1968]

Came ITT to see a pic of a SR-71. Leaving confused and disappointed.