As an old man, I grew up watching Jimmy Stewert in films, as well as in flying. By all I know from various souces at the time, he was a "pilot's pilot". He has been doing Air Force doucumentries at the start of WWII. The movie SAC was a wonderful film that highlighted a lot of his flying and documenting of various aircrafts. As for the B58, in my opinion, it was and is a "marvel of engineering". I have seen it fly on several occasions. I was in the Civil Air Patrol when I was ten years old until I was drafted. I studied aviation seriously. I am also a pilot (as can be expected I guess). People will say all kinds of crap. Usually not knowing anything about what they are talking about. The B58 in my opinion, had no more or not less than any of the other aircraft we were building and testing at the time. It was a new "age". People should remember that. These advancements were done without high speed computers and cad. Bottom line is, she was a wonderful bomber and a wonderful aircraft. Thank you
A beautiful airplane! I only saw one fly one time. There was a major war-game/defense exercise (at least in Southern California) in the early/mid 60s. It went over well in excess of Mach 1. A couple of fighters in pursuit, but well behind. Most impressive sonic boom I had ever heard!
Jimmy Stewart flew the B-47 which was a hotrod in its own right. Darn near supersonic Stratobomber. First flew in the late forties if I recall correctly.
He certainly did, and did some of the flying in the film he made about SAC, Strategic Air Command in 1955, I believe. The film streches credibilty early on by having his character's wife hang around for him while he flies a B-36 training flight. ;)
And-the speed record LTC Deutschendorf set still stands to this very day. The B-58 was one bad azz bird. Stuff FOUR J-79's in ANYTHING & stand the heck back. Except in the case of the XB-70. Then let's go root hawg & jam SIX YJ-93 full afterburning turbojets & see what happens.
There certainly is! She is 59-2458, the Cowtow Hustler, and is the Hustler in Champion of Champions that won the Bendix and MackayTrophies. Allegedy, the USAF recived 10,000 compensation claims for broken windows due to sonic booms. :)
More pilots and aircraft have been lost with pilot's fn'g around showing off than probably all other causes. I got into the USMC flying in the mid-eighties. By that time, so-called flat hatting was strictly forbidden. There was no buzzing the tower as in Top Gun, flying under bridges, doing gun runs on towns, simulated, nada, zilch, it was over. I don't even think we were allowed to fly to our home towns on cross country flights because so many guys had crashed in front of family and friends performing impromptu air shows. Sad loss of Firefly and crew.
I just finished reading Col. Holt's book "The B-58 Blunder" It's a shame how it all went down but it's also typical of how things work in the high stakes military appropriations world. At least one B-52 crew was lost and another ship lost it's entire tail as they attempted to adapt it to high speed low level tactics, a task the B-58 was capable of performing with ease. tsk,tsk,tsk...
They should have kept at least 50 of these planes operational such a waste a high tech machine but They wanted the B 1 bomber to replace it and even that was Not used to it full potential.
As an old man, I grew up watching Jimmy Stewert in films, as well as in flying. By all I know from various souces at the time, he was a "pilot's pilot". He has been doing Air Force doucumentries at the start of WWII. The movie SAC was a wonderful film that highlighted a lot of his flying and documenting of various aircrafts. As for the B58, in my opinion, it was and is a "marvel of engineering". I have seen it fly on several occasions. I was in the Civil Air Patrol when I was ten years old until I was drafted. I studied aviation seriously. I am also a pilot (as can be expected I guess). People will say all kinds of crap. Usually not knowing anything about what they are talking about. The B58 in my opinion, had no more or not less than any of the other aircraft we were building and testing at the time. It was a new "age". People should remember that. These advancements were done without high speed computers and cad. Bottom line is, she was a wonderful bomber and a wonderful aircraft.
Thank you
Jimmy Stewart was awesome.and the military and America is awesome. Let's never let this tradition waiver
A beautiful airplane! I only saw one fly one time. There was a major war-game/defense exercise (at least in Southern California) in the early/mid 60s. It went over well in excess of Mach 1. A couple of fighters in pursuit, but well behind. Most impressive sonic boom I had ever heard!
Like you said, the Hustler is a shrink wrapped beauty, she is "Bite the back of your hand beautiful"..........
Jimmy Stewart flew the B-47 which was a hotrod in its own right. Darn near supersonic Stratobomber. First flew in the late forties if I recall correctly.
He certainly did, and did some of the flying in the film he made about SAC, Strategic Air Command in 1955, I believe. The film streches credibilty early on by having his character's wife hang around for him while he flies a B-36 training flight. ;)
This movie was a little before his son became world famous... but Major Henry J. Deutschendorf... Father of John Denver.
And-the speed record LTC Deutschendorf set still stands to this very day.
The B-58 was one bad azz bird. Stuff FOUR J-79's in ANYTHING & stand the heck back. Except in the case of the XB-70. Then let's go root hawg & jam SIX YJ-93 full afterburning turbojets & see what happens.
@stevenrobinson2381 Which makes them both so awesome- it was only the B-58 that could be an effective chase plane for the XB-70
I heard 'Deutschendorf' and wondered if he was related to John Denver. John Denver had the most beautiful voice and wonderful songs.
There's also a Hustler at the USAF museum in Dayton
There certainly is! She is 59-2458, the Cowtow Hustler, and is the Hustler in Champion of Champions that won the Bendix and MackayTrophies. Allegedy, the USAF recived 10,000 compensation claims for broken windows due to sonic booms. :)
More pilots and aircraft have been lost with pilot's fn'g around showing off than probably all other causes. I got into the USMC flying in the mid-eighties. By that time, so-called flat hatting was strictly forbidden. There was no buzzing the tower as in Top Gun, flying under bridges, doing gun runs on towns, simulated, nada, zilch, it was over. I don't even think we were allowed to fly to our home towns on cross country flights because so many guys had crashed in front of family and friends performing impromptu air shows. Sad loss of Firefly and crew.
RESPECT.
I just finished reading Col. Holt's book "The B-58 Blunder" It's a shame how it all went down but it's also typical of how things work in the high stakes military appropriations world. At least one B-52 crew was lost and another ship lost it's entire tail as they attempted to adapt it to high speed low level tactics, a task the B-58 was capable of performing with ease. tsk,tsk,tsk...
They should have kept at least 50 of these planes operational such a waste a high tech machine but
They wanted the B 1 bomber
to replace it and even that was
Not used to it full potential.