I helped pull this thing apart at Chanute in the summer 1990 I believe it was. A crew of about 50 civilians and the Air Force personnel from Castle. It was placed on 15 flatbed railroad cars. We had to remove the canopy structure because it was too high on the flatbed. What an operation that was! I believe there's a RUclips video on it.
I was up at Castle in 1992 to see the parts on the flatbed cars, and again when partially assembled in 1993. Do you have any idea why (at Chanute) the right-rear scanner port had been plated over as if done in the factory? Can only guess they were doing sheet-metal training. It was not plated over in pics when arriving at Chanute.
A side note, I was at Mather in 82 when that Castle B-52G crashed during a MITO. I watched it go in from the flight line. It pitched up, did sort of a hammerhead and went straight in. Horrible day for SAC. If memory serves, it was around Christmas..
Uff. So can afford to live in sunny california, driving this beautiful black C10 and has the key to open the gate to all the cool planes. And he has the key to this behemoth of a cold war bomber? Can this gentleman please adopt me?
When I was a kid, in the 50s, near Bakersfield, CA, these B-36s would fly over all the time. They had a unique sound, unlike any other plane, that I still remember. It had a deep base note from the recips, accompanied by a much higher note from the jets--but the base sound was much louder. It would shake the whole house if it was low enough--an intense sound! And I found it very exciting when I heard one coming. I would run outside to watch it pass. It was a very pleasant sound, and I still grieve that it will never be heard again.
I was at Chanute for tech in 89, and remember walking around it in awe, huge aircraft. Now I live near the Castle museum and visit occasionally. I hope they have the money to do some more preservation, it's deteriorating fast.
In the mid-60's I was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine, which was one of the B 36 home bases. We had two hangers designed to house the B36 for service. The B 36s were long gone by then. My office was near the flight line, so I had the opportunity to view these hangers, which would have housed up to four B36s; they were huge and made the B52s and KC135s look like toys.
In June of 1987, I arrived at Chanute on a Friday evening, having just completed Basic Training. Early the next morning I took a walk, and came upon this B-36. I was amazed at the size of this gargantuan aircraft! They also had a nice B-58 Hustler nearby. Coincidentally, when I finished my Technical Training at Chanute, I went to my Permanent Duty Station at Castle AFB. I recall seeing a bunch of train cars with massive aircraft parts while at Castle, but didn't realize it was that same B-36! They flew in an SR-71 in late 1990, to put in the museum.
Thank-you for the comment. I'm trying to learn more from 1990 when the SR-71 arrived. I've heard from two people that told me they drained the engine oil then fired the engines back up to seize them. This was for permanent storage per the USAF. Do you know anything more about the story?
@@ontheroadwithnorm2024 That's exactly what everyone said at the time. I unfortunately missed that, because my girlfriend and I went to the shooting range... 🙄 I do have a picture that a coworker gave me, with my Chevelle in the foreground, and the SR-71 flying by way in the background. 😎
I was at Castle for the SR-71 delivery ceremony. Very impressive high speed pass and missed approach before the full stop. The Wing Commander ( I was his executive officer) accepted the plane from the aircraft commander. Very nice and well attended ceremony. It was sort of sad though to see such an amazing aircraft retired to never fly again.
100 Percent Awesome! Nice tour and video. First time I saw the recce version photo compartment. From my reading, the B-36 was 'on the drawing boards' long before the idea of atomic weapons delivery in a cold war... the aircraft would undergo many revisions and threats of cancellation over a ten year period. The original requirement was to conduct a bombing campaign based from the U.S. in the event Great Britain fell. Since that never happened, the bomber descended to lower priority at various times. As WWII ended and a cold war began, the priority for a strategic atomic bomber emerged (likely as a 'stop gap' IMHO as the B-52 was slated to come forward but the development of jet engines to bear it was the huge delay. Finally, to drop weapons you have to have a good idea of where which we did not have. The SAC solution was to have dual capable recce and bombing in one platform so a number were converted. It was not without substantial mods though. It does make you wonder just how viable it was as a bomber. THANKS so much for the share! Incredible! By the way, I applaud all of the veterans who actually crewed this bomber and by no means represent myself as anything more than an interested fan.
Thank-you very much for the great comment. I hope you subscribed for more passionate aircraft history hunting. I believe this airplane hit the drawing board (with many others) when Pratt & Whitney announced the development of the 4360 corncob motor. What an exciting time for the engineers and at the same time terrifying for the test pilots. Much respect for all.
Nice comment - Norm also said that RB-36s had been converted, but only the first 22 A models were actually converted to Recon, the other 120 or so were built as RBs in the factory.
This B-36 was at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, IL for decades before being disassembled and sent by train to Castle. I remember seeing it during open house at the base. Grew up 5.miles from Chanute AFB.
I went to Tech School at Chanute in the summer of '86. This aircraft was still there at that time; however, it was in the process of being disassembled to be moved.
I am building a B-36, where this video features an RB-36. The bomber's radio compartment was much less crowded due to the lack of the low frequency ECM (Ferret) equipment that is found in the RB-36. My radio compartment wall (bulkhead 4.0) will consist of basically a much smaller area that contains strictly radio equipment. Thank you for thinking of me. This videos answers a ton of RB-36 questions.
What an awesome musium, Been there a few times, whet I got my ppl, I would fly up there , walk to the musium and just enjoy the planes. I just wish everything was under cover, the sun has really taken its toll on the planes
The interior shots with Jimmy Stewert were in a mockup on a sound stage. They made the cockpit much larger so that it projected better on the movie screen.
And the B-47 shots in that movie were shot in a cutaway training piece that is currently sitting in the March AFB Museum California. You can walk right up to it and look inside. It's indoors with some B-52 sims and the SR-71. Thank-you for your comment.
There is one cargo version of this plane with an even bigger interior that is sitting at Davis Monthan in pieces. It was disassembled in Fort Worth years ago but it is a complete airplane. Perhaps it is outside the USAF museum fleet? They never let their planes fly after decommissioning.
I used to study (sit) under this plane when it was at Chanute in 1980 (I was there for airframe school... proceeded on to the Phantom (F-4E / RF-4C) and Eagle (F-15A, B, C and D). It was parked out on base as a static display. I always wanted to go in it, but it was never open (that I know of). This is so unusual..... seeing it on video, at a closed base, 44 years later. It was sitting on Chanute for over 20 years when I saw it. What a monster this thing is. I wonder how it was for the airframe guys? There was a B-52B across the street (I can't believe they scrapped that thing in place).
If I had the opportunity to get in a B-36, I wouldn't be randomly grabbing at wire bundles, flipping switches, and playing with radios. Respect the honor of the tour and the aircraft itself. It's not an amusement park ride....
As a boy in the mid 60's when we would visit friends of the family in Fort Collins we would use that 9 foot inner tube as a trampoline...lord knows where he got it.
Great video - but no they didn’t replace any of the magnesium skin which was maybe a quarter of the planes surface. Parts with the paint gone are magnesium. - four bladed prop was considered but would cause more vibration from the strong wing-wake. - none have had engines fully running since 1959 - reportedly Fort Worth vets tried to start one in the early 1970’s but had a problem. - yes props could run in reverse-pitch to back up. The extra trim tab is the “servo tab” that causes the main surface to move using only aerodynamic forces.
We have one here in AZ at the Pima Air and Space Museum they keep it outside would be nice if it could be inside of a hanger restore it where people could tour inside.
Pima has the B-36 from Fort Worth Texas. They did a major restoration before they sent it to Arizona. It got 57 full sheets of aluminum used to replace skins. i wish some one here could tell me how big those sheets are. they look about 5'x10'
They are funding for a new pavilion. They currently have four aircraft under static restoration in their maintenance hangar. The big airplanes are going to be very hard to restore. They would need teams of skilled volunteers.
@@ontheroadwithnorm2024 If it was that easy. I'm a RCAF veteran, now living in the U.S. The Clunk was a little before my time but I've been lucky to see the Vulcan fly a few times at the Abbottsford International Airshow in British Columbia. Your B36 is the only one of the four surviving aircraft that I haven't seen yet so I might have to take a trip out there soon.
Yes I will look for them again the next time I'm there. The nose cannon can clearly be seen sticking out and the rear cannon actually sways with gusts of wind
I helped pull this thing apart at Chanute in the summer 1990 I believe it was. A crew of about 50 civilians and the Air Force personnel from Castle. It was placed on 15 flatbed railroad cars. We had to remove the canopy structure because it was too high on the flatbed. What an operation that was! I believe there's a RUclips video on it.
Thank-you very much for posting. I saw the pictures and video of it being assembled and I was wondering why they took the canopy dome off.
I was up at Castle in 1992 to see the parts on the flatbed cars, and again when partially assembled in 1993. Do you have any idea why (at Chanute) the right-rear scanner port had been plated over as if done in the factory? Can only guess they were doing sheet-metal training. It was not plated over in pics when arriving at Chanute.
I'll check my pics. But if I remember correctly, it was sheet metal covered when I was with it at Chanute in 90.
A side note, I was at Mather in 82 when that Castle B-52G crashed during a MITO. I watched it go in from the flight line. It pitched up, did sort of a hammerhead and went straight in. Horrible day for SAC. If memory serves, it was around Christmas..
Yes I’m sure the port was plated over earlier at Chanute - I’ve been wondering if anyone knew how and why it was plated over.
Uff. So can afford to live in sunny california, driving this beautiful black C10 and has the key to open the gate to all the cool planes. And he has the key to this behemoth of a cold war bomber? Can this gentleman please adopt me?
When I was a kid, in the 50s, near Bakersfield, CA, these B-36s would fly over all the time. They had a unique sound, unlike any other plane, that I still remember. It had a deep base note from the recips, accompanied by a much higher note from the jets--but the base sound was much louder. It would shake the whole house if it was low enough--an intense sound! And I found it very exciting when I heard one coming. I would run outside to watch it pass. It was a very pleasant sound, and I still grieve that it will never be heard again.
Thank-you for that. I can tell from the sound in the Jimmy Stewart movie that they have a deep droning tone.
I was in Roswell, NM in the early 50's. Walker AFB had one of the wings there. The sound of those things flying over the house was awesome!!!
I was at Chanute for tech in 89, and remember walking around it in awe, huge aircraft. Now I live near the Castle museum and visit occasionally. I hope they have the money to do some more preservation, it's deteriorating fast.
They need volunteers. Also the B-58 from Chanute is at Castle and it needs some more work to reassemble it. It currently does not have a crew.
In the mid-60's I was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine, which was one of the B 36 home bases. We had two hangers designed to house the B36 for service. The B 36s were long gone by then. My office was near the flight line, so I had the opportunity to view these hangers, which would have housed up to four B36s; they were huge and made the B52s and KC135s look like toys.
Thanks for sharing that.
In June of 1987, I arrived at Chanute on a Friday evening, having just completed Basic Training.
Early the next morning I took a walk, and came upon this B-36.
I was amazed at the size of this gargantuan aircraft!
They also had a nice B-58 Hustler nearby.
Coincidentally, when I finished my Technical Training at Chanute, I went to my Permanent Duty Station at Castle AFB.
I recall seeing a bunch of train cars with massive aircraft parts while at Castle, but didn't realize it was that same B-36!
They flew in an SR-71 in late 1990, to put in the museum.
Thank-you for the comment. I'm trying to learn more from 1990 when the SR-71 arrived. I've heard from two people that told me they drained the engine oil then fired the engines back up to seize them. This was for permanent storage per the USAF. Do you know anything more about the story?
Yes. And all the SR's blueprints and tooling were destroyed.
@@ontheroadwithnorm2024 That's exactly what everyone said at the time.
I unfortunately missed that, because my girlfriend and I went to the shooting range... 🙄
I do have a picture that a coworker gave me, with my Chevelle in the foreground, and the SR-71 flying by way in the background. 😎
@@mr.knowitall6440
I was at Castle for the SR-71 delivery ceremony. Very impressive high speed pass and missed approach before the full stop. The Wing Commander ( I was his executive officer) accepted the plane from the aircraft commander. Very nice and well attended ceremony. It was sort of sad though to see such an amazing aircraft retired to never fly again.
100 Percent Awesome! Nice tour and video. First time I saw the recce version photo compartment. From my reading, the B-36 was 'on the drawing boards' long before the idea of atomic weapons delivery in a cold war... the aircraft would undergo many revisions and threats of cancellation over a ten year period. The original requirement was to conduct a bombing campaign based from the U.S. in the event Great Britain fell. Since that never happened, the bomber descended to lower priority at various times. As WWII ended and a cold war began, the priority for a strategic atomic bomber emerged (likely as a 'stop gap' IMHO as the B-52 was slated to come forward but the development of jet engines to bear it was the huge delay. Finally, to drop weapons you have to have a good idea of where which we did not have. The SAC solution was to have dual capable recce and bombing in one platform so a number were converted. It was not without substantial mods though. It does make you wonder just how viable it was as a bomber. THANKS so much for the share! Incredible! By the way, I applaud all of the veterans who actually crewed this bomber and by no means represent myself as anything more than an interested fan.
Thank-you very much for the great comment. I hope you subscribed for more passionate aircraft history hunting. I believe this airplane hit the drawing board (with many others) when Pratt & Whitney announced the development of the 4360 corncob motor. What an exciting time for the engineers and at the same time terrifying for the test pilots. Much respect for all.
Nice comment - Norm also said that RB-36s had been converted, but only the first 22 A models were actually converted to Recon, the other 120 or so were built as RBs in the factory.
This B-36 was at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, IL for decades before being disassembled and sent by train to Castle. I remember seeing it during open house at the base. Grew up 5.miles from Chanute AFB.
I went to Tech School at Chanute in the summer of '86. This aircraft was still there at that time; however, it was in the process of being disassembled to be moved.
Chief Morrison started that museum if I recall … or at least was a pivotal part of it…
I was 93rd OMS Tanker A Flt 81-85
20:17 *_two turning, two burning, two smoking, two choking and two more unaccounted for!_* 😄
I am building a B-36, where this video features an RB-36. The bomber's radio compartment was much less crowded due to the lack of the low frequency ECM (Ferret) equipment that is found in the RB-36. My radio compartment wall (bulkhead 4.0) will consist of basically a much smaller area that contains strictly radio equipment. Thank you for thinking of me. This videos answers a ton of RB-36 questions.
Thank you for the comment and your work!
What an awesome musium, Been there a few times, whet I got my ppl, I would fly up there , walk to the musium and just enjoy the planes. I just wish everything was under cover, the sun has really taken its toll on the planes
The interior shots with Jimmy Stewert were in a mockup on a sound stage. They made the cockpit much larger so that it projected better on the movie screen.
And the B-47 shots in that movie were shot in a cutaway training piece that is currently sitting in the March AFB Museum California. You can walk right up to it and look inside. It's indoors with some B-52 sims and the SR-71. Thank-you for your comment.
Super neat that it it still has the guns. I hope they can do some restoration on it. Also, that guy's Chevy truck is sweet!
I worked on this and the B-58 at chanute. so neat to see her again
Could you imagine if one of these things were restored to flying status? I would LOVE to see that.
There is one cargo version of this plane with an even bigger interior that is sitting at Davis Monthan in pieces. It was disassembled in Fort Worth years ago but it is a complete airplane. Perhaps it is outside the USAF museum fleet? They never let their planes fly after decommissioning.
Gorgeous pickup truck!
I used to study (sit) under this plane when it was at Chanute in 1980 (I was there for airframe school... proceeded on to the Phantom (F-4E / RF-4C) and Eagle (F-15A, B, C and D). It was parked out on base as a static display. I always wanted to go in it, but it was never open (that I know of). This is so unusual..... seeing it on video, at a closed base, 44 years later. It was sitting on Chanute for over 20 years when I saw it. What a monster this thing is. I wonder how it was for the airframe guys? There was a B-52B across the street (I can't believe they scrapped that thing in place).
Thank=you for the comments
Probably safe to sand the magnesium even if it sparks - will only ignite above 800F degrees, only burned in B-36 crashes with prolonged fuel fires.
Thank-you for that comment. Great information.
I remember that specific B-36 from when I was stationed at Chanute AFB in 1988.
No idea this plane existed and it's only 60 miles from me.
There are 80 airplanes here worth looking at. And it's never crowded.
This is sooo cool!!👍👍
If I had the opportunity to get in a B-36, I wouldn't be randomly grabbing at wire bundles, flipping switches, and playing with radios. Respect the honor of the tour and the aircraft itself. It's not an amusement park ride....
The Flying Cigar. As I recall, they did not stay around long. But I remember them as a kid.
Thanks for the comment
As a boy in the mid 60's when we would visit friends of the family in Fort Collins we would use that 9 foot inner tube as a trampoline...lord knows where he got it.
I think these behemoths became obsolete not long after being built while the B52 is still flying today.
True
9:26 Geee, I wonder where that “draft” could be coming from? 🤨
😆🤣
Sorry
Sweet truck
Great video - but no they didn’t replace any of the magnesium skin which was maybe a quarter of the planes surface. Parts with the paint gone are magnesium.
- four bladed prop was considered but would cause more vibration from the strong wing-wake.
- none have had engines fully running since 1959 - reportedly Fort Worth vets tried to start one in the early 1970’s but had a problem.
- yes props could run in reverse-pitch to back up. The extra trim tab is the “servo tab” that causes the main surface to move using only aerodynamic forces.
Awesome comments, thank-you very much
Really enjoyed the fart at 9:28
sorry
no no it was great, got me to laugh!
I climbed through her around 04-05…you could still see through the cockpit windows.
We have one here in AZ at the Pima Air and Space Museum they keep it outside would be nice if it could be inside of a hanger restore it where people could tour inside.
Pima has the B-36 from Fort Worth Texas. They did a major restoration before they sent it to Arizona. It got 57 full sheets of aluminum used to replace skins. i wish some one here could tell me how big those sheets are. they look about 5'x10'
Was that the same B36 that was parked outside the General Dynamics AF Plant 4 in the 80’s?
I've been there but never saw the interior cockpit.
at 36:28, anyone know what the plane is shown just rotating for takeoff. Appears to be a B-36 but with 8 jet engines and no piston engines?
Link to the disassembly..
What year was it's last flight?
I believe 1959 at Chanute AFB Illinois. Some one here will likely correct me if I'm wrong.
They haven't done much to that B-36. i was there a couple of years ago to specifically see the B-36.
Any plans on restoring this as well the other aircraft???
Before long they be nothing more than "Dust in the Wind"...
They are funding for a new pavilion. They currently have four aircraft under static restoration in their maintenance hangar. The big airplanes are going to be very hard to restore. They would need teams of skilled volunteers.
I'd like to hear how the museum got its hands on a CF-100 Canuck.
they probably just asked for one. They also have a RAF Vulcan
@@ontheroadwithnorm2024 If it was that easy. I'm a RCAF veteran, now living in the U.S. The Clunk was a little before my time but I've been lucky to see the Vulcan fly a few times at the Abbottsford International Airshow in British Columbia. Your B36 is the only one of the four surviving aircraft that I haven't seen yet so I might have to take a trip out there soon.
It's a shame that the B-36 along with the other planes are left outside to rust and corrode like that. The climate isn't like Davis Monahan.
alright who farted at 9:28
@09:28 "why is there a draft coming in this thing" then I heard a fart 😂😂
The crew chief said it was the only rb36 to retain its cannons.
Yes I will look for them again the next time I'm there. The nose cannon can clearly be seen sticking out and the rear cannon actually sways with gusts of wind
Jimmy Stewart was 6'3" not 6'
Who stepped on the Duck at 9:28 mark???
hahaha sorry
Too bad the trolly is missing, it would be nice to see the back compartment.
The trolley was there when we pulled it apart at Chanute..
Is your son making a model?
found the souce of the draft @ 9:28.
It's too bad the camera person didn't know what they were looking at.
Oh go in quit being a baby .
Actually I'd like to return with a painters suit and a dust mask then I'll go back for sure. The tunnel was full of dirt and rat poo
9.30....who farted...😋😋
The condition is awful , they need to clean those planes up.