Hi! I am an 88-year-old USAF veteran. My job for the B-47 was to keep them safely off the ground--that is, a mechanic. Here’s a story about these beasts nobody knew about but the ground crews. When they would land after a mission, there would be a line of them coming down the taxi-way, one behind the other, spaced far enough apart to dodge the rocks from the ones in front. Those six J-47 engines wanted to drag that Pterodactyl faster than it wanted to go, so the pilot had to ride the brakes to curb its enthusiasm. But the brake linings squealed like a prehistoric monster, so there would be this line of them, their necks craned into the air, all squealing their displeasure. What a sight! The pilots drove them into their particular parking bays as near as possible, but some of them had to be towed into place. The bombay doors were then opened and safety-pinned in place. Hanging from the ceiling would be this atomic egg, straight from the stratosphere, still covered with frost. I ran my hands over these icy packages of American freedom and hoped they would never hatch.
No one ever played a pilot better than Jimmy Stewart.. for good reason given Stewart's magnificent service record with the USAAF in WWII. He was a natural. :)
yup. I was gonna say the same thing. And it wasn't only WW2. He stayed in the Air Force Reserves and retired a general...although I'm not sure how many stars. He joined the USAAF...I think right before the war, and set his career as an actor on the back burner when Pearl Harbor happened. And compare his acting after the war to his movies before the war. He was a darker, more complex man in his movies. Some say he wouldn't take the light hearted roles after seeing combat. And, compare the actors of that era who either joined up to fight, or traveled overseas to entertain, to what we have now in Hollyweird. No comparison!
@@larrybrown1824 Larry, Thanks so much for your comment. I love cinema as well as model making and Aviation history so I really appreciated your comments about Stewart's post war film career... I completely agree with your comments. Cheers, mate!
Growing up I watched a lot of movies with Gen. Stewart in the lead role. He always gave a great performance and demonstrated good moral character. He managed to convey all that was good about America. He was truly an American hero.
As you said, James Stewart was the best actor interpreting the role of a pilot. "After a year training new pilots in New Mexico, he finally was sent overseas to fly B-24 Liberator bombers over Nazi-occupied Europe. At a time when air crews were expected to be killed between eight and 12 missions, Stewart had flown 20. He was stationed in Europe through the end of the war, receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, a Presidential Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre. Although World War II might have ended, Stewart stayed in the Army, and later the Air Force when it became an independent branch in 1947. He continued his service in the Air Force reserve, flying missions in B-52 bombers. He even flew as an observer on a bombing mission during the Vietnam War. He retired as a brigadier general from the Air Force in 1968. In 1946, Stewart almost went home to take over the hardware store, but instead gave Hollywood another shot. The only problem was that years at war had taken their toll on his appearance. He was 37 but looked 50 and his career as a romantic lead was over, according to one biographer." He was the REAL DEAL! Greetings from Brazil.
Another great video, Mike! Ever since I watched Jimmy Stewart enter the secured hangar to see the B47 for the first time with Gen. Hawkes (Frank Lovejoy playing a slightly more personable version of Curtis LeMay), the B-47 has been one of my favorite airplanes of all time... In the '80s I had the opportunity to meet a retired USAF WWII vet and test pilot on the B47 who said it was the most enjoyable flying airplane he ever flew, and that it truly was a 6 engine fighter... For the sake of accuracy, the B47 pilot pic is of Col. Holland's copilot, LTC Rocky Stamford (Barry Sullivan). Keep up the good work!!
Very nice presentation of the multi mission B-47 Stratojet. Strategic Air Command is a must see movie for anyone who is a fan of the B-47 and B-36. Lots of breath taking screen time for both aircraft. Great job as always Mike.
The reason James Stewart was so good at portraying a pilot is that he was a for real combat pilot. He had I think 28 missions in the b-24, he was qualified command pilot on not just the b-24 but also the b36 the b47 the B-52 and the b-58. He was a very talented pilot. Towards the end of his tour in the ETO with the 8th Air Force he was grounded because he was what they called back then flak happy. Basically he was suffering severe PTSD. He's a very brave upstanding man. Regardless of his Hollywood achievements I believe those were his greatest achievements. And yes I'm a big fan of his movies.
Very well done, Mike. My father started his career in the USAF working on B-47's in an electronics systems repair technician role in 1959. He soon ended up working on all types of aircraft through the 25 years he was with the USAF/ANG and even landed an instructor role for the last 10 of them. I had the privilege of growing up on bases around many of the greatest airplanes to ever fly the skies and it sure is great to watch your video treatments of each of them. Thanks!
Mike: Very nice video - thank you. I was a navigator/bombardier in B-47's from Sept 1960 thru May 1963. I loved this airplane although we had a few scary moments. I was stationed at Little Rock AFB and Chennault AFB - we flew "Reflex" missions to Morocco, Spain, and England where we would stay a month at a time on alert (three weeks on alert & one week off). That, of course, was the Cold War. We also deployed during the Cuban Crisis. Good memories.
All of my fellow baby boomers( I'm at1951 model) owe so much to the these aircraft and the Men of SAC who kept our country safe during the height of the cold war.
The first time I remember seeing one of these was in the movie Strategic Air Command. I love that film to this day. What a beautiful aircraft. Always watched the old newsreels to catch a glimpse of the Air Force in action. I was really head over heels with the B58. Built several of those kits.
Following your pattern of thinking (about concept...), I would like to mention the first one of them all, which is the Messerschmitt Me 262. I know you mentioned the 35° SWEEP as being a German information... "While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of World War II, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. It also heavily influenced several designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) and Nakajima Kikka. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight-tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Several aircraft survive on static display in museums, and there are several privately built flying reproductions that use modern General Electric J85 engines." "The Me 262 is often referred to as a "swept wing" design as the production aircraft had a small, but significant leading edge sweep of 18.5° which likely provided an advantage by increasing the critical Mach number. Sweep, uncommon at the time, was added after the initial design of the aircraft. The engines proved heavier than originally expected, and the sweep was added primarily to position the center of lift properly relative to the center of mass. (THE ORIGINAL 35° SWEEP, proposed by Adolf Busemann, was not adopted). On 1 March 1940, instead of moving the wing backward on its mount, the outer wing was re-positioned slightly aft; the trailing edge of the midsection of the wing remained unswept. Based on data from the AVA Göttingen and wind tunnel results, the inboard section's leading edge (between the nacelle and wing root) was later swept to the same angle as the outer panels, from the "V6" sixth prototype onward throughout volume production." Me 262 Schwalbe Messerschmitt Me 262A at the National Museum of the USAF. Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a late production model Role Fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber Manufacturer Messerschmitt First flight 18 April 1941 with piston engine (Junkers Jumo 210) 18 July 1942 with jet engines Introduction April 1944 Retired 1945, Germany 1951, Czechoslovakia Primary users Luftwaffe Czechoslovak Air Force (S-92) Number built 1,430 Developed into Messerschmitt P.1099 Greetings from Brazil.
As British test pilot of captured German aircraft Eric “Winkle” Brown said…”we weren’t just surprised how far ahead of us the Germans were…we were shocked!”
The craziest bomb dropper besides the unusual Vigilante. The whole manuver of going up in a toss bomb climb, rolling over then, rolling back to get the heck outta the way of Hydrogen Bomb you just threw at the Russians....crazyness!!
B-47 Toss Bombing is often a popular subject when the plane is mentioned - many seem to believe it was a primary B-47 tactic when it was actually abandoned after a year (1956-1957) due to structural issues. LABS was still a program but switched to “Pop-Up” (quick climb to altitude-release and dive away).
Mike, another great video and nostalgic look back at what has to be one of the most beautiful bombers ever built. Incidentally, for folks who have Amazon Prime, you can stream “Strategic Air Command” for free. If you don’t have Prime, you can rent it and stream it for $2.99. Worth every penny. Just Go to Amazon Prime and search for the movie title. Watching Stewart in that B-47 cockpit gave me back-aches just imagining 16-hour missions in that seat without getting up. I have no doubt pilots were relieved when the B-52 came out just a few years later with a cockpit they could get out of and walk around. What a great aircraft and great movie. Your video inspired me to watch it again :). Thanks Mike.
Great piece Mike. I think the B-47 is the most elegant swept wing airplane ever designed. P.S... I believe a mock-up/movie prop B-47 cockpit used in filming the Movie Strategic Air Command can be seen at the March ARB museum in San Bernardino, CA. As I remember it is constructed as a cutaway profile so the camera can get a proper interior view.
Shots from this quarter 8:00 are so iconic for this aircraft and SAC. Call me propagandized as a child of the Cold War, but whenever I see a pic of LeMay, that quarter shot immediately comes to mind.
When my father was stationed in Elmendorf, Alaska, I watched many B-47 take off and land. The most spectacular take off was a B-47 using Jato assist. That was awesome!
You mentioned that the B-47 replaced the B-36 in the bombing role. I always found it of interest that around the B-36D or so when they added the jet pods near the wingtips--take a close look at those pods. Rather than design all new pods, Convair used the inner B-47 engine pods. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the removal of the outrigger landing gear and addition to shutters over the inlet to keep the jet engines from windmilling when not in use.
I remember coming upon a B-47 on static display at Whiteman AFB in the late 1990's. I was attracted to the beauty of the design but could not identify the airplane. It looked like a modern warplane and at the same time, something out of WWII. Of course, that is exactly what it was. It was my introduction to this marvelous plane. I loved seeing the plane in Jimmy Stewart's movie "Strategic Air Command".
Great channel, Mike 👍 Your knowledge and experiences, and wonderful storytelling and illustrations, makes every video an awesome one. Thank you so much!
I find it mind boggling that the B-47 first flew just over two years after V-J Day. It looks more than one generation ahead of the WW2 bomber. Just compare it to the B-17, B-24, Lancaster or even the B-29, and it seems light-years ahead. Though I think it has to be acknowledged how much the B-29 program contributed to future bombers, and aircraft in general, with it's advances like pressurization. Also, it must said, the B-47 is a downright gorgeous aircraft, especially with the tandem original seating.
Thanks Mike very informative as usual really enjoyed it. Evertime I see a b36 peacemaker Iam more amazed wow how the hell did that huge aircraft fly truly amazing. Great presentation as usual and hi from the UK.
@@donaldstanfield8862 Wrong. The B-36 had a relatively short take take-off run for it's size. After all, it did have ten engines! The landing run was also reasonably short as well as it's six piston engines were equipped with reversible pitch propeller blades. As for maneuverability, it's extremely long wings gave it far superior turning/banking ability at high altitudes, (above 40,000ft), than early jet fighter-interceptors like the MiG-15/F-86.
Along time ago back when the Federal Way shopping center was an amusement park and a shopping center above the go-kart track was a b-47. And we climbed all over that once the cockpit was broken into we were able to get inside and sit in it. I think it's the one that's up in Seattle at the museum of flight
Mike I love your videos!! I was a product of the 60's my dad was a AF pilot. The problem with the B-47's when they "launched" the bomb the wings had a tendency to snap off.
Thanks for another great vid! You put a lot of heart, and experience into these. Top AV channel on the internet. And, thank you for your service! 👍🇱🇷🇱🇷
At about the 6:30 point, the famous B-47 color takeoff image is not at Edwards AFB. It's Biggs, a B-36 base. Note the B-36s on the ground. B-47s co-existed with the B-36s for a time at Biggs, El Paso, TX. Photo take April 15, 1954. -- Kurt Burgess
Yes, Stewart flew B-24 Liberators in World War II and attained the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He was also flown at Mach 2 in the Convair B-58 Hustler.
A most enjoyable video. It is hard to believe that an aircraft that big could do a loop and bomb release back in 1947. And looking at that beatiful aircraft you have to give a lot of credit to those aircraft engineers as you reaize that only 8 years earlier the U.S. Military was still flying some old single engine biplanes.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 didn't the B-47 suffered from structural problems from stressing both the wings and the fuselage flying around like a fighter?
A point of order. The B-47 wing attachment to the fuselage has more in common with the 727 than the 707 or Dash 80. The B-47 wing attachment used a bottle pin design to attach the wing to the fuselage. It uses a "pin" attachment at the front and rear wing spar. Where as the 707 and Dash 80 had a side of body rib similar to the late model B-29's and B-50. The 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 use this side of body rib design. FYI ...
Thank you for the videos. They bring back so many memories of my childhood in the 1950's. I loved airplanes then and still do. I wanted to be a pilot but was told my eyes were bad and couldn't do that. A terrible disappointment. Anyway thanks again and God bless you.
Sorry, at about 10:23, the B-36 was unofficially known as the "Peacemaker" not "Peacekeeper." One of the few military aircraft without an official nickname. -- Kurt Burgess
These bombers used to fly directly over our house at Hampton Beach, NH when I was a kid. They would pass at quite low level (loud!) as the bombers swept out over the Atlantic and on toward polar regions during their standard nuclear patrols. Both Boeings, B-47 and KC-97, were stationed at Pease AFB for nearly a decade (1956-66). In fact, Pease was among the most important B-47 stations and had two bombardment wings (100th and 509th) concurrently based there. Pease also was one of the last AFBs to house the B-47 before it converted to B-52s for a very brief period and then on to the long run FB-111A. Alas, Pease AFB is long gone (so too beloved Loring), closed by BRAC Round 1 in 1991, although a smaller remnant of the base serves as one of the US military's most important refueling operations. Pease's NHANG was arguably the first, due to the political pull of Senator Jean Shaheen, to finally, finally receive the long-delayed and trouble-prone KC-46. (Those fly over my house now too. :)
I was lucky as a kid because my dad was stationed and retired at Tinker AFB . I saw most every USAF airplane and a few USNs land there. We lived about a mile west of the flight path.
Thanks for the detailed-as-usual video. I grew up in the Nifty Fifties and the B-47 was and is one of my favorite aircraft. As a side note, about 8 or 9 years ago I met the author Wolfgang Samuel at a book signing at Udvar-Hazey and found out he was aircrew on RB-47s out of Takhli, although he was assigned there before I was. Lots of interesting aircraft when I was stationed there....RB or EB--66s, RB-57s and probably more I've forgotten. Cool stuff.
I remember the first time watching this as a kid as far as Jimmy Stewart in strategic Air command I was just in all of the aircraft and that Jimmy Stewart was flying them. A lot of my family is ex-military and when I was about 8 years old we would drive to Waco Texas where my Uncle Bill was I can see the big tails and triple jet engines of the huge transport planes from his house on base. When he retired he was the senior enlisted man in the entire United States Air Force as far as time in service. And drank. Can't remember for sure but I think he was in the Air Force for 34 years. (William h Scoggin)
Regarding the three Boeings at the beginning, I know Tex flew the 47 and 707, but the third…? At 10:30, you discussed the crewed, pressurized pod in the bomb bay of the B-47, which I’d not known about and helps me realize why the RB-47 was such an effective reconnaissance aircraft; did the RB-36 have a similar bomb bay configuration?
I remember the movie Strategic Air Command. It is by far, one of my all time favorites - not only because of Jimmy Stewart, but because I get to see the airplanes that were flying when I was a kid. This morning, I have a silly question for you, now that you brought up the movie. Do you have any insight as to how I could locate and purchase the musical score for this movie - specifically the march at the beginning... and the stirring music when the B36... and later, the B47 are in flight? The community band I play with just did a tribute concert to the USAF. This music would have been perfect. Thank you so much for covering these aircraft. You make this old man's day!
Another reason they picked pilots from the fighters was the plane always had to be flown. I was told by a retired 47 pilot you never could set back and took it easy like the traditional bombers. At altitude the flight envelope got very tight, I believe he said 20 to 30 knots between max airframe speed and stall. He did say with a twinkle in his eye it was fun to fly.
The B-50 was not the ultimate expression of the B-29. That would be the proposed B-54 with a longer fuselage, greater wing span and other improvements. The AirForce initially ordered a number of pre production aircraft but when LeMay took over SAC it was canceled.
Great job Mike! You need to do a review of the GREAT movie "Toward the Unknown" with William Holden, James Garner and Lloyd Nolan circa 1956 about the Golden Age of Test Pilots and aircraft featuring the Martin XB-51 as the Gilbert 120!
What he doesn't say is...it was supposed to be an A or H-bomb. Looping the bomb was supposed to give the plane a chance to get away before it went off. Not sure if that would have worked with a multi-megaton H bomb. Shock would probably have caught up with the plane.
at the start of the video they show a B.O.A.C. 707 - I flew on that from Bermuda back to JFK in February 1973 - outbound from jfk to Bermuda I was on a BOAC 747ST. Imagine using either of those planes for a 700-750 mile flight today !?
Great question Donald, and these two terms are often confused. JATO is for "Jet Assisted Take Off" referring to the aircraft being boosted by the rocket bottles. "RATO," or Rocket Assisted Take Off is the rocket powerplant itself.
Outstanding Video...but at 10:17 its not the "Peacekeeper" its the "Peacemaker." haha lol Like the Colt .44 "Peacemaker"... However to my knowledge, Consolidated never officially attached that name to its mega-bomber. Or any other name for that matter. It was simply known as the...B-36.
I dont know how we got base housing at Forbes my dad was not on B-47 crew but he was an ICBM electronic tech and the base had nine. so I guess he was that important. 100 homes tops.
Just caught your channel and looking at posts.... I have to say this is great stuff!! Jimmy Stewart was a natural, because he had lived it, as well as a lot of the other actors in those films with him. No offense to any actor, but you can't act "real"! I grew up at the "end" of the runway at Davis-Monthan A.F.B. and SAW all kinds and types of aircraft coming and going from D-M. My Dad was career military, and we used to joke about all the "retired" recon, recon/weather aircraft just passing by..... It was the Cold War, and we were using everything at our disposal to keep the Soviets off balance. Tucson, AZ was a military town then and everyone was vigilant about the "Reds".... But I digress....... Thanks for your time and research on these Cold War Dragons.....
I grew up on Loring AFB, Seymour Johnson AFB, KI Sawyer AFB and Hickam AFB. All SAC bases except for that one in Hawaii there. 1964 to 1981. Never done saunt me no B-47. Not a one.
Hello Skeggjold gunner…. Loring AFB closed in 1994. It was the closest continental Air Force Base to Europe and to me it didn’t make sense to shut it down. The large hanger is now a machine shop repairing and upgrading Humvees.
Read this: Jimmy Stewart movie. At 23 or 25 minutes, he and June are in the BOQ. A B-36 takes off. In the background the metal Venetian blinds start fluttering like crazy. I witnessed that same phenomenon as a child in El Paso. When I asked my dad, he said it was a B-36! What a cool thing to experience! ruclips.net/video/WkQr2T83UJc/видео.html It is toward the end of the movie trailer.
Yeager was apparently rather dismissive of bombers and of guys enthusiastic about flying them. I read he had a soft spot for the B-47 as it was faster than most of the a/c he was flying. He flew it himself and was annoyed that it was difficult to manage speed in descent but if a bomber had to have a problem, too much speed was the one to have.
Not at all unique in that regard. Nearly all early jets, to a degree, were members of this club. But admittedly, the bomber was not the easiest to land.
The B-47 was so streamlined that to slow down for landing they lowered the rear landing gear! (Which due to drag AFT of the Center of Pressure, increased the plane's stability at slow speeds!) Also, by dropping the JATO units, they decreased the drag from the openings of all of those JATO bottles!
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Hi! I am an 88-year-old USAF veteran. My job for the B-47 was to keep them safely off the ground--that is, a mechanic. Here’s a story about these beasts nobody knew about but the ground crews. When they would land after a mission, there would be a line of them coming down the taxi-way, one behind the other, spaced far enough apart to dodge the rocks from the ones in front. Those six J-47 engines wanted to drag that Pterodactyl faster than it wanted to go, so the pilot had to ride the brakes to curb its enthusiasm. But the brake linings squealed like a prehistoric monster, so there would be this line of them, their necks craned into the air, all squealing their displeasure. What a sight! The pilots drove them into their particular parking bays as near as possible, but some of them had to be towed into place. The bombay doors were then opened and safety-pinned in place. Hanging from the ceiling would be this atomic egg, straight from the stratosphere, still covered with frost. I ran my hands over these icy packages of American freedom and hoped they would never hatch.
No one ever played a pilot better than Jimmy Stewart.. for good reason given Stewart's magnificent service record with the USAAF in WWII. He was a natural. :)
Well said, Mark. Best of the best!
yup. I was gonna say the same thing. And it wasn't only WW2. He stayed in the Air Force Reserves and retired a general...although I'm not sure how many stars. He joined the USAAF...I think right before the war, and set his career as an actor on the back burner when Pearl Harbor happened. And compare his acting after the war to his movies before the war. He was a darker, more complex man in his movies. Some say he wouldn't take the light hearted roles after seeing combat. And, compare the actors of that era who either joined up to fight, or traveled overseas to entertain, to what we have now in Hollyweird. No comparison!
@@larrybrown1824 Larry, Thanks so much for your comment. I love cinema as well as model making and Aviation history so I really appreciated your comments about Stewart's post war film career... I completely agree with your comments. Cheers, mate!
Growing up I watched a lot of movies with Gen. Stewart in the lead role. He always gave a great performance and demonstrated good moral character. He managed to convey all that was good about America. He was truly an American hero.
@@larrybrown1824 He retired with 1 star, but later on, for his excellent career they promoted him from Brigadier to Major General (2 stars)
As you said, James Stewart was the best actor interpreting the role of a pilot.
"After a year training new pilots in New Mexico, he finally was sent overseas to fly B-24 Liberator bombers over Nazi-occupied Europe. At a time when air crews were expected to be killed between eight and 12 missions, Stewart had flown 20. He was stationed in Europe through the end of the war, receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, a Presidential Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre.
Although World War II might have ended, Stewart stayed in the Army, and later the Air Force when it became an independent branch in 1947. He continued his service in the Air Force reserve, flying missions in B-52 bombers. He even flew as an observer on a bombing mission during the Vietnam War. He retired as a brigadier general from the Air Force in 1968.
In 1946, Stewart almost went home to take over the hardware store, but instead gave Hollywood another shot. The only problem was that years at war had taken their toll on his appearance. He was 37 but looked 50 and his career as a romantic lead was over, according to one biographer."
He was the REAL DEAL!
Greetings from Brazil.
Wonderful comment and thanks for the information!
Jimmy Stewart retired from the Air Force in 1969. He WAS a jet bomber pilot.
Another great video, Mike!
Ever since I watched Jimmy Stewart enter the secured hangar to see the B47 for the first time with Gen. Hawkes (Frank Lovejoy playing a slightly more personable version of Curtis LeMay), the B-47 has been one of my favorite airplanes of all time...
In the '80s I had the opportunity to meet a retired USAF WWII vet and test pilot on the B47 who said it was the most enjoyable flying airplane he ever flew, and that it truly was a 6 engine fighter...
For the sake of accuracy, the B47 pilot pic is of Col. Holland's copilot, LTC Rocky Stamford (Barry Sullivan).
Keep up the good work!!
Great movie
Very nice presentation of the multi mission B-47 Stratojet. Strategic Air Command is a must see movie for anyone who is a fan of the B-47 and B-36. Lots of breath taking screen time for both aircraft. Great job as always Mike.
Thanks Glenn - see you soon!
It was! I did not know the B47 had a recon role as well as a SAC bomber
The reason James Stewart was so good at portraying a pilot is that he was a for real combat pilot. He had I think 28 missions in the b-24, he was qualified command pilot on not just the b-24 but also the b36 the b47 the B-52 and the b-58. He was a very talented pilot. Towards the end of his tour in the ETO with the 8th Air Force he was grounded because he was what they called back then flak happy. Basically he was suffering severe PTSD. He's a very brave upstanding man. Regardless of his Hollywood achievements I believe those were his greatest achievements. And yes I'm a big fan of his movies.
He actually flew combat missions in the B-52 in Vietnam…
@@allangibson2408 Glenn Ford was in the ground in Nam. Less than secure area with the Navy Reserve. James Stewart flew as an observer
@@JohnRodriguesPhotographer b.g.Stewart only flew one Vietnam b-52 mission .16 feb 1966 just prior to his retirement.
Very well done, Mike. My father started his career in the USAF working on B-47's in an electronics systems repair technician role in 1959. He soon ended up working on all types of aircraft through the 25 years he was with the USAF/ANG and even landed an instructor role for the last 10 of them. I had the privilege of growing up on bases around many of the greatest airplanes to ever fly the skies and it sure is great to watch your video treatments of each of them. Thanks!
Wonderful comment, thanks!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 You're welcome! I'm really enjoying your channel!
Great video. Thanks for explaining/illustrating the lob bombing profile. Beautiful painting of the 47 performing that manuever.
Thanks Charles!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 It's just chuck
@@chuck9987 Roger that.
Mike: Very nice video - thank you. I was a navigator/bombardier in B-47's from Sept 1960 thru May 1963. I loved this airplane although we had a few scary moments. I was stationed at Little Rock AFB and Chennault AFB - we flew "Reflex" missions to Morocco, Spain, and England where we would stay a month at a time on alert (three weeks on alert & one week off). That, of course, was the Cold War. We also deployed during the Cuban Crisis. Good memories.
Amazing story, and awesome that you were flight crew on the B-47 - thanks Chuck!
That must have been hair-raising at the Cuban Missile crisis, I barely recall as I was only seven, but remember seeing on news! 😬
One of my favorite Boeing designs. I'm sorry I never saw one in the air.
Hi Mike! Thanks for another wonderful video! Those photos were nice showing all those classic planes which are works of amazing art and engineering!
Thanks Alan, and glad you liked it.
Nice video on the "grand daddy" of modern swept wing, jet engine pod aircraft.
Thanks Dan!
All of my fellow baby boomers( I'm at1951 model) owe so much to the these aircraft and the Men of SAC who kept our country safe during the height of the cold war.
The first time I remember seeing one of these was in the movie Strategic Air Command. I love that film to this day. What a beautiful aircraft. Always watched the old newsreels to catch a glimpse of the Air Force in action. I was really head over heels with the B58. Built several of those kits.
Following your pattern of thinking (about concept...), I would like to mention the first one of them all, which is the Messerschmitt Me 262. I know you mentioned the 35° SWEEP as being a German information...
"While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of World War II, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. It also heavily influenced several designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-9 (1946) and Nakajima Kikka. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight-tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Several aircraft survive on static display in museums, and there are several privately built flying reproductions that use modern General Electric J85 engines."
"The Me 262 is often referred to as a "swept wing" design as the production aircraft had a small, but significant leading edge sweep of 18.5° which likely provided an advantage by increasing the critical Mach number. Sweep, uncommon at the time, was added after the initial design of the aircraft. The engines proved heavier than originally expected, and the sweep was added primarily to position the center of lift properly relative to the center of mass. (THE ORIGINAL 35° SWEEP, proposed by Adolf Busemann, was not adopted). On 1 March 1940, instead of moving the wing backward on its mount, the outer wing was re-positioned slightly aft; the trailing edge of the midsection of the wing remained unswept. Based on data from the AVA Göttingen and wind tunnel results, the inboard section's leading edge (between the nacelle and wing root) was later swept to the same angle as the outer panels, from the "V6" sixth prototype onward throughout volume production."
Me 262 Schwalbe
Messerschmitt Me 262A at the National Museum of the USAF.
Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a late production model
Role Fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber
Manufacturer Messerschmitt
First flight
18 April 1941 with piston engine (Junkers Jumo 210)
18 July 1942 with jet engines
Introduction April 1944
Retired
1945, Germany
1951, Czechoslovakia
Primary users Luftwaffe
Czechoslovak Air Force (S-92)
Number built 1,430
Developed into Messerschmitt P.1099
Greetings from Brazil.
As British test pilot of captured German aircraft Eric “Winkle” Brown said…”we weren’t just surprised how far ahead of us the Germans were…we were shocked!”
The craziest bomb dropper besides the unusual Vigilante. The whole manuver of going up in a toss bomb climb, rolling over then, rolling back to get the heck outta the way of Hydrogen Bomb you just threw at the Russians....crazyness!!
And another great video that we both enjoyed watching. Great stuff.
Thanks John - see you soon!
B-47 Toss Bombing is often a popular subject when the plane is mentioned - many seem to believe it was a primary B-47 tactic when it was actually abandoned after a year (1956-1957) due to structural issues. LABS was still a program but switched to “Pop-Up” (quick climb to altitude-release and dive away).
Mike, another great video and nostalgic look back at what has to be one of the most beautiful bombers ever built.
Incidentally, for folks who have Amazon Prime, you can stream “Strategic Air Command” for free. If you don’t have Prime, you can rent it and stream it for $2.99. Worth every penny. Just Go to Amazon Prime and search for the movie title.
Watching Stewart in that B-47 cockpit gave me back-aches just imagining 16-hour missions in that seat without getting up. I have no doubt pilots were relieved when the B-52 came out just a few years later with a cockpit they could get out of and walk around. What a great aircraft and great movie. Your video inspired me to watch it again :). Thanks Mike.
Great piece Mike. I think the B-47 is the most elegant swept wing airplane ever designed. P.S... I believe a mock-up/movie prop B-47 cockpit used in filming the Movie Strategic Air Command can be seen at the March ARB museum in San Bernardino, CA. As I remember it is constructed as a cutaway profile so the camera can get a proper interior view.
I remember seeing it there back in the mid-2000's. It was fascinating!
Would be awesome to see!
Yep, the "More power Leo..." line along with "Negative Kadena -- I can't hold..." are some of my favorite lines from "SAC."
Shots from this quarter 8:00 are so iconic for this aircraft and SAC. Call me propagandized as a child of the Cold War, but whenever I see a pic of LeMay, that quarter shot immediately comes to mind.
At 13:09 is Barry Sullivan playing Lt. Col. Rocky Samford, Stewart's co-pilot.
When my father was stationed in Elmendorf, Alaska, I watched many B-47 take off and land. The most spectacular take off was a B-47 using Jato assist. That was awesome!
You mentioned that the B-47 replaced the B-36 in the bombing role. I always found it of interest that around the B-36D or so when they added the jet pods near the wingtips--take a close look at those pods. Rather than design all new pods, Convair used the inner B-47 engine pods. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the removal of the outrigger landing gear and addition to shutters over the inlet to keep the jet engines from windmilling when not in use.
That is correct Russ!
I remember coming upon a B-47 on static display at Whiteman AFB in the late 1990's. I was attracted to the beauty of the design but could not identify the airplane. It looked like a modern warplane and at the same time, something out of WWII. Of course, that is exactly what it was. It was my introduction to this marvelous plane. I loved seeing the plane in Jimmy Stewart's movie "Strategic Air Command".
Great channel, Mike 👍 Your knowledge and experiences, and wonderful storytelling and illustrations, makes every video an awesome one. Thank you so much!
The Chanute Museum here had 46-66, the 2nd built. Walked around it many, many times Thankfully Edwards got it when the Chanute Museum went tits up.
Chanute AFB was awesome glad got to go to airshow there! 👊🏼
I find it mind boggling that the B-47 first flew just over two years after V-J Day. It looks more than one generation ahead of the WW2 bomber. Just compare it to the B-17, B-24, Lancaster or even the B-29, and it seems light-years ahead. Though I think it has to be acknowledged how much the B-29 program contributed to future bombers, and aircraft in general, with it's advances like pressurization.
Also, it must said, the B-47 is a downright gorgeous aircraft, especially with the tandem original seating.
Thanks Mike very informative as usual really enjoyed it. Evertime I see a b36 peacemaker Iam more amazed wow how the hell did that huge aircraft fly truly amazing. Great presentation as usual and hi from the UK.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
It sure took it's time getting off the ground and sure didn't do any fast moves, amazingly huge, indeed!
@@donaldstanfield8862 Wrong. The B-36 had a relatively short take take-off run for it's size. After all, it did have ten engines! The landing run was also reasonably short as well as it's six piston engines were equipped with reversible pitch propeller blades. As for maneuverability, it's extremely long wings gave it far superior turning/banking ability at high altitudes, (above 40,000ft), than early jet fighter-interceptors like the MiG-15/F-86.
Along time ago back when the Federal Way shopping center was an amusement park and a shopping center above the go-kart track was a b-47. And we climbed all over that once the cockpit was broken into we were able to get inside and sit in it. I think it's the one that's up in Seattle at the museum of flight
Mike I love your videos!! I was a product of the 60's my dad was a AF pilot. The problem with the B-47's when they "launched" the bomb the wings had a tendency to snap off.
Thanks for another great vid! You put a lot of heart, and experience into these. Top AV channel on the internet.
And, thank you for your service! 👍🇱🇷🇱🇷
Appreciate the great comment, thanks!
At about the 6:30 point, the famous B-47 color takeoff image is not at Edwards AFB. It's Biggs, a B-36 base. Note the B-36s on the ground. B-47s co-existed with the B-36s for a time at Biggs, El Paso, TX. Photo take April 15, 1954. -- Kurt Burgess
If I am recalling correctly, Jimmy Stewart really was an Airforce officer and pilot
Yes, Stewart flew B-24 Liberators in World War II and attained the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He was also flown at Mach 2 in the Convair B-58 Hustler.
A most enjoyable video. It is hard to believe that an aircraft that big could do a loop and bomb release back in 1947. And looking at that beatiful aircraft you have to give a lot of credit to those aircraft engineers as you reaize that only 8 years earlier the U.S. Military was still flying some old single engine biplanes.
Well said, Garfield, and that's why SAC went to the fighter community to fill their pilot slots for flying a B-47 aerobatic!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 didn't the B-47 suffered from structural problems from stressing both the wings and the fuselage flying around like a fighter?
@@paoloviti6156 Right, hard to imagine they'd hot dog such an expensive and vital aircraft!
@@paoloviti6156 Yes, as the big bomber was never meant for those maneuvers.
A point of order. The B-47 wing attachment to the fuselage has more in common with the 727 than the 707 or Dash 80. The B-47 wing attachment used a bottle pin design to attach the wing to the fuselage. It uses a "pin" attachment at the front and rear wing spar. Where as the 707 and Dash 80 had a side of body rib similar to the late model B-29's and B-50. The 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 use this side of body rib design. FYI ...
Stewart a WWII bomber pilot had the rank of General and had flown the B-58 Hustler and did so in the USAF video & was IN uniform!
Thank you for the videos. They bring back so many memories of my childhood in the 1950's. I loved airplanes then and still do. I wanted to be a pilot but was told my eyes were bad and couldn't do that. A terrible disappointment. Anyway thanks again and God bless you.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
Sorry, at about 10:23, the B-36 was unofficially known as the "Peacemaker" not "Peacekeeper." One of the few military aircraft without an official nickname. -- Kurt Burgess
These bombers used to fly directly over our house at Hampton Beach, NH when I was a kid. They would pass at quite low level (loud!) as the bombers swept out over the Atlantic and on toward polar regions during their standard nuclear patrols. Both Boeings, B-47 and KC-97, were stationed at Pease AFB for nearly a decade (1956-66). In fact, Pease was among the most important B-47 stations and had two bombardment wings (100th and 509th) concurrently based there. Pease also was one of the last AFBs to house the B-47 before it converted to B-52s for a very brief period and then on to the long run FB-111A.
Alas, Pease AFB is long gone (so too beloved Loring), closed by BRAC Round 1 in 1991, although a smaller remnant of the base serves as one of the US military's most important refueling operations. Pease's NHANG was arguably the first, due to the political pull of Senator Jean Shaheen, to finally, finally receive the long-delayed and trouble-prone KC-46. (Those fly over my house now too. :)
The B 47 was featured in the movie Strategic Air Command starring Jimmy Stewart. He was also the pilot of a B 47 in the movie
I was lucky as a kid because my dad was stationed and retired at Tinker AFB . I saw most every USAF airplane and a few USNs land there. We lived about a mile west of the flight path.
Thanks for the detailed-as-usual video. I grew up in the Nifty Fifties and the B-47 was and is one of my favorite aircraft. As a side note, about 8 or 9 years ago I met the author Wolfgang Samuel at a book signing at Udvar-Hazey and found out he was aircrew on RB-47s out of Takhli, although he was assigned there before I was. Lots of interesting aircraft when I was stationed there....RB or EB--66s, RB-57s and probably more I've forgotten. Cool stuff.
Great comment, thanks!
Thx for good content.
Appreciate the comment!
I think there's footage of a B-47 testing that toss-bombing technique, where it pulls up into a steep climb and they actually loop the thing!
Hard to believe it flew 2 years after WW2
True, and also amazing it was only five years after America's first jet, the Bell XP-59 (October 1942). I should've mentioned that....
Good video. Good information. 👍👍👍👍👍
I remember the first time watching this as a kid as far as Jimmy Stewart in strategic Air command I was just in all of the aircraft and that Jimmy Stewart was flying them. A lot of my family is ex-military and when I was about 8 years old we would drive to Waco Texas where my Uncle Bill was I can see the big tails and triple jet engines of the huge transport planes from his house on base. When he retired he was the senior enlisted man in the entire United States Air Force as far as time in service. And drank. Can't remember for sure but I think he was in the Air Force for 34 years.
(William h Scoggin)
The swept wing, cigar fuselage, and podded engines, established the template moving forward.
Regarding the three Boeings at the beginning, I know Tex flew the 47 and 707, but the third…?
At 10:30, you discussed the crewed, pressurized pod in the bomb bay of the B-47, which I’d not known about and helps me realize why the RB-47 was such an effective reconnaissance aircraft; did the RB-36 have a similar bomb bay configuration?
I love the movie Strategic Air Command
I remember the movie Strategic Air Command. It is by far, one of my all time favorites - not only because of Jimmy Stewart, but because I get to see the airplanes that were flying when I was a kid. This morning, I have a silly question for you, now that you brought up the movie. Do you have any insight as to how I could locate and purchase the musical score for this movie - specifically the march at the beginning... and the stirring music when the B36... and later, the B47 are in flight? The community band I play with just did a tribute concert to the USAF. This music would have been perfect. Thank you so much for covering these aircraft. You make this old man's day!
Bring the Wing Sweep back! Submit list of some other stuff later.
Another reason they picked pilots from the fighters was the plane always had to be flown. I was told by a retired 47 pilot you never could set back and took it easy like the traditional bombers. At altitude the flight envelope got very tight, I believe he said 20 to 30 knots between max airframe speed and stall. He did say with a twinkle in his eye it was fun to fly.
Great story, thanks!
I wish you could come to Dayton to talk
The B-50 was not the ultimate expression of the B-29. That would be the proposed B-54 with a longer fuselage, greater wing span and other improvements. The AirForce initially ordered a number of pre production aircraft but when LeMay took over SAC it was canceled.
good job!!
Many thanks!
Great job Mike! You need to do a review of the GREAT movie "Toward the Unknown" with William Holden, James Garner and Lloyd Nolan circa 1956 about the Golden Age of Test Pilots and aircraft featuring the Martin XB-51 as the Gilbert 120!
Thanks, and "good minds think alike!" Check out my Bell X-2 video at 18:10! - ruclips.net/video/HeuBtZYXSvg/видео.html
Can you imagine looping this big thing to fling a bomb like that.
I wonder how much they actually did that!?!
What he doesn't say is...it was supposed to be an A or H-bomb. Looping the bomb was supposed to give the plane a chance to get away before it went off. Not sure if that would have worked with a multi-megaton H bomb. Shock would probably have caught up with the plane.
9:25 Ok "Trimetrogon" is a fucking cool word
I am building a 1/144 scale Academy B-47 as we speak.
Love it!
at the start of the video they show a B.O.A.C. 707 - I flew on that from Bermuda back to JFK in February 1973 - outbound from jfk to Bermuda I was on a BOAC 747ST. Imagine using either of those planes for a 700-750 mile flight today !?
How did JATO and RATO come to be used interchangeably, that's fascinating.
Great question Donald, and these two terms are often confused. JATO is for "Jet Assisted Take Off" referring to the aircraft being boosted by the rocket bottles. "RATO," or Rocket Assisted Take Off is the rocket powerplant itself.
Outstanding Video...but at 10:17 its not the "Peacekeeper" its the "Peacemaker." haha lol Like the Colt .44 "Peacemaker"... However to my knowledge, Consolidated never officially attached that name to its mega-bomber. Or any other name for that matter. It was simply known as the...B-36.
Yes, you are correct.
I dont know how we got base housing at Forbes my dad was not on B-47 crew but he was an ICBM electronic tech and the base had nine. so I guess he was that important. 100 homes tops.
Just caught your channel and looking at posts....
I have to say this is great stuff!! Jimmy Stewart was a natural, because he had lived it, as well as a lot of the other actors in those films with him. No offense to any actor, but you can't act "real"!
I grew up at the "end" of the runway at Davis-Monthan A.F.B. and SAW all kinds and types of aircraft coming and going from D-M. My Dad was career military, and we used to joke about all the "retired" recon, recon/weather aircraft just passing by..... It was the Cold War, and we were using everything at our disposal to keep the Soviets off balance. Tucson, AZ was a military town then and everyone was vigilant about the "Reds"....
But I digress....... Thanks for your time and research on these Cold War Dragons.....
Wonderful story from D-M, and 'appreciate the comment, thanks!
I grew up on Loring AFB, Seymour Johnson AFB, KI Sawyer AFB and Hickam AFB. All SAC bases except for that one in Hawaii there. 1964 to 1981. Never done saunt me no B-47. Not a one.
Hello Skeggjold gunner….
Loring AFB closed in 1994. It was the closest continental Air Force Base to Europe and to me it didn’t make sense to shut it down. The large hanger is now a machine shop repairing and upgrading Humvees.
Read this: Jimmy Stewart movie. At 23 or 25 minutes, he and June are in the BOQ. A B-36 takes off. In the background the metal Venetian blinds start fluttering like crazy. I witnessed that same phenomenon as a child in El Paso. When I asked my dad, he said it was a B-36! What a cool thing to experience! ruclips.net/video/WkQr2T83UJc/видео.html It is toward the end of the movie trailer.
Love that scene in the movie!
Yeager was apparently rather dismissive of bombers and of guys enthusiastic about flying them. I read he had a soft spot for the B-47 as it was faster than most of the a/c he was flying. He flew it himself and was annoyed that it was difficult to manage speed in descent but if a bomber had to have a problem, too much speed was the one to have.
HI, why should Jimmy Stewart NOT be playing an air Force pilot, he was a boomer pilot in WWII on B-24.
The 47 was a crew killer.
Not at all unique in that regard. Nearly all early jets, to a degree, were members of this club. But admittedly, the bomber was not the easiest to land.
Why didn't the U.S. use the B-47 used during the Korean war?
Leo Icant move my arm
Lol I keep thinking the plane has “potted” engines
RB36 Peacemaker not peacekeeper
Yes, correct.
Raise your hand if you still have your ticket from Flying Tiger Airlines
After he pissed off his wife
The B-47 was so streamlined that to slow down for landing they lowered the rear landing gear! (Which due to drag AFT of the Center of Pressure, increased the plane's stability at slow speeds!)
Also, by dropping the JATO units, they decreased the drag from the openings of all of those JATO bottles!
Thanks, Engineman! 👊🏼🙉