An interesting clip of a SAC recruiting video from the 1950’s.
For those of us who started in recips, these were the big boys, Wright R-3350’s- 18 cylinders in two offset rows of 9 each, pulling 59.5 inches MAP and developing 3,400 HP with 115/145 avgas!
I ‘think’ most people will recognize the guy sitting behind the pilots next to the flight engineer, but how many of you recognize the copilot and flight engineer???
I can’t for the life of me put a name to the right seater – I’ve seen him a million times though.
As for the flight engineer – I didn’t even see him, all I had to hear was “Standing by for propellor reverse safety check…”!
Strategic Air Command. There’s a good movie.
Joe- You’ve watched him as a Col. many a night on a military show…
Jim- Yes it was!
Is the right-seater Leslie Nielsen?
Flight engineer is Col. Potter, before he went to medical school and switched services.
B-36. Wow. Ten engines, must have been horribly inefficient trying to cope with two fuel supplies. And the Mk-17 bomb is just too big to think about–you can see one here: http://www.strategic-air-command.com/weapons/nuclear_bomb_chart.htm
William, dead on for the flight engineer! But a miss on the co-pilot sorry…
They did have special tanks for the jet fuel, and yes it was a PITA to manage. My cousin had about three flights in one as a 2nd LT, said it scared the piss out of him on every take off and landing.
Okay, the co-pilot is James Gregory, a GREAT character actor. He served in the Navy and Marines during WWII and joined the Air Force afterwards.
Hey Jim, I never got near one of those birds but they sure sounded like the P&W 4360’s! And J47’s maybe? Heard a LOT of them on the old AF Globemasters in and out of Capo Dichino in bella Napoli! Now there was a piece of engineering work! 28 cyls.in four rows of seven. One huge pain in the butt when it came time for the 120 hr plug change, 56 per engine! God I hated Intermediate checks! The only guy I could pick out was Brig Gen Jim!
I thought the copilot was Barry Sullivan. James Gregory was the pilot with Jimmy Stewart sitting behind him. The engineer was Harry Morgan.
One thing…when the 36 pulled away from the ramp and made a right turn, the rudder was to the left! No steerable nosewheel? Steer by brakes?
Later when he 36 turned left onto the active, it appeared the rudder was neutral.
nice clip and I got 2 out of three. Jimmy Stewart and Harry Morgan.
EV- THAT is why I was a tin-bender… LOL supposedly this was an earlier B-36 before they went to the 4360’s.
Crucis- That is interesting, because Gregory was passed to me as the CP. And yes, it was brake steered! If you listen closely on the turns, you can hear them squealing…
ADM- you must be as old as I am 🙂
Isn’t this the plane that sparked the Revolt of the Admirals? Didn’t Dan Gallery write a piece that almost got him court martialed? And Arleigh Burke was almost fired?
PE- You are correct in part Sir. It was the Aikr Force concept of strategic bombing with nukes being the sole decisive element necessary to win any future war; and was therefore the sole means necessary to deter an adversary from launching as strike that the Admirals went to battle over. They B-36 WAS a small part of that, as the lead acft.