mp@unc.UUCP (Michael Pique) (09/02/84)
Here is the text of the B-36 entry from the guidebook to the United States Air Force Museum (a copy of which you receive upon becoming a "Friend of the US Air Force Museum", write the USAF Museum Foundation (a private non-profit corporation) at PO Box 1903, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433. Convair B-36J The B-36, an intercontinental bomber, was designed during WW II. The airplane made its maiden flight on August 8, 1946 and on June 26, 1948 the Strategic Air Command received its first B-36 for operational use. By the time production ended in August 1954, more than 380 B-36s had been built for the USAF. In 1958-59 the B-36 was replaced by the more modern B-52. During the years it was in service, the airplane was one of America's major deterrents to aggression by a potential enemy. The fact that the B-36 was never used in combat was indicative of its value in "keeping the peace." The Air Force Museum's B-36J was flown to Wright Field from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, on April 30, 1959. This was the last flight ever made by a B-36. It was also the first airplane to be placed inside the new museum building. SPECIFICATIONS Span 230'0"; length 162'1"; height 46'9"; weight 410,000 pounds loaded. Armament: Sixteen M24 20mm cannon in eight nose, tail, and fuselage turrets, plus 86,000 pounds of conventional or nuclear bombs. Engines: Six Pratt&Whitney R-4360's of 3,800 hp each, and four General Electric J47's of 5,200 pounds thrust each. Cost: $3,701,000 Maximum speed: 435 mph, cruising speed 230 mph. Range: 10,000 miles [!], service ceiling 45,700 feet.