wb9omc@ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) (11/22/90)
From: wb9omc@ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) "The first plane to carry an operating nuclear reactor in flight resulted from a Convair program begun in 1951 with the first Air Force contract to develop a nuclear-powered aircraft. The Aircraft Nuclear Program itself was cancelled early in 1961, when it appeared unlikely to produce a militarily useful aircraft in the foreseeable future, but not before the NB-36H had been flown. On May 11, 1953, B-36H-20, 51-5712, was assigned to test airborne shielding of personnel and equipment with a small nuclear reactor. The flight crew's compartment was so completely shielded from radiation that the windshield of leaded glass was up to 12 inches thick and was so quiet in flight that pilots felt as though they were in a glider. Closed-circuit television systems gave the engineers in front visual check on the aircraft's ten engines and reactor controls. The reactor did not power the aircraft itself, but was used to test radiation effects on the NB-36H itself. Forty-seven flights were made from September 17, 1955 to March 28, 1957." Quoted from "B-36 in action", squadron/signal publications aircraft #42, by Meyers K. Jacobsen and Ray Wagner, illustrated by Don Greer, copyright 1980. Duane