Bill's Aviation Log

Boeing B-47 Stratojet. In May 1951 the B-47 began replacing the propeller-driven B-29s and B-50s in SAC's medium bomber units. While it could carry about the same bomb tonnage as the aircraft it replaced, the B-47's top speed was more than 200 mph faster. It had a crew of 3. Since the B-47 did not have the range of SAC's heavy bombers (the B-36 and later the B-52), Stratojet units regularly deployed to forward air bases around the world on temporary duty. Initially these deployments lasted three months, but beginning in 1957 under the Reflex Action program, they were shortened to three weeks.

In addition to its role as a nuclear strike bomber, the Stratojet's speed and payload made it a useful strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Between 1952 and 1956, photographic reconnaissance B-47s conducted several overflights of the Soviet Union, providing detailed pictures of Soviet military and industrial facilities. Stratojets gathered intelligence about Soviet air defense systems and the Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile program. Weather reconnaissance versions of the B-47 not only collected weather data, but also took air samples of Soviet nuclear detonations. These essential RB-47 missions over and along the border of the Soviet Union were hazardous, and Soviet fighters damaged one reconnaissance Stratojet and shot down two, with the loss of seven USAF personnel killed and two temporarily imprisoned.

Between 1947 and 1957, Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed built over 2,000 Stratojets. At its peak use in 1958, the USAF operated 28 B-47 bomb wings and four RB-47 reconnaissance wings, totaling 1,357 B-47s and 175 RB-47s. The USAF phased out its last B-47 bombers in 1965, and the USAF retired its last Stratojet, a WB-47E, in 1969.

U.S. Air Force Museum - The Cold War
This plane has always fascinated me. It's the Convair B-36 Peacemaker. It's huge! And it just sits in the Air Force Museum with room to spare, which illustrates how big the Museum is.

Can you believe it was designed during World War II and made its maiden flight in August 1946, only a year after World War II ended?

In June 1948 the Strategic Air Command received its first operational B-36.

Check out that gigantic bomb bay! Powered by six Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines, the B-36J cruised at 230 mph, but for additional bursts of speed its four General Electric J47s increased the maximum speed to 435 mph. It carried 86,000 pounds of nuclear or conventional bombs. It had a crew of 15. When production ended in August 1954, more than 380 B-36s had been built for the U.S. Air Force. In 1958-1959, the USAF replaced the B-36 with the all-jet B-52. Although never used in combat, the B-36 was a major deterrent to enemy aggression.

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the U.S. Air Force's first operational supersonic bomber. The B-58 made its initial flight on Nov. 11, 1956. In addition to the Hustler's delta wing shape, distinctive features included a sophisticated inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, a slender "wasp-waist" fuselage and an extensive use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in the wings and fuselage. Since the thin fuselage prevented the carrying of bombs internally, a droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage contained a nuclear weapon -- along with extra fuel, reconnaissance equipment or other specialized gear. The B-58 crew consisted of a pilot, navigator/bombardier and defense systems operator. Convair built 116 B-58s: 30 test and pre-production aircraft and 86 for operational service. Hustlers flew in the Strategic Air Command between 1960 and 1970.

A good look at the delta wing on the B-58.

Boeing B-47 Stratojet. In May 1951 the B-47 began replacing the propeller-driven B-29s and B-50s in SAC's medium bomber units. While it could carry about the same bomb tonnage as the aircraft it replaced, the B-47's top speed was more than 200 mph faster. It had a crew of 3. Since the B-47 did not have the range of SAC's heavy bombers (the B-36 and later the B-52), Stratojet units regularly deployed to forward air bases around the world on temporary duty. Initially these deployments lasted three months, but beginning in 1957 under the Reflex Action program, they were shortened to three weeks. In addition to its role as a nuclear strike bomber, the Stratojet's speed and payload made it a useful strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Between 1952 and 1956, photographic reconnaissance B-47s conducted several overflights of the Soviet Union, providing detailed pictures of Soviet military and industrial facilities. Stratojets gathered intelligence about Soviet air defense systems and the Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile program. Weather reconnaissance versions of the B-47 not only collected weather data, but also took air samples of Soviet nuclear detonations. These essential RB-47 missions over and along the border of the Soviet Union were hazardous, and Soviet fighters damaged one reconnaissance Stratojet and shot down two, with the loss of seven USAF personnel killed and two temporarily imprisoned. Between 1947 and 1957, Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed built over 2,000 Stratojets. At its peak use in 1958, the USAF operated 28 B-47 bomb wings and four RB-47 reconnaissance wings, totaling 1,357 B-47s and 175 RB-47s. The USAF phased out its last B-47 bombers in 1965, and the USAF retired its last Stratojet, a WB-47E, in 1969.

A piece of the Berlin Wall. During the 28 years it separated East and West Berlin, more than 5,000 people escaped over, through and under the wall. Approximately 100 people died making the attempt -- most shot by border guards. Parked next to the wall is a Trabant 601 automobile providing a stark example of how socialism provides for the promised worker's paradise. Powered by a 2-cylinder, 2-stroke engine, which produced approximately 28 hp, the Trabant's body consisted of compressed plastic and cotton panels attached to a galvanized steel chassis. The citizens of East Berlin often had to wait eight years or more to get one of these small vehicles. After the reunification of East and West Germany, the Trabant factory could not compete in a free market society with such an inferior product, and the last Trabant came off the assembly line in 1991.

The Soviet-built MiG-23 “Flogger” was designed to replace the widely-used MiG-21. The MiG-23’s advanced radar and fire control system could fire missiles at targets beyond visual range. Variable “swing” wing geometry, similar to that of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and robust landing gear allowed the MiG-23 to operate from short, remote runways.

The back end of the MiG-23. It had a single, big, engine. This particular aircraft was actually flown by U.S. pilots in the US Air Force’s 4477th Test Squadron, the “Red Eagles". This highly classified program provided USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps fighter pilots with realistic combat training against then state-of-the-art Soviet technology. The MiG-23MS “Flogger-E” on display was declassified and transferred to the Museum in February 2017.

A Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum. The MiG-29 was designed in response to a new generation of American fighters, which included the F-15 and F-16. Production started in 1982, and deliveries to Frontal Aviation units started in 1983. By comparison, the USAF's first operational F-15As arrived seven years earlier in 1976, and its F-16As entered operational service four years earlier in 1979.

Although newer, the MiG-29 still lagged behind the most modern Western fighters in several important areas. For instance, the aircraft designers had little experience in either fly-by-wire controls or lightweight composite materials for airframe construction, and the first MiG-29 versions used a conventional hydraulic flight control system and an aluminum alloy fuselage. Over time, MiG designers addressed these deficiencies, and later variants of the MiG-29 incorporated some fly-by-wire controls and composite materials. Nevertheless, the MiG-29 presented a formidable threat to Western pilots. The radars used on earlier Soviet fighters had been unable to distinguish aircraft flying below them from ground clutter, and low-flying aircraft could avoid detection. With the Phazotron NIIR N019 Doppler radar (NATO designation "Slot Back") capable of detecting a target more than 60 miles away, infrared tracking sensors, and a laser rangefinder carried on the MiG-29, a pilot could track and shoot at aircraft flying below him.

It's a good-looking fighter, especially compared to the MiG-23. An even better fighter is the SU-27 and its follow-ons, but the Museum doesn't have one of those. The Su-27 was developed into a family of aircraft; these include the Su-30, a two-seat, dual-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, and the Su-33, a naval fleet defense interceptor for use from aircraft carriers. Further versions include the side-by-side two-seat Su-34 strike/fighter-bomber variant, and the Su-35 improved air superiority and multi-role fighter. The Shenyang J-11 is a Chinese licence-built version of the Su-27.

A Panavia Tornado GR1. Development of the Tornado began in 1968, when the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy initiated a collaborative project to produce a low-level, supersonic aircraft. Panavia Aircraft, a new tri-national company established in Germany, built the variable sweep wing aircraft, and the first prototype flew on Aug. 14, 1974. Operational deliveries began in July 1980. The Royal Air Force used them in the 1991 Gulf War. 990 were built. The RAF retired their Tornados in 2019. This particular jet flew with the RAF's 17 Squadron from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where it sported desert camouflage and the name Miss Behavin'. The aircraft is currently painted as an aircraft assigned to 617 Squadron.

General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. The F-111 was a long-range, all-weather strike aircraft capable of navigating at low level to destroy targets deep in enemy territory. The versatile F-111 Aardvark entered the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1967,and the fighter version was retired in 1996 (the electronic warfare EF-111A served until 1998). The aircraft was originally conceived in 1960 to combine the USAF requirement for a fighter-bomber with Navy's need for an air-superiority fighter, though the Navy eventually cancelled its program, which led to the F-14 Tomcat. In all, 566 F-111s of all series were built; 106 of them were production F-111Fs. The F-111F on display flew in combat with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1991 during OPERATION DESERT STORM. I worked for an Air Force Colonel once who was an F-111 pilot. Sharp guy.


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U.S. Air Force Museum - The Cold War