Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: 280plus on May 15, 2010, 07:26:41 PM
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A clip from the movie "Strategic Air Command" starring Jimmy Stewart, even if you've seen it already it's still pretty cool. They called it, "six turning and four burning". According to the text that came with it the jet engines were used to assist takeoff. Not sure what they did with them once airborne.
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/2008-4-18-B-36-SAC-Video.wmv
Oh yea, I have a cousin that flew on them as navigator in the 50's so I've heard a few stories. :cool:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-36
The propulsion system alone made the B-36 a very unusual aircraft. All B-36s featured six 28-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-4360 'Wasp Major' radial engines. Even though the prototype R-4360s delivered a total of 18,000 hp (13 MW), early B-36s were slow and required long takeoff runs. The situation improved with later versions delivering 3,800 hp (2.8 MW) apiece.[23] Each engine drove an immense three-bladed propeller, 19 ft (5.8 m) in diameter, mounted in the pusher configuration. This unusual configuration prevented propeller turbulence from interfering with airflow over the wing, but also lead to chronic engine-overheating due to insufficient airflow around the engines, resulting in numerous in-flight engine fires.
Beginning with the B-36D, Convair added a pair of General Electric J47-19 jet engines suspended near the end of each wing; these were also retrofitted to all extant B-36Bs. Thus the B-36 came to have 10 engines ("six turnin' and four burnin' ", as said by American airmen), more than any other mass-produced aircraft. The jet pods greatly improved takeoff performance and dash speed over the target. In normal cruising flight, the jet engines were shut down to conserve fuel.
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They have a B-36 at the USAF Museum at Wright-Patt AFB near Dayton, OH. It is a monster. If you have never gone to the USAF Museum, I would highly encourage a visit.
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numerous in-flight engine fires
I expect that would get rather annoying after a while. =|
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I expect that would get rather annoying after a while. =|
Especially annoying if the fire eats through the spars and other critical bits...like the problems the B-29s had.
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I expect that would get rather annoying after a while. =|
Just a tad... :lol:
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My FIL used to build those before he got drafted for Korea.
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Ah, the Good Old Days. A lot of that old iron was really dangerous as hell. I am glad I flew after that old crap was scrapped.
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They have a B-36 at the USAF Museum at Wright-Patt AFB near Dayton, OH. It is a monster. If you have never gone to the USAF Museum, I would highly encourage a visit.
Got one at the SAC Museum just weat of Omaha also......It's freakin' huge....
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I liked this snippet on wikipedia:
"If all engines function normally at full power during the pre-takeoff warm-up, the lead flight engineer will sometimes say to the Aircraft Commander (AC), 'six turning and four burning.'" Erratic reliability led to the wisecrack, 'two turning, two burning, two joking, and two smoking, with two engines not accounted for.'"
—Michael Daciek quoting Capt. Banda