From back in those early years of the 1950’s when Comrade Dschugaschwili in Moscow was still as dangerous as a snapping turtle (and folks down in Texas would shoot communists on sight), tailfins on Detroit’s iron were still small (and a stock Cadillac entered the 24 hours of Le Mans race). In 1950 a Cadillac Series 62 Convertible costed 3600.- USD. Can you believe that? The first issue of Playboy with Marilyn as CF was still three years away. Why, and there was a small war going on in a cold land nobody knew anything about.
One Stratojet costed about 1.9mio USD (flyaway back in the early ’50s).
In 1957 SAC had 28 wing with about 1300 Stratojets standing ready to bomb the hell out of the Reds; plus 600 more for training, reccon, EW.
The last mission of the Stratojet was flown on 20Dec1977 (U.S. Navy’s EB-47E), which was 30 years and 3 days after the maiden flight of the XB-47.
[Remark: The final flight of a B-47 was made on 17Jun1986, when B-47E #52-0166 was flown from the NWC China Lake to Castle AFB to be put in the museum there. Btw it was built in Tulsa by McAir.]
<– doing the “LABS” (an Immelmann). The B-47 was the only SAC bomber doing aerobatics; not even the B-58 was cleared for that kind of fun. Propably the largest aircraft to do it.
<– note the TF34!
<– AACS/MATS’ “Sweet Marie”
<– MAW and PAW
<– Orenda sticking like a leech to the butt of that CL-52
And then there was that GD testbed with a F-111 nose. But I’ve never seen a picture of it. Dunno it ever exists.
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May 21, 2004 at 8:00 pm