Heavy Metal

More about the immensity of the B-36:

The B-36 Peacemaker. It was not a small aircraft, just look at the size of that tire!

The tricycle landing gear of the XB-36 included single-wheel main gear with the largest tires ever made at the time. Each tire measured 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m) tall, 3 feet (0.91 m) wide, and weighed 1,320 pounds (600 kg), containing enough rubber to produce 60 automobile tires.

Due to the excessive loads of each main landing gear wheel, they were replaced with a 4 tire truck.

XB-36 Landing Gear

I believe the only airfields that the B-36 could land on were Ft Worth (where the factory was) and Wichita.

Experiments with tracks also were carried out.

Crazy stuff during the rapid maturation of aviation!

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A-5A Vigilante of Heavy Attack Squadron VAH-1 "Smokin' Tigers" being launched from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CVA-60) during operation "Long Horn", 1964.

VAH-1 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA-62). Note the Kaman UH-2A Seasprite plane guard helicopter in the background.

North American A-5 Vigilante - Wikipedia

167 built. I never saw one fly, but have seen a couple on static display. I believe there’s one at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. Wife and I are heading there later this month…8^)

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On the 19th of October, 1962, the USS Ranger (CVA-61) was helping to film a documentary about carrier pilots. The ship was entering San Francisco Bay, and two VF-96 Phantoms were being readied for launch. The film shot was supposed to capture a Phantom being launched off the deck, then climbing away over the Golden Gate, however, something occurred that delayed the launch enough that when the Phantom left the carrier, the pilot was faced with a whole lot of Golden Gate in front of him. Without any time to waste, the F-4 pilot flew directly, and through no fault of his own, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.



Read more: The Bridge
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