[Milsurplus] B-36 run-up

[Steve Haney]

At 07:56 PM 3/16/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>Brings back some memories.  My wife and I moved to Dallas TX in 1982, and it
>was either the summer of 82 or 83 we visited the Greater Southwestern Air
>Museum -- I believe it was near Grapevine.

By 1982 I think she had been moved from Great Southwest airport to a
location next to General Dynamics, on Carswell AFB property but out side
the fence.  The museum was called Southwest Aerospace Museum.  Not sure of
the exact time, I was not involved in the move.
>
>They had a B-36J there -- absolutely awesome to stroll under.

Last one built, J-III featherweight.  
>
>I heard that the FAA made the owners break her main spar so she could
>definitely not become airworthy.
>
FAA did not.  The Air Force Museum at Wright Pat owns her.  The Air Force
would not let her fly.

>Is that museum even still there?  The B-36?  If not, where'd she go ?
>
She is still in Fort Worth, and has been "restored" by a group made up
largely from the guys that built B-36's.  I have not seen the radio space
since the restoration, but with the countermeasures suite was fairly
complicated.  The group that has aircraft is still looking for a permanent
inside home.  Heard some great stories while sitting in the aircraft after
a day of working around the museum.  It was a very succesful aircraft,
never fired a shot in anger.  
I used to know by heart all the radio and most of the ECM stuff spelled out
in the book for the J-III.  There were many differnt versions, so if
somebody says that "the B-36 had such and such radio", ask which model
B-36, and when in its life time.  The featherweight program came along
after the USSR started shooting SAMs that had a potentail to reach the B-36
max altitude, so they started taking stuff off to reduce weight, like the
second galley, some of the latrines, possibly some of the electornics.
Even then a J-III had four bunks in the rear section.  Also, there were
RB-36's, maybe more than one model, and I never saw any of the details on
the gear they carried.  There is a web site put up by the guys here in Fort
Worth.  

Steve Haney
Haney Electonic Company
8012 CR 1009
Godley, TX 76044-3688
817-309-2220