Hi , I flew B-47's at Barksdale in 1955 . I was a Second Lieutenant right out of flying school. Class 55-R. It was a great plane; more like a big fighter , but did have some teething problems. I lost a class mate due to hydraulic control malfunction. There were some fuel pump problems too. I thought of it as an easy light touch airplane to fly , but much more complicated than the At-6 and B-25's that I had been flying. I had no problem transitioning to the B-47. I went on to fly B-52's for several years. Very tough and reliable bird, but was not as maneuverable as the B-47. Boring compared to the B-47.
His name was Captain Marlboro Coffeebreath... He was a master of everything. Unfortunately he died tragically shooting a military documentary on hangnails in the Berma hi lands.
My Dad flew B-47's at Whiteman and Lockbourne AFB. He was in a B-47 with a stuck front landing gear that landed on foam. I was in 4th grade and learned about it all when I got off the bus from school which was also where the daily newspapers local drop off point. I was so surprised to see my Dad's happiest face in a picture on the front page, looking like he'd been through a lot - uncharacteristically messy but smiling his biggest smile inna sweat-soaked flightsuit. I think everyone aboard received a USAF commendation medal for riding the airplane in instead of just bailing out. Our family hero died in a freak accident a couple of years later, long before I grew up and became a pilot myself. I sure would have loved to hear all his stories about the great Stratojet that I learned so much about later, without him, and appreciate them all as only a first-born son emulating a great lost father could. It was great being a SAC-brat in those last golden years before Viet Nam and the late '60's changed everything - so he was spared by his untimely death a lot of hard and painful years we all had to painfully endure without him, I'm sure now. I KNOW he saw this movie!
Tool around in a B-47 all day, get in the old the Buick and drive home, walk through the front door and give the old lady a sexy swat on the behind while she's fixing dinner, change into your lounge trousers and smoking jacket and grab a glass of scotch and spark up a Lucky Strike, sit down to a steak dinner or pot roast and a pot of coffee and apple pie for dessert, finally smoke a pack of Lucky Strikes, down a 1/2 bottle of scotch while watching Ed Sullivan and call it a night. Give the old lady a bit of a pickle tickle and go to your separate beds. Do it all over tomorrow.
@@Catcrumbs That was a thing in 1950s America - separate beds or bedrooms for husband and wife. It was a quite a controversial thing when Ricky and Lucy went to sleep in the same bed together on "I Love Lucy".
As an 11 year old child in the 1950's, I live 15 miles west of Forbes AFB (Topeka Kansas). I remember watching the B-47's fly over on their way to landing there. It was a little scary for me as even though I was young, I was aware of the threat of nuclear war. A few years ago I found out my grandparents lived about 2 miles from an ICBM Missile site. (Thanks Google Maps)
I think you miss the point. People like information, even if it's not immediately useful. Especially on a subject or object that they are interested in,. There are millions of people who read, write, and talk about steam locomotives, who pore over old technical manuals learning everything they can about firebox construction, equalizers, staybolts, mechanical stokers, Walshaerts and Stephenson valve gears, Westinghouse brakes, valve cutoffs, blast pipes and leading and trailing truck designs. None of it has any practical value. There are hardly any steam locomotives in revenue service anywhere in the world. So why are people so interested in it? Why is there a fanatic following of millions of people who love antique cars and read about Jaguars and Ferraris that only sell for tens of millions of dollars? There are tens of millions of people who like reading about WW2 aircraft. How many of them are likely to ever actually own a Corsair? Why shouldn't they want to watch the old training videos the pilots watched and learn what it was like to actually fly one? Videos like this are useful and popular because you CAN'T own the plane. You are never, ever going to be able to fly a B-47, because they are all gone. But you can at least see what it was like watching old training videos. And whats wrong with that? No doubt you meant that as a joke, but it's no longer funny since the same exact same joke has been repeated on a thousand different videos already.
My great grandfather "Col. Walter Claiborne Stewart jr. " tested B-47's and B-52's. I know he was good friends with Jimmy Stewart. I also know he was stationed at Eglin AFB. My mothers mom was his daughter. If anybody knew him please contact me.
My dad was an aircraft command pilot on this aircraft. He flew out of Forbes AFB up across Newfoundland and Labrador close to the Russian border. He said he had two primary missions, a 14 hour and a 12 hour flight plan. He had to hit tankers going and coming along the flight route. He said the KC-97 refueler was the the most challenging.
You obviously are not a professional pilot. I am. It's still that way today. You get in my airplane and you had better know the aircraft, the flying, and the engineering. And that is just a start.
I was talking about the main actor dramatically pausing and sipping his coffee, and thoughtfully smoking his cigarette while delivering his lines - nothing about about the specifics of the content - relax dude.
BallroomDanceCraze You talkin' about the over actor from the '50's or me? If me, correct, I am not a pro - I am just a weekend warrior private pilot doing my best to stay current and learn; that's what my channel is all about - self analysis and debriefing my flight videos. If you're offering some free sim training, I'll gladly take you up on it. :)
I was stationed at Lockbourne AFB in 1963 when it was still a SAC base with B47s and KC97 tankers. I was a radio repairman and got to get in those airplanes installing and maintaining the radios and intercom systems. I really liked those B47s.
@@Bellboy40 I was 7 years old then; when they flew over while watching TV, sometimes you could very briefly hear the crew talking. Thanks for your service.
This presentation of the B-47 was far superior then a large number of other presentations of other aircraft or of the B-47 or the B-52 for example. The narrator is very professional and easy to understand and follow. I’ve heard his voice before this video, but never knew who he was. But, in this video we not only found out who he was, but actually got to see him, which is very cool and appreciated! Thank you very much for not only seeing the aircraft fly, but how and why things work or don’t work. The style of this video was as if we are pilot trainee’s, which is very cool and exiting! Disclosure: I served in the USAF as a Crew Chief on the B-52G & H models, at CastleAFB. Between 1979-1983. It is truly enjoyable to learn how similar the two aircraft are (B47 & B-52). It’s nice to see where the roots came from of the mighty B-52!! Thanks again for all your hard work on the wonderfully organized and exciting video of the B-47 strafortus
I went to tech school on these planes at Amarillo AFB Texas in 1963. They were obsolete then. We were told we would be working in the B52 but instead went to crosstrain to the C130.
I went to Admin. Spec. tech school from April to July 1963; eventually assigned to Mtn. Home AFB. SAC 9th. Strategic Aerospace Wing, 9th Combat Support Group, data processing, keypunching aircraft maintenance reports in Aug. 1963. As I recall, there were 3 schools at Amarillo, aircraft maintenance, supply & admin. spec. All 3 schools marched to class together on c shift 6 pm to midnight & often had contests between classes to see who could make the most noise by digging their heels into the asphalt. Also had nicknames for all 3 schools which were grease monkeys, sheet shakers & titless waives.
When I went through F-4 "Radar Lead-In School" at Davis Monthan in 1969 there were B-47s lined up at the boneyard. A year or so later it was the B-58s.
wow, i was there in 1959 then assigned to Hunter afb in savannah ga. its interesting today because when i was driving hot shot in the 90s i tried to find amarillo afb and no one i talked to remembered it was ever there, finally found some old coot that practically knew the history of the base, part of the city's airport was built on the site.
Never really understood just what my Father did in the Air Force, Mom took me to the flight line and this Gorgeous plane pulled up and my old man climbed out of the nose, knew right then I would serve someday. That was 1957, I served 13 years later, C-141's. The 47 was always my fav bomber, though the BUFF has a special place, brought him back from Hanoi!
I agree. Always been one of my favorites. It has the same styling (if that's the word) as the B-52, but much cleaner and more graceful. Those slim, sweeping wings, and the Flash Gordon look of the engine nacelles and drop tanks, the slender, streamlined lines of the turbojet engines, and the cool visual effect of the twin engine pods inboard and singles outboard. The fighter canopy and cigar shaped fuselage, the clean and comely tail surfaces. Just a hot plane. "Willowy" is the best word for it. And its performance, range, speed, and altitude put everything else to shame back when it was new. A lot of armchair generals looking back with hindsight and with Wikipedia stats fresh in their heads will tell you all about what a terrible plane it was and why, but at the time it was exciting and new, and the best bomber in the world.
"...it certainly flies differently than the airplanes you have flown before." With that kind of brilliant dialogue all I can say is, the future begins tomorrow!
I was stationed at McConnell AFB 1958... till june 1962 Wichita Ka.. Then was stationed at Plattsburgh NY AFB 1962 to 1965 November when they were phasing out the B-47. At the time I was a S/Sgt Crew Chief. Who knows I may have help preflight one of your dad's flights.
Ah, back when men were Men and Hollywood didn't know the meaning of "it's too dramatic". LOL. I always liked the B-47. Just such an interesting plane, good looking to. Hard to believe this thing is bigger than a B-29, with that little fighter cockpit canopy, They almost built the B-52 with the same thing!
“ there’s some features chaps that you’re not familiar with... we designed the front nose area with Snoopy’s face in mind .... and we incorporated a smile shape below the nosecone.”
It was a beast to fly. Needed BOTH hands to fly it. It was fast for it's day but pretty average by todays standards. It would also kill you rather quickly if you abused it.. But the same can be said for any airplane.
I was gonna say, that wrapup, say after 36:00, all sounds like red flags. Basically, it'll take as much out of you as flying a much smaller, more nimble aircraft but your only real control here is to keep the throttle pegged and hope you have enough fuel to finish the mission.
Bill23799 it certainly was. If you haven’t seen it already there’s a video on here of toss bombing with the B-47. Incredible how agile this aircraft was. Also to get maximum fuel efficiency for long flights they had to travel at high altitude but they had about 5 knots to play with in the “coffin corner” That is they had about 5 knots between stalling and maximum Mach. Modern commercial jets have about 50 knots and an effective auto pilot.
"in a jet airplane fuel is a critical item" Well Poindexter, I hate to break it to you but unless you are flying a glider, fuel is a critical item in every airplane.
Those six J47s burned fuel at a substantially higher rate than what pilots transitioning from propeller-powered aircraft were used to. So yes, paying attention to fuel level was critical.
The group captain might of mentioned the alt-B47 turboprop version, the XB47D outfitted with Wright YT49 turboprop engines replacing the 4 inboard jet engines flying out of Larson AFB and Fairchild AFB...maybe the group captain didn't mention them as only two 47's were modified...
With all the smokes the boss consumed, he was a whole lot more likely to die of a cardio-respiratory issues than an aircraft-related issue. Sort of reminds me of Lloyd Bridges in Airplane. :)
Well, how else is he going to look tough, relaxed, informal, in control? It was all about the image. And that's probably the main reason cigarettes are still around today, although on the retreat. Nothing like as universal as they were back in the day when EVERYONE smoked, all the time. They had ashtrays in jets, in restaurants, in cars, and they put them there for a reason.
@@justforever96 Cigarette smoking has been on the decline for years. In another ten or twenty years it will be as rare as cigar smoking is today. If it weren't going out of style anyway, the government and the media wouldn't be able to suppress it.
Since practically everybody of that pre-TV generation was brought up on movies many a training films was intentionally made to look like a Hollywood movie sometimes with real movie stars (for example Ronald Reagan and James Stewart ). And for the enlisted men training films in cartoon form were particularly popular . It was the way it was.....
It is quite amazing, after watching the 1944 B-26 training film, that in only 8 years America had the B-47. It is almost as though we had an injection of Alien DNA into our Air Force designs? This film was produced in 1952. What secret airplanes do we have 67 years later???
Funny, I watched the B-26 video just before this. Not quite so dramatic and some humor thrown in - until they got back and went in the office. That was REAL serious. But at least it taught you something.
Alien DNA? The Germans used people like Maria Orsic to acquire cutting edge technology, like the use of red mercury to achieve ant-gravity propulsion. Jet propulsion and swept back wings was child's play...
knowing this footage was highly classified 50-60 years ago is a treat to watch it now, the smoking part is so iconic and yes we are surely made by God to achieve this level of engineer
The ground start procedure looks harrowing. Requireing two fire guards with one actively pumping his extinguisher to put out flames from unburnt fuel that's ejected from the engine onto the ramp. I'm curious if they are wearing any ear protection, probably ear plugs for sure I hope :)
USAF pilots today wouldn't be able to hold a candle to these real men, no computers or fire and forget missiles. These were real men with brass cahoonas.
@@swagner58 Speak for yourself. My breakfast is (has been since I was 15 and probably always will be) about a half pot of strong black coffee and at least a couple of cigarettes..
It must have been a big change for pilots to go from the B-36 to the B-47 . You could put a 2 lane bowling alley in a B-36. Unless you were the BN in the B-47 you were sitting in that seat for a very long time.
There was a small entry area to the left side of the pilot and co pilot. This had a stairway of sorts that connected the front and rear seats and also went down to the BN position in the nose. It was nowhere near the room of a B-36 or even B-29, but was sufficient to allow standing up and some bending. A lot more than any fighter jockey was getting.
@@ParkerUAS Yes I remember in the film, Strategic Air Command the BN could walk around some and bring coffee to the pilot and Co pilot. Those long flights must have been very difficult.
Beautiful Jet, the bomber with a Fighter Plane cockpit!! Way sleeker than the clunky B-52. One mystery: Why did they not see action in Korea?? (developed in 1947, would have been ready in 1950), seems like they would have kicked some ass over there. Also - talked to pilot at Castle AFB memorial day open cockpit day years ago - said they had twin 20mm mount in tail that copilot would operate. The model in this vid had an aerodynamic 'cap' in place, till the 20 installation was ready.
This plane was ready in the late '40s for deployment by 1950. Why were these planes were not used in Korea. The USAF was flying B-29s and MiG-15s were picking them off left and right. This was a bad strategic decision on the war planners.
We called them Mickey Mouse boots, but they were for the cold weather. They were super insulated and used for extreme cold. We only got them we we did mountain warfare training in the winter or went to Korea or Norway in the dead of winter.
If the Aircraft Commander was British the first words out of his mouth when his feet hit the apron would be.... " The next man I see with his hands in his pockets will be up on a charge! "
If you're so inclined, you can correct the aspect ratio to 4:3 by streaming it through the VLC media player, which is free to download at www.videolan.org Under the Media menu, select "Open Network Stream," then copy and paste in the youTube address for this video. Under the Video menu select "Aspect Ratio," and set it to desired aspect radio.
@@kalayaskitchen Glad to be of help. VLC has a lot of capabilities, more that I use or can use. There are some great tutorials on youtube if you're inclined to check out some of them. Like the vid too. There is also an old tv drama from the early to mid-sixties featuring Martin Milner of Adam 12 fame, as a B-47 co-pilot: I don't know how accurate it is, or copyright status, etc. but it's on youtube (at least for now!) if anyone wants to have a look: th-cam.com/video/h68kiByq_h0/w-d-xo.html
I don't understand the throttle quadrant. Why not 6 equal length throttle levers, like in the B-52? It appears to have a whole variety of differnt levers, some short, some long, some medium, all mixed at random. Why would you want that? I assume they are all throttles, since they don't have any cowl flaps, and there must be 6 individual throttles somewhere. It also appears that when you advance the main, longer levers (of engines 3 and 4, the "main" engines, or engines 2, 3, 4 and 5, the middle four?) the shorter levers automatically advance with them. But it must be possible to individually move them when you want to as well, to shut off a damaged engine in flight. I'm curious how it works. And what's with the crewmen pumping water from cans? I've never heard of that before. I know water injection is useful for running at high thrust and RPM, like running at 110% or WEP for takeoff/ By why would it be useful for startup? And is he saying that those shots of the water blowing out the back are what you DON'T want to see? The first time I watched this I thought maybe he was talking about ruining the engine, but I see he says "the easiest way to wash out an engine", then several shots of engines blasting out water, unlike the first startup. It's not as clear as it might be.
Never saw hostile action yet 25% of all those produced, crashed, killing 800 aircrew. It was terrifying to think that you had a 15% chance of the aircraft not even getting into the air on takeoff.
Although the B-47 became operational during the Korean War, the Brass at the Pentagon and USAF had no intention of using it as a conventional bomber in the war. It was intended as a dedicated SAC bomber, designed to penetrate the USSR and deliver nuclear weapons should the Cold War turn hot. It had speed and maneuverability but it lacked the bomb load of the WWII era bombers which saw action in Korea. After the Korean Armistice it remained essentially a "place holder" until the more capable B-52s came online. The B-52s could be used for both nuclear and conventional heavy bombing. Improved global range of the newer aircraft became a reality with the development of in-flight refueling. So the B-47 never saw combat during its short history . It did become a sleek looking footnote in the history of the USAF.
Aircraft Familiarization Officer: Gentlemen, you know how on your last aircraft, the B-36 , you felt she was big enough inside to put in a shuffleboard court? Well, this new bomber is NOTHING like that.
Hi , I flew B-47's at Barksdale in 1955 . I was a Second Lieutenant right out of flying school. Class 55-R. It was a great plane; more like a big fighter , but did have some teething problems. I lost a class mate due to hydraulic control malfunction. There were some fuel pump problems too.
I thought of it as an easy light touch airplane to fly , but much more complicated than the At-6 and B-25's that I had been flying. I had no problem transitioning to the B-47.
I went on to fly B-52's for several years. Very tough and reliable bird, but was not as maneuverable as the B-47. Boring compared to the B-47.
This lead actor is everywhere in military films. He was even in the media pool at the first hydrogen bomb test. That guy gets around.
Yes, I recognized his voice instantly from the film of the Ivy Mike shot.
Reed Hadley. One of the few professional actors having a Top Secret clearance.
Tim McClure. Did voice-overs for simpsons
His name was Captain Marlboro Coffeebreath... He was a master of everything. Unfortunately he died tragically shooting a military documentary on hangnails in the Berma hi lands.
Watch some of the wartime B-17 training films and you will see Robert Mitcham before anyone knew his name.
My Dad flew B-47's at Whiteman and Lockbourne AFB. He was in a B-47 with a stuck front landing gear that landed on foam. I was in 4th grade and learned about it all when I got off the bus from school which was also where the daily newspapers local drop off point. I was so surprised to see my Dad's happiest face in a picture on the front page, looking like he'd been through a lot - uncharacteristically messy but smiling his biggest smile inna sweat-soaked flightsuit. I think everyone aboard received a USAF commendation medal for riding the airplane in instead of just bailing out.
Our family hero died in a freak accident a couple of years later, long before I grew up and became a pilot myself. I sure would have loved to hear all his stories about the great Stratojet that I learned so much about later, without him, and appreciate them all as only a first-born son emulating a great lost father could. It was great being a SAC-brat in those last golden years before Viet Nam and the late '60's changed everything - so he was spared by his untimely death a lot of hard and painful years we all had to painfully endure without him, I'm sure now. I KNOW he saw this movie!
23:55 Movies of the period liked to show a B-47 doing a RATO take off because it was spectacular, and very photogenic.
Ah the 50's, everyone is smoking...even the airplane.
what a great era..
Tool around in a B-47 all day, get in the old the Buick and drive home, walk through the front door and give the old lady a sexy swat on the behind while she's fixing dinner, change into your lounge trousers and smoking jacket and grab a glass of scotch and spark up a Lucky Strike, sit down to a steak dinner or pot roast and a pot of coffee and apple pie for dessert, finally smoke a pack of Lucky Strikes, down a 1/2 bottle of scotch while watching Ed Sullivan and call it a night. Give the old lady a bit of a pickle tickle and go to your separate beds. Do it all over tomorrow.
Yes, smoking was once socially acceptable.
@@joshuasill1141 Forgive my ignorance, but why separate beds?
@@Catcrumbs That was a thing in 1950s America - separate beds or bedrooms for husband and wife. It was a quite a controversial thing when Ricky and Lucy went to sleep in the same bed together on "I Love Lucy".
As an 11 year old child in the 1950's, I live 15 miles west of Forbes AFB (Topeka Kansas).
I remember watching the B-47's fly over on their way to landing there.
It was a little scary for me as even though I was young, I was aware of the threat of nuclear war.
A few years ago I found out my grandparents lived about 2 miles from an ICBM Missile site. (Thanks Google Maps)
Thanks for posting the video, I now know a litle bit more on how I should handle the B-47 I have in my garage
I think you miss the point. People like information, even if it's not immediately useful. Especially on a subject or object that they are interested in,. There are millions of people who read, write, and talk about steam locomotives, who pore over old technical manuals learning everything they can about firebox construction, equalizers, staybolts, mechanical stokers, Walshaerts and Stephenson valve gears, Westinghouse brakes, valve cutoffs, blast pipes and leading and trailing truck designs. None of it has any practical value. There are hardly any steam locomotives in revenue service anywhere in the world. So why are people so interested in it? Why is there a fanatic following of millions of people who love antique cars and read about Jaguars and Ferraris that only sell for tens of millions of dollars? There are tens of millions of people who like reading about WW2 aircraft. How many of them are likely to ever actually own a Corsair? Why shouldn't they want to watch the old training videos the pilots watched and learn what it was like to actually fly one? Videos like this are useful and popular because you CAN'T own the plane. You are never, ever going to be able to fly a B-47, because they are all gone. But you can at least see what it was like watching old training videos. And whats wrong with that?
No doubt you meant that as a joke, but it's no longer funny since the same exact same joke has been repeated on a thousand different videos already.
My great grandfather "Col. Walter Claiborne Stewart jr. " tested B-47's and B-52's. I know he was good friends with Jimmy Stewart. I also know he was stationed at Eglin AFB. My mothers mom was his daughter. If anybody knew him please contact me.
I think your mother and my mother were both mothers.
One of the most important aeroplanes in the history of aviation.
Really enjoyed watching this film. Thanks for sharing it. I flew deuces from '61-'64, saw these flying around every now and then.
@David Wilson - My father was the commanding officer of the 19th bomb squadron, out of March A.F.B. during your time period. 47's.
Fun to watch. One of my favorite aircraft. The beauty of a B-47 is hard to beat. Too bad it was such a widow maker.
Amen, dad was stationed at March AFB in 52-54, I remember seeing them flying. And my parents attending more than one funeral.
My dad was an aircraft command pilot on this aircraft. He flew out of Forbes AFB up across Newfoundland and Labrador close to the Russian border. He said he had two primary missions, a 14 hour and a 12 hour flight plan. He had to hit tankers going and coming along the flight route. He said the KC-97 refueler was the the most challenging.
That piston powered plane created nightmares for many pilots. The KC-135 replacement was no fun, but it was not as bad as the KC-97.
My dad can beat up your dad!
@@LaPabst ???? Not sure what your point is. 🤔
@@tedpope517 Just having a little fun... It's all good.
I had forgotten how early-on this aircraft’s roots were. Fantastically advanced design for era
I saw B-47's at Lincoln AFB Oct 1965. The final days for the Stratojet. Great video....
My Grandfather MSGT. Perry Skaggs was stationed at Lincoln then :) .
I was also at Lincoln AFB. My Dad flew B-47s, and even the last B-47 from LAFB to Tucson. I wish I had paid more attention.
Last B-47 that left LAFB was in December 1965.
I love the theatrical style and overly dramatic acting they used for these old training videos - hilarious.
You obviously are not a professional pilot. I am. It's still that way today. You get in my airplane and you had better know the aircraft, the flying, and the engineering. And that is just a start.
I was talking about the main actor dramatically pausing and sipping his coffee, and thoughtfully smoking his cigarette while delivering his lines - nothing about about the specifics of the content - relax dude.
*****
Oh yeah, definitely not a pro pilot.Like to get him my simulator!
BallroomDanceCraze You talkin' about the over actor from the '50's or me?
If me, correct, I am not a pro - I am just a weekend warrior private pilot doing my best to stay current and learn; that's what my channel is all about - self analysis and debriefing my flight videos. If you're offering some free sim training, I'll gladly take you up on it. :)
BallroomDanceCraze Wow you could off as a massive douche nozzle! I hope you realize that before someone knocks your teeth out.
An older gentleman, in my Sunday School class, flew the B-47 back in the day.
A favorite childhood memory: B-47s flying over my house late at night approaching Lockbourne AFB (now Rickenbacker).
I was stationed at Lockbourne AFB in 1963 when it was still a SAC base with B47s and KC97 tankers. I was a radio repairman and got to get in those airplanes installing and maintaining the radios and intercom systems. I really liked those B47s.
@@Bellboy40 I was 7 years old then; when they flew over while watching TV, sometimes you could very briefly hear the crew talking. Thanks for your service.
Very interesting to learn about some of the flight characteristics of the B47.
This presentation of the B-47 was far superior then a large number of other presentations of other aircraft or of the B-47 or the B-52 for example. The narrator is very professional and easy to understand and follow. I’ve heard his voice before this video, but never knew who he was. But, in this video we not only found out who he was, but actually got to see him, which is very cool and appreciated! Thank you very much for not only seeing the aircraft fly, but how and why things work or don’t work. The style of this video was as if we are pilot trainee’s, which is very cool and exiting!
Disclosure: I served in the USAF as a Crew Chief on the B-52G & H models, at CastleAFB. Between 1979-1983. It is truly enjoyable to learn how similar the two aircraft are (B47 & B-52). It’s nice to see where the roots came from of the mighty B-52!! Thanks again for all your hard work on the wonderfully organized and exciting video of the B-47 strafortus
2:20--Reed Hadley liked his cigs. Superior actor. Check out his "Racket Squad" TV series.
I went to tech school on these planes at Amarillo AFB Texas in 1963. They were obsolete then. We were told we would be working in the B52 but instead went to crosstrain to the C130.
I went to Admin. Spec. tech school from April to July 1963; eventually assigned to Mtn. Home AFB. SAC 9th. Strategic Aerospace Wing, 9th Combat Support Group, data processing, keypunching aircraft maintenance reports in Aug. 1963. As I recall, there were 3 schools at Amarillo, aircraft maintenance, supply & admin. spec. All 3 schools marched to class together on c shift 6 pm to midnight & often had contests between classes to see who could make the most noise by digging their heels into the asphalt. Also had nicknames for all 3 schools which were grease monkeys, sheet shakers & titless waives.
Worked ECM maintenance on EB47 with ECM pod in bomb bay, at Lockbourne, Ohio
When I went through F-4 "Radar Lead-In School" at Davis Monthan in 1969 there were B-47s lined up at the boneyard. A year or so later it was the B-58s.
wow, i was there in 1959 then assigned to Hunter afb in savannah ga. its interesting today because when i was driving hot shot in the 90s i tried to find amarillo afb and no one i talked to remembered it was ever there, finally found some old coot that practically knew the history of the base, part of the city's airport was built on the site.
Never really understood just what my Father did in the Air Force, Mom took me to the flight line and this Gorgeous plane pulled up and my old man climbed out of the nose, knew right then I would serve someday. That was 1957, I served 13 years later, C-141's. The 47 was always my fav bomber, though the BUFF has a special place, brought him back from Hanoi!
what a beast that must have been to fly!
No idea why, but I've always loved the B-47. I think because it was very fighter looking.
Read Tex Johnston’s book about the test program for the 47 and the 52. Great read
A slide rule was known as a "slip stick". First time I ever heard of that, and I've been using a slide rule and an E-6B since 1968.
I've got my K&E Log-Log-Duplex-Decitrig framed over the desk labeled "In case of power failure--break glass."
One of the most beautiful, well proportioned airplanes ever built
I agree. Always been one of my favorites. It has the same styling (if that's the word) as the B-52, but much cleaner and more graceful. Those slim, sweeping wings, and the Flash Gordon look of the engine nacelles and drop tanks, the slender, streamlined lines of the turbojet engines, and the cool visual effect of the twin engine pods inboard and singles outboard. The fighter canopy and cigar shaped fuselage, the clean and comely tail surfaces. Just a hot plane. "Willowy" is the best word for it. And its performance, range, speed, and altitude put everything else to shame back when it was new. A lot of armchair generals looking back with hindsight and with Wikipedia stats fresh in their heads will tell you all about what a terrible plane it was and why, but at the time it was exciting and new, and the best bomber in the world.
I always like the B-58 Hustler
"...it certainly flies differently than the airplanes you have flown before." With that kind of brilliant dialogue all I can say is, the future begins tomorrow!
Dad was at McConnell 1958-62...saw the tail end of this beautiful bomber's career....
They were still flying out of McConnell in the late 60s. I remember watching them from my house as a kid.
I was stationed at McConnell AFB 1958... till june 1962 Wichita Ka.. Then was stationed at Plattsburgh NY AFB 1962 to 1965 November when they were phasing out the B-47. At the time I was a S/Sgt Crew Chief. Who knows I may have help preflight one of your dad's flights.
Get those hands out of those pockets gentlemen.
I remember building a model of this plane when I was a kid
thank you for this video :) love the B-47
Ah, back when men were Men and Hollywood didn't know the meaning of "it's too dramatic". LOL.
I always liked the B-47. Just such an interesting plane, good looking to. Hard to believe this thing is bigger than a B-29, with that little fighter cockpit canopy, They almost built the B-52 with the same thing!
“ there’s some features chaps that you’re not familiar with... we designed the front nose area with Snoopy’s face in mind .... and we incorporated a smile shape below the nosecone.”
Can you sort out of aspect ratio so that it is not 'stretcho-vision'? Too good not to be seen correctly.
Jimmy Stewarts movie SAC does those big birds some justice
And...... both that show and this show ended the same way - both with a group of people in an office gazing lovingly out the window at the StratoJets!
It was a beast to fly. Needed BOTH hands to fly it. It was fast for it's day but pretty average by todays standards. It would also kill you rather quickly if you abused it.. But the same can be said for any airplane.
I was gonna say, that wrapup, say after 36:00, all sounds like red flags. Basically, it'll take as much out of you as flying a much smaller, more nimble aircraft but your only real control here is to keep the throttle pegged and hope you have enough fuel to finish the mission.
I've never seen these alternate proposed jet bomber designs in the beginning of this, very very interesting stuff
Great film!! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful aircraft.
4:00
"It's a good plane. A safe plane. Provided you know what you're doing at all times."
::lights joint::
The B-47 Stratojet was a beautiful aircraft.
Bill23799 it certainly was. If you haven’t seen it already there’s a video on here of toss bombing with the B-47. Incredible how agile this aircraft was. Also to get maximum fuel efficiency for long flights they had to travel at high altitude but they had about 5 knots to play with in the “coffin corner” That is they had about 5 knots between stalling and maximum Mach. Modern commercial jets have about 50 knots and an effective auto pilot.
3;14 This actor playing in a TV series called Racket Squad in the fifties.
Also as Zorro in the Republic serial "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939).
"in a jet airplane fuel is a critical item" Well Poindexter, I hate to
break it to you but unless you are flying a glider, fuel is a critical
item in every airplane.
Those six J47s burned fuel at a substantially higher rate than what pilots transitioning from propeller-powered aircraft were used to. So yes, paying attention to fuel level was critical.
Smaller version of the 52, as I recall. As a kid, one of the first aircraft I ever became aware of, at five years old.
The group captain might of mentioned the alt-B47 turboprop version, the XB47D outfitted with Wright YT49 turboprop engines replacing the 4 inboard jet engines flying out of Larson AFB and Fairchild AFB...maybe the group captain didn't mention them as only two 47's were modified...
And outstanding video about a truly awesome plane and it’s time
Thanks for sharing
With all the smokes the boss consumed, he was a whole lot more likely to die of a cardio-respiratory issues than an aircraft-related issue. Sort of reminds me of Lloyd Bridges in Airplane. :)
"Guess I picked the wrong week to quit sniffin' glue..."
Well, how else is he going to look tough, relaxed, informal, in control? It was all about the image. And that's probably the main reason cigarettes are still around today, although on the retreat. Nothing like as universal as they were back in the day when EVERYONE smoked, all the time. They had ashtrays in jets, in restaurants, in cars, and they put them there for a reason.
@@justforever96 Cigarette smoking has been on the decline for years. In another ten or twenty years it will be as rare as cigar smoking is today. If it weren't going out of style anyway, the government and the media wouldn't be able to suppress it.
@@williamwingo4740 guess I picked the wrong week to stop taking amphetamines
Lb and he is right on......
Gosh, Wally, those sure are big planes.
You mean " gee" Wally lol just kidding
Yeah Beav. They’re really swell.
The dialogue reminds me of some of the old 1950s horror films.
Since practically everybody of that pre-TV generation was brought up on movies many a training films was intentionally made to look like a Hollywood movie sometimes with real movie stars
(for example Ronald Reagan and James Stewart ). And for the enlisted men training films in cartoon form were particularly popular . It was the way it was.....
Those poor maintenance guys who aren't wearing hearing protection and probably lived with tinnitus
It is quite amazing, after watching the 1944 B-26 training film, that in only 8 years America had the B-47. It is almost as though we had an injection of Alien DNA into our Air Force designs? This film was produced in 1952. What secret airplanes do we have 67 years later???
Funny, I watched the B-26 video just before this. Not quite so dramatic and some humor thrown in - until they got back and went in the office. That was REAL serious. But at least it taught you something.
Alien DNA? The Germans used people like Maria Orsic to acquire cutting edge technology, like the use of red mercury to achieve ant-gravity propulsion. Jet propulsion and swept back wings was child's play...
This what Reed Hadley does on weekends. On weekdays, he's a police Lt on the local Racket Squad......
Cindy Lawrence huh?
I swear that around 12:30 to 13:00, he says P-47 several times.
knowing this footage was highly classified 50-60 years ago is a treat to watch it now, the smoking part is so iconic
and yes we are surely made by God to achieve this level of engineer
The ground start procedure looks harrowing. Requireing two fire guards with one actively pumping his extinguisher to put out flames from unburnt fuel that's ejected from the engine onto the ramp. I'm curious if they are wearing any ear protection, probably ear plugs for sure I hope :)
no we were not given ear protection, but i don't remember anyone on our crew using extinguishers like that, my time was in 1960 and 61.
Hadley has a great voice.
my uncle flew in these. He gave me his headphones he got out with.
What are those guys doing on the runway at 24:05?
9:26 only 44 years after the first flight! Wow
I didn't know they were still wearing those early B-15A jackets with the leather mask clip tabs on the front in '52
Very interesting. I like the phrase "fly ahead the airplane".
We say "say ahead of the plane" these days.
That's a very claustrophobic crew compartment.
Caffeine and nicotine, the fuel and oxidizer of the military.
USAF pilots don’t smoke anymore, they get a bottle of amphetamines before a flight.
WootTootZoot - yep. just like the truckers best friend, white cross dexies.
USAF pilots today wouldn't be able to hold a candle to these real men, no computers or fire and forget missiles. These were real men with brass cahoonas.
Caffeine and Nicotine, it's not just for breakfast anymore.
@@swagner58 Speak for yourself. My breakfast is (has been since I was 15 and probably always will be) about a half pot of strong black coffee and at least a couple of cigarettes..
It must have been a big change for pilots to go from the B-36 to the B-47 .
You could put a 2 lane bowling alley in a B-36. Unless you were the BN in the B-47 you were
sitting in that seat for a very long time.
There was a small entry area to the left side of the pilot and co pilot. This had a stairway of sorts that connected the front and rear seats and also went down to the BN position in the nose. It was nowhere near the room of a B-36 or even B-29, but was sufficient to allow standing up and some bending. A lot more than any fighter jockey was getting.
@@ParkerUAS Yes I remember in the film, Strategic Air Command the BN could walk around some and bring coffee to the pilot and Co pilot. Those long flights must have been very difficult.
The lead actor is a US Swiss Toni.
Beautiful Jet, the bomber with a Fighter Plane cockpit!! Way sleeker than the clunky B-52. One mystery: Why did they not see action in Korea?? (developed in 1947, would have been ready in 1950), seems like they would have kicked some ass over there. Also - talked to pilot at Castle AFB memorial day open cockpit day years ago - said they had twin 20mm mount in tail that copilot would operate. The model in this vid had an aerodynamic 'cap' in place, till the 20 installation was ready.
At 6:26 hints of a B-2.
omG this plane is so beautiful
Ok Id like to fly one now.
somehow the intro music reminded me as if i was about to watch cowboy themed movie or tv-serial
Must be the legendary Pall Mall training squadron.
D-47 is the most beautiful plane ever.
These are fascinating! Thanks so much for posting them.
This plane was ready in the late '40s for deployment by 1950. Why were these planes were not used in Korea. The USAF was flying B-29s and MiG-15s were picking them off left and right. This was a bad strategic decision on the war planners.
@@Skywalker8562 ,
It was designed as a nuclear deterrence weapon systen. No easy conversion to conventional bombing.
What a Golden Age of aviation...
That instructor looked like a young Raymond Massey!
Y’all who is Raymond Massey
18:34: What pressure do you think he’s pumping that little extinguisher to so that it could have ANY effect on an engine fire?
Hitting the burning drops of fuel on the ground?
15:44 - extra pair of boots?
We called them Mickey Mouse boots, but they were for the cold weather. They were super insulated and used for extreme cold. We only got them we we did mountain warfare training in the winter or went to Korea or Norway in the dead of winter.
I think a younger Major Kong was among the students.
If the Aircraft Commander was British the first words out of his mouth when his feet hit the apron would be....
" The next man I see with his hands in his pockets will be up on a charge! "
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
Too funny the bit about safety as they all light up. interesting stuff about this plane. Thanks. Too bad about the picture ratio.
Copyright infringement avoidance.
“ Don’t land the lane noose gear first ? “
Good idea LoL 😂
Thanks Capin 😂
"Sir, is it safe?" "Well, over 200 crashed. But other than that, it's good!"
"pilot error"
She's no B-17, but she isn't a B-24 or B-29 either . . .
It was consisered dangerous.
Was that Troy Mclure?
+falconeaterf15 I think I'm the only one to get that reference.
hehe you are probably right.
+falconeaterf15 I got it too. You might remember him from...
RIP Troy Mclure.......
falconeaterf15 Sadly true as the multi-talented Phil Hartman was the voice for not only him but my favorite attorney Lionel Hutz.
The aspect ratio is incorrect. I didn't last 30 seconds.
Mach was an Austrian :)
If you're going to post a video to TH-cam, the LEAST you can do is to put it into the correct aspect ratio.
That instructor actor guy narrated a lot of the early classified nuclear weapon films.
why screw the aspect ratio to 16:9 when it was shot 4:3?
If you're so inclined, you can correct the aspect ratio to 4:3 by streaming it through the VLC media player, which is free to download at www.videolan.org Under the Media menu, select "Open Network Stream," then copy and paste in the youTube address for this video. Under the Video menu select "Aspect Ratio," and set it to desired aspect radio.
@@jsat5609 oops I use VLC all the time but didnt know it had that feature sorry I was having a senior moment thanks for the tip great vid
@@kalayaskitchen Glad to be of help. VLC has a lot of capabilities, more that I use or can use. There are some great tutorials on youtube if you're inclined to check out some of them. Like the vid too. There is also an old tv drama from the early to mid-sixties featuring Martin Milner of Adam 12 fame, as a B-47 co-pilot: I don't know how accurate it is, or copyright status, etc. but it's on youtube (at least for now!) if anyone wants to have a look: th-cam.com/video/h68kiByq_h0/w-d-xo.html
I imagine the ground crews were deaf by age 30
What?
I don't understand the throttle quadrant. Why not 6 equal length throttle levers, like in the B-52? It appears to have a whole variety of differnt levers, some short, some long, some medium, all mixed at random. Why would you want that? I assume they are all throttles, since they don't have any cowl flaps, and there must be 6 individual throttles somewhere. It also appears that when you advance the main, longer levers (of engines 3 and 4, the "main" engines, or engines 2, 3, 4 and 5, the middle four?) the shorter levers automatically advance with them. But it must be possible to individually move them when you want to as well, to shut off a damaged engine in flight. I'm curious how it works.
And what's with the crewmen pumping water from cans? I've never heard of that before. I know water injection is useful for running at high thrust and RPM, like running at 110% or WEP for takeoff/ By why would it be useful for startup? And is he saying that those shots of the water blowing out the back are what you DON'T want to see? The first time I watched this I thought maybe he was talking about ruining the engine, but I see he says "the easiest way to wash out an engine", then several shots of engines blasting out water, unlike the first startup. It's not as clear as it might be.
Ok, I think I’ve got it now. Can I borrow your B-47 and give it a go?
Where's General Hawks and Colonel Dutch Holland?!?!
Jet Jackson the flying commando.
Never saw hostile action yet 25% of all those produced, crashed, killing 800 aircrew. It was terrifying to think that you had a 15% chance of the aircraft not even getting into the air on takeoff.
Although the B-47 became operational during the Korean War, the Brass at the Pentagon
and USAF had no intention of using it as a conventional bomber in the war. It was intended
as a dedicated SAC bomber, designed to penetrate the USSR and deliver nuclear weapons
should the Cold War turn hot. It had speed and maneuverability but it lacked the bomb load
of the WWII era bombers which saw action in Korea. After the Korean Armistice it remained
essentially a "place holder" until the more capable B-52s came online. The B-52s could be used
for both nuclear and conventional heavy bombing. Improved global range of the newer aircraft
became a reality with the development of in-flight refueling. So the B-47 never saw combat during
its short history . It did become a sleek looking footnote in the history of the USAF.
..to me, the B-47 is a much more beautiful aircraft than the B-52...
First 16 minutes ran into a 4 minute ad and later a 20 minute ad. I bailed after that.
Adblocker plus fixes that.
You could have just bailed on the _ad_ ...
Aircraft Familiarization Officer: Gentlemen, you know how on your last aircraft, the B-36 , you
felt she was big enough inside to put in a shuffleboard court?
Well, this new bomber is NOTHING like that.
Bicycle landing gear - with training wheels!