Thanks for watching everyone! If you enjoyed it, please give it a 'thumbs up' as that helps promote the video so I can afford to make more of these. :)
As a professional corporate pilot for the last 30 years, my travels have afforded me several opportunities to visit the SAC Museum southwest of Omaha - the amount of aviation history and the level of preservation of their aircraft is inspiring. Kudos for producing and sharing these videos (like all other regular visitors, I only got to view them from the outside.😢)
I was a bomb nav technician on the B 47 in the late 50s at Dyess AFB outside Abilene Tx. I spent a lot of time in the navigator’s seat checking the electronics. Some electronic equipment was accessed out side the airplane so it was cold/hot work. Love the B 47, it is a bit sad that it was soon overshadowed by the B 52. Thanks for bringing back so many memories for this 87 year old veteran.
Great presentation Paul. A little clarification on the "Toss Bombing". I was a crew chief on a B-47 (tail number 51-7052) for three years at Plattsburgh AFB, NY in the late 50s. The B-47 was originally designed as a high altitude bombing platform. As Russian capabilities improved and the B-47 became more vulnerable at high altitude, low level bombing was undertaken. A number of B-47s were modified for Low Altitude Bombing Systems (LABS). I'm not sure how many were so modified, but mine was one of them. During these bombing runs, the B-47 was stressed somewhat above its designed strength, but seemed to handle it. The B-47 would come in toward the target at a very low altitude and high speed, hiding from radar in the ground scatter of the terrain if possible. At a certain point prior to reaching the target, the plane would pull up into a steep climb. At a predetermined altitude, the bomb would be released and the plane would continue over onto its back and once it was angled back down about 20 degrees below horizontal and moving away from the target, it would roll back to a right-side up position, diving back down to the relative safety of the terrain. This worked well for fighter aircraft that were stressed for aerobatics. The maneuver was a bit outside the B-47s intended or designed capability though. Tests were done and it was found that, as long as the pilot maintained no more than 2.5 positive Gs during the initial pull up, the airplane could take it. The maneuver was actually a half Cuban eight in aerobatic terms. Eventually, the wear and tear on the planes from performing maneuvers that were beyond the design limits of the airframe took its toll. Between March 13th and April 15th of 1958, five B-47s disintegrated in flight. One of these was a B-47 approaching a tanker for inflight refueling over northern New York. The boom operator on the tanker, who had the plane in sight, said he thought the wings failed at the fuselage just before the explosion. This prompted a thorough inspection of several high-time B-47s. Numerous cracks were found in the fittings around the “Milk Bottle” bolts that fastened the wing to the fuselage. Shortly thereafter the entire B-47 fleet was grounded, pending inspection of the wing root area. Some planes were relatively free from defects. Most, however, had at least a few cracks. My plane had a fair number of cracks and was only cleared to fly with a reduced fuel load to the depot in Oklahoma City for extensive repair and modification in what was called “Project Milk Bottle”. No more "over the top" toss bombing was accomplished after that. It was replaced with a different maneuver called a "Pop-UP" which was not as stressful on the airframe.
My father was crew chief on B-47 tail number 52-238, stationed at McDill AFB. He also deployed to England and Morocco. At time stamp 16:00 in the video you can see the crew station on the steps up to the copilot's seat where the crew chief would travel from time to time or if the aircraft was deployed. There's obviously no ejection seat for this 4th crewmember, so they were supposed to dive headfirst out the opening left by the bombardier's seat but before the pilot and copilot blew the canopy off. He had some close calls but successfully transitioned to civilian life and college in 1957. Thanks for your service and to all these brave men and women who served!
@@PlatinumBit13 I really hope this channel thrives. Apparently a healthy comment section makes the algorithm view content favorably. A bad day 'waxing the wings' is better than a good day discussing politics.
I agree, cheers! The better the channel does the more days off my regular job and I can get more videos done. I have raw footage for about 20 more videos but just need the time to edit it all.
This video provided my first look inside the B-47. My father flew them for several years before transitioning to the B-52. Once a year during the Armed Forces Day celebration we could walk right up to the B-47 but everything inside was Top Secret. I have a home video of my brother and I standing next to one of the airplanes our father was assigned to. Thank you for such an in-depth tour.
Thanks for the great video,I like most of your followers truly enjoyed the education, I got to admire the Air Force they really know how to keep secret information secret
The New England Air Museum ( Windsor Locks, CT) had a B-47E for a number of years , until it was damaged in a tornado in 1979. 22 years later (2001) she was transferred to the Hill AFB Museum and given a minimum rexternal restoration . Last I hears , she had been pulled for (a) restoration or (b) scrapping ..
I was there at Offutt the day the Blackbird flew in for its retirement. My teacher was not happy that my mom wrote me a note saying to excuse my absence as I was 'going to watch an airplane land'. I still have the VHS tape that I recorded the flyby's and landing on (well, and Air Force guy recorded it and made me a copy). Good stuff!
Thanks for sharing the cutaway cockpit from the Jimmy Stewart movie. The scene shot there was an intense landing event! That film is also loaded with amazingly beautiful B-36 and 47 flight scenes.
My Dad was a TAC fighter pilot that was also an instructor pilot on loan to SAC teaching the "loft launch" otherwise known by those fighter pilots teaching SAC pilots as the "over the shoulder maneuver". Because SAC bomber pilots were mostly L/Col in rank they had a real problem with 1LT Fighter Pilots as Aircraft Commanders & instructors but collectively they had never "looped" any aircraft much less a bomber. Dad's flying experience included 103 "type rated airframes" during his lifetime of 30+ years as a fighter pilot from WW2 through 3 combat tours in Vietnam retiring @ 47 yrs old in 1975. He continued as a instructor & instrument instructor well into his 70's. When Greg Boyington was told he needed an FAA Instructor to sign off on his civilian license, it was my Dad that did the check ride with him while we were living California @ March AFB, in later years he flew his close friend Gen "Bud" Day several times to DC to practice before the Supreme Court when arguing for VA WW2 medical rights as promised enlistees against Songbird McCain's relentless atteempts to strip lifetime medical care from those that had enlisted in ww2 and were still living in the 70's & 80's.
We lived about 5 1/2 miles to the east of Greenham Common where the USAF operated B47s, and it was commonplace to see them on landing approach. However when I went to Newbury Grammer School in 1957, I saw the B47s take off over our playng fields in a scramble alert, which was quite spectacular. One after another the B47 soared into the sky trailing black smoke. One day, being a member of the school army cadet force, we were invited to the base to see the aircraft. And now, as I write at the age of 78, it's all back as a common !
It’s along interstate I-80, between Omaha, and the state capital of Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s technically not in Omaha, but rather on the outskirts of the town of Ashland, Nebraska. If you’re coming from Omaha, you can see a Republic F-105 Thunderchief along with a sign telling you that the exit was coming up. But I tell you, Even for someone who’s lived in Nebraska, whole life, it looks pretty cool.
I was about 10 years old when Pease AFB base was finished and started flying the B-47 around the skies of the seacoast. What a magnificent sight for a young boy to see. My eyes were always in the sky. I did not want to miss one flying overhead. Not long afterward as a cub scout, we had the privilege to climb inside the B-47 at Pease. I can still picture the inside to this day.
@@NoManClatuer-pd8ckhonestly ive only seen a handful of other videos actually inside a plane in a museum much less a museum like SACs ive seen one decent one of the NB-52A while it was under restoration at pima air and space museum but there arent any other channels like his
I'm really fortunate to be allowed inside these birds and the museums have been really helpful. They allowed me to film inside the F-117 here and that video is coming in a week or two :)
Nice video. As a former Nav I always found the 47 crew layout fascinating. As a minor point, we usually use the term “instruments” rather than “dials”. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks
@14:28 Can I just say how neat it is that some of the red panel indicator lights are lit. I mean there's no reason to have power routed to the plane at all as museum guests arent going to see the cockpit or anything; but this plan is absolutely complete. There's even plexi over some of the toggle panels when you first climbed in.
@NoManClatuer-pd8ck I had the exact same thought, but I would guess they didn't wear parachutes, as they were in ejector seats. Still, Paul was just wearing shorts and a tshirt and still felt cramped!
@@hamishmcdonald806 typically a pilot wears his chute in his seat. The suit won't deploy unless it gets "seat separation", the exceptions were pods in planes like the '58 the F-111 etc. 🙂👍 of course if I'm wrong feel free to point it out. I've been married. Used to it.
B-47's were also built by three manufacturers as well, Boeing, Lockheed and Douglas all produced B-47's with special manufacturing location designations.
Fun little bit of crossover trivia between the B-47 and the B-36: The jet engines added to the B-36 later in it's career are off-the-shelf B-47 components, namely the inner paired jet pods. The way you can tell is that the Peacemaker jet pods still have the bulged fairing that would house the B-47 outrigger gear, even though this space is empty on the B-36.
I went to the SAC museum in Nebraska back in 2017. Impressive assortment of aircraft, some that I never thought I would ever see. Thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
The B-47 was the first large sweep wing jet with the engines in pods on the wings and most jet air liners are built that way , with a few exceptions of course. I love the in side tour as well Great video!.
Ditto on the Comet, and of course other airliners had tail-mounted engines (DC-9, MD-80, VC-10, and most bizjets) or imbedded in the aft fuselage (727, DC-10, L-1011).
Joined the USAF in 1964 and went to tech school at Chanute AFB Ill on the B-47. Being from a small town I had never seen such a huge bomber. After the School which was a lot of fun and so interesting becoming a 3 level 43131E jet engine 4 and over went to flight test at Edwards AFB CA as a ground crew mechanic 43151E on the chase TB-58 Hustler for the XB-70 and then to Travis AFB as a crew chief on the Lockheed Star lifter C-141A then on to Norton AFB, (one of the benefits of being a crew chief on the flight line was a 24 hour chow pass so we could eat when we got the chance, there was a war going on at the time and worked many 12-18 hour days for months at a time) and after that a crew chief on the Hercules C-130E 146 TAW as a 7 level master aircraft mechanic 43171E. Interesting to have the back ground of learning on the B-47 and to me still is one of my favorite aircraft, but at that time it was being retired from active service and never got the chance to maintain one.
I was a fire control system (MD4 gun-laying radar) 60 years ago. I have many memories of crawling around in that incredibly cramped cockpit, and the aft compartment where the guns were, along with the radar transmitter and modulator heads were. I’m very glad I don’t have to do that in my 80’s… Well, truth be told, I couldn’t do it, now. One thing that appeared to be missing from. the co-pilot’s area was the hand control which manually aimed the radar antenna and guns for lock-on. There was an analog computer which adjusted for aircraft attitude and air speed for aiming the guns. A properly harmonized system would shoot down its own ejected brass at 9,000 yards, which wasn’t bad for the era.
When I was a kid, we lived in Hampton Beach, NH directly, as in directly, under the flight path of B-47s and their companion KC-97s. When I heard them approach I often would run out of the house to see them at very low altitudes directly over my head as they relatively slowly clawed their way out over the sea. Mesmerizing and unforgettable, my favorite Cold War bomber still. Pease AFB is long gone but in the 1950s and 60s, it was one of SAC's most important bases. It kept its B-47s as long as any other base, losing them only when the plane was withdrawn from service. Moreover, the base had not one but two bomb wings. Quite an accomplishment given it was not a large base when compared to the likes of Westover or Loring. I miss Pease very much. (At least there is an essential Air Guard refueling base in its place. Its retained importance is demonstrated by Pease being the first to receive the latest USAF tanker, the Boeing KC-46A . They too, as did the KC-135s and currently visiting C-5Ms, fly over my current house on their way to the North Atlantic sky.)
Dad was a crew chief on B-47's among other aircraft. At the 13.00 minute mark you showed the stainless hot water heater. We used one of those for years in the 60's into the early 70's at home to heat water. Would get it boiling in no time, finally burnt out. Would love to have another.
I was wondering where he would sit when going on a flight in one. I do remember him saying that he probably wouldn't have a chance of bailing out. A story he told me was one time on on war time alert the ground start system would not work and he had to cornanate with the pilot on starting the first engine manually by sitting off a charge to get it spinning up. Wing commander wanted to write him for it but base commander overrule him. Was happy that all aircraft were launched in the alloted time.
The airplane was very low drag, but it could descend and land without the approach drogue parachute. The problem was that on final the engines would be at or near idle, leading to inability to increase thrust quickly if needed. The drogue chute allowed the engines to be kept at a higher RPM from which they could accelerate more quickly if needed.
This one is another dream come true Paul! I’m such a nerd for some of the more unsung Cold War era aircraft and SAC I general, and getting to see inside this and the B-36 has been such a treat! Thank you, and I hope you get back sometime soon to film that Hustler too!!
Yes I didn't film the B-58 this time as it'll be difficult to get into the cockpit, BUT considering how successful these videos are going, I reckon a video on the B-58 might be an idea for early next year :)
Love all this much-neglected early Cold War stuff. Looking forward to the B-58 Hustler. I really appreciate your work because I am unable to travel to these museums for a number of reasons. Cheers from Canada !
Cheers! Yes I'm very fortunate to be able to travel so much and hope people such as yourself can travel vicariously through my work. Sadly I didn't film the B-58 this trip but I'm keen to return soon and film it.
WOW, some great information!!! I just subscribed. I agree that the B47 was a beautiful “looking” aircraft. Your tour is very well done. The comments also yield many very interesting personal stories. Thank you, now I’ve got to check out all of your videos!
Thanks, Paul. What is amazing is the fact that the Germans in WW2 developed the technology for swept wings leading to the Cold War bombers until the current 'flying wings' designs.
In the 1970's I was part of a group of young boys that was at a summer camp on an active airbase where a B-47 was on static display. One of the boys had a dad that was a former crewmember and he knew how to open the crew hatch. What he did not know was that on this specific aircraft the crew ladder would fall into position due to a faulty latch. Soooo upon opening the crew door, down came the ladder smacking him square in the head. Needless to say the rest of us boys scattered leaving our would be pilot friend laying on the ground with a awesome gash on his forehead. The camp counselors were not happy! AT ALL!!!
You really have to admit that it's amazing and awesome to get a personal tour of a combat aircraft here by a genuine alien from outer space. I'm especially appreciative that the alien set up its language output for English as well, making it unnecessary to activate subtitles. Thanks much, comrade!
I had a plastic model as a kid and knew next to nothing about planes in any technical detail. But the B-47 was the sleekest of the bunch, a real beauty.
Been to both the Offutt AFB museum in 1982 and to the new SAC museum west of Omaha in 2022. Loved them both. My daughter lives in Council Bluffs. My dad worked at Offutt in the 1950s as a field engineer for RCA.
The folks at the SAC Museum have really cleaned, painted and spruced up the Interiors of the -36 and the -47. Likewise the quick view of the B-47E at the Museum of Flight shows her very clean . Last time I saw her , she was outside and wrapped in shrink Wrap. I notice you also visited the March ARB Museum for the SAC Movie mockup . NICE Job !
I just wanted to say thank you for blurring out the other people that was visiting the planes. Even though most of us don’t mind being on film an especially film that’s posted online for the world to see. It’s just nice to see someone who wants to keep other people privacy protected. Even more reasons I’m glad I subscribe to your channel! Plus your videos are excellent and very knowledgeable
@@PaulStewartAviation That’s what I was commending you for. Even though there’s no expectation of privacy in public. It’s nice to see people who care enough to try to protect other people’s privacy. Also wanted to say it’s really amazing how this plane was invented just 44 years after the wright brothers first flight in 1903. How far they came and how far we’ve come since then
I was just a little kid in October 1962, but I remember seeing a few of these guys sitting on the tarmac at the US Air Force base in Duluth, Minnesota-ready to roll. There were armed guards posted around them. Of course, you remember that little kerfuffle between Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro.
The B-47 looked and reportedly flew like a giant fighter jet. I remember my first USAF air show in 1961 at Rickenbacker (formerly Lockbourne AFB) in Columbus. The Thunderbirds in F-100s were the main event, but I also got to witness a JATO B-47 takeoff. Boy, was it LOUD! Great tour, Sir! 👍👍👍
That is kind of an exaggeration. The wings are far too long and slender to support fighter style maneuvering, it's still a big jet with a long wing span. More like it's more maneuverable than it looks, mostly because it has so much energy from the speed it can generate. But you don't want to pull more than a couple gees and it's not going to react very quickly. It could do aerobatics for toss bombing but it was really more than it was designed to handle, especially at low altitude. I think that mostly is a myth stemming from the fighter style canopy. And it was definitely more agile than WW2 bombers. Compared to a B-36 you could say "it handles like a fighter", but not next to an actual fighter.
I was stationed at Lockbourne AFB in 1961 in the 301st Bomb Wing and as assistant crew chief I actually worked on both B-47's in this video also flew on a few of them, my seat was right at the top of the ladder. I may know you if you were military.
@@bradleyludwig2242 No, I wasn’t military and in 1961 I was just 7-years old. But when I was in 4th grade I lived down the street from a KC-135 Captain named Lee Corley who was stationed at Lockbourne and who befriended me because of my love of aviation. My young plan was to become a military pilot but I went very nearsighted in 6th grade which ended that dream. 🤷♂️ Cheers!
The rate that aviation advanced during that period was incredible. The first flight of the B-24 Liberator was in December of 1939. The first flight of the B-47 took place only eight years later!
Wow i haven't clicked on a video this quick in ages! I love the B-47 and i always wanted to see what the interior looks like. Very underrated jet, it was a huge advancement for the era.
Yes, been to the SAC museum a couple of times! I especially liked the B-25 cutaway display. If you can do the Hustler, I wouldn't pass it up! That would be really cool! I also think that the last B-47 flight was in 1986. There was one (former Navy I think) that was restored and flown to Castle AFB in California. I read a list earlier that dealt with military aircraft being flown to museums for display.
Thanks for the great tour - I was just at the SAC Museum last week and it is a great museum. Wish I'd had the kind of access you did. Too bad I missed you - I'd loved to have said hello.
@@PaulStewartAviation There are couple of interesting aviation museums here in Colorado - one is the Weisbrod Museum in Pueblo and Wings over the Rockies in Denver. They have some neat and unusual planes and I bet they'd love to have you visit and film there.
My dad was an electronics tech in the Air Force during the 1950s and worked on B-47's at Smokey AFB in Kansas. During the summers he and other techs would strip to their underwear to crawl inside those jets to work on the instruments...it would be so hot inside the belly of those planes that wearing your regular AF uniform was impractical. Sometimes they'd get up into the cockpit, fire up the generators, and turn on the air conditioning as they sat in the pilot's seat for a well deserved break from the elements!
Agreed, the pace of change and innovation was breathtaking. My dad was in the USAF starting from the early 1950's, and when I started my engineering career in 1981 I worked with engineers from that era. My dad and my colleagues all had some interesting stories.
@PaulStewartAviation ohh boy, I look forward to that video! Thanks again for visiting little Ole SAC Museum. Such a gem of a museum. Should have seen of they'd let you into the B1A out front! ;)
What a great video Paul. I really enjoyed this one. The B-47 is such a cool jacket as it was also one of the first American jet aircraft developed for military use. It was also featured in the 1955 American military classic Strategic Air Command, the same place that the museum is located. It was a great movie and the first time I heard more about this incredible jet when I watched it a few months ago. Cheers mate! Caleb’s Aviation 😊
I just ran across your video I want to thank you so much.This is the plane.My father flew after the B36.And this is the first time that i've been able to get a comprehensive look of that plane. I have a lot of b forty seven Memorabilia, and that my father had.He's no longer with us colonel J.J.Haas
I didn't know about the SAC museum until your videos, I now plan to drive up there in the future. I recognized your shots from Pima and the March AFB museum, both of which I've visited several times. Thanks for the tour!
@@SPak-rt2gb It had been sitting out there at CL for at least 10 years, and was in pretty marginal flying condition. They didn't trust the hydraulics, so they flew the whole way with the gear down, just above the stall.
I really enjoyed this. Thank you! The B-47 was always a favorite of mine, since I was a kid in the '50's. Really cool to see the insides and it's equipment. 👍👍
It always interests me seeing interior features of the B-47 and KC-97, because when I look around a KC-135, I can see all the little engineering thoughts, parts, and features borrowed by that aircraft. While the 367-80 was revolutionary, it's easy to see all of the iterative engineering steps that went into it, and how it wasn't entirely a radical new design.
We had water injection in the J-57 turbine engines on the KC-135 Stratotankers... deionized water. Because it was fogged into the intake ahead of the compressor section it had to be deionized or we would end up pulling the engine and sending it to the test cell to get the water scale removed from the compressor blades. Several 5 gallon buckets of crushed walnut shells tossed into the intake (minus buckets) while engine was at WFO throttle. Polished everything up nicely and didn't create any balance issues. I miss SAC...
I don't know where you found photos of the bomb bay of the B47 but I am extremely glad you did. I went to the SAC museum years ago, but the bomb bay was closed as it is on every B47 I have seen on display. I had no idea that the tail gun was operated buy the copilot I always thought it was operated by the bombardier.
Engine pods on pylons below the wings produces not more, but less drag than having them flush with the wing as in previous planes with wing mount jet engines. There was no fuel in the wings, so the story that the pods were done to prevent fuel fires is inaccurate.
Was also one of the unsafest planes to fly, most accidents were caused by the stresses of the toss bombing technique which would break the wings if done too agressively or cracks formed from prior attempts grew to a catastrophic point of failure.
I can't stress enough how amazing the SAC museum in Ashland, NE is. I came upon it by accident when going to Omaha for a job interview and spent a couple of extra days in the area to take it all in. Do yourself a favor and go see it!
The movie "Strategic Air Command" with Jimmy Stewart is still a great movie today and I watch it about once every two or three years. The later movie "Bombers-B52" with Karl Maldin as a crew chief for a B-52 included actress Natalie Wood as his daughter. Excellent movies, thanks!
I’ve been watching SAC for years after first catching it on TCM once years ago. Finally got around to seeing Bombers B-52 this year. Pretty good too, but not as many great in air scenes and Karl Malden’s character is almost hilariously cranky all the time! 😂.
Fantastic video! Thank you so much for the interior video parts. Always wanted to see the inside. A childhood neighbor of mine was a B47 pilot who flew the reconnaissance ones in Vietnam.
Happened to have set the simulator emergency landing record there when I was like 10 lol, it’s an amazing place and I’ve been planning on going back for years!! Love how open it is
The cockpit and flight instrument design is interesting. The design was considered state of the art for its time - yet was quickly surpassed by the technology of the early 1960's. Notice the large electro mechanical ADI, gyro heading indicator (where heading was indicated on a needle and not the position of the compass card). This would have been a very high workload airplane to fly as a pilot. First gen ILS displayed vis the old style "toilet bowl indicator" CDI/GS.
The podded engines, cantilevered well ahead of the cord line, served as inertial dampers/anti-flutter devices. Swept wings have structural shortcomings, thin wings have structural shortcomings. Swept thin wings are a nightmare. Allowing them to flex & building around that was brilliant, but then how to curb twisting and the flutter sure to follow? Putting something heavy on a stick and extend it out as far as practical. And this is why nearly every large multi-engine jet owes its basic form to the B-47. It was eureka brilliant and everyone forgot.
I visited the SAC museum last year when driving through Nebraska, there was hardly anyone there, it was a wonderful 2 hours spent, lots of neat and unique aircraft there. Thank you for the video, would love to see you do a video of the B-58 in the future. Thanks.
@@kevinriordan7842 I was there the second weekend of May. There were maybe a dozen or so people there and then a little later on a school bus of kids arrived, but we never crossed paths. It felt like we had the museum to ourselves.
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Thanks for watching everyone! If you enjoyed it, please give it a 'thumbs up' as that helps promote the video so I can afford to make more of these. :)
Absolutely 👍
Too bad you cant get rid to that British Voice U Bloody RedCoatex.
As a professional corporate pilot for the last 30 years, my travels have afforded me several opportunities to visit the SAC Museum southwest of Omaha - the amount of aviation history and the level of preservation of their aircraft is inspiring. Kudos for producing and sharing these videos (like all other regular visitors, I only got to view them from the outside.😢)
@@PaulStewartAviation The aviation apostle Paul, in his 23 Epistle to the Youtubians writes "muzzle not the ox who treadeth the plane"
I was a bomb nav technician on the B 47 in the late 50s at Dyess AFB outside Abilene Tx. I spent a lot of time in the navigator’s seat checking the electronics. Some electronic equipment was accessed out side the airplane so it was cold/hot work. Love the B 47, it is a bit sad that it was soon overshadowed by the B 52. Thanks for bringing back so many memories for this 87 year old veteran.
You're welcome. Thanks for your service.
Thanks for your service and for keeping us boomers safe during the cold war.
Thank you for your service, sir!!! I'm sure you have many amazing stories over the years!!
🫡🫡🫡🫡
Thank you for your service and for your insight on this beautiful Cold War Bird!
Great presentation Paul. A little clarification on the "Toss Bombing". I was a crew chief on a B-47 (tail number 51-7052) for three years at Plattsburgh AFB, NY in the late 50s. The B-47 was originally designed as a high altitude bombing platform. As Russian capabilities improved and the B-47 became more vulnerable at high altitude, low level bombing was undertaken. A number of B-47s were modified for Low Altitude Bombing Systems (LABS). I'm not sure how many were so modified, but mine was one of them. During these bombing runs, the B-47 was stressed somewhat above its designed strength, but seemed to handle it. The B-47 would come in toward the target at a very low altitude and high speed, hiding from radar in the ground scatter of the terrain if possible. At a certain point prior to reaching the target, the plane would pull up into a steep climb. At a predetermined altitude, the bomb
would be released and the plane would continue over onto its back and once it was angled back down about 20 degrees below horizontal and moving away from the target, it would roll back to a right-side up position, diving back down to the relative safety of the terrain. This worked well for fighter aircraft that were stressed for aerobatics. The maneuver was a bit outside the B-47s intended or designed capability though. Tests were done and it was found that, as long as the pilot maintained no more than 2.5 positive Gs during the initial pull up, the airplane could take it. The maneuver was actually a half Cuban eight in aerobatic terms. Eventually, the wear and tear on the planes from performing maneuvers
that were beyond the design limits of the airframe took its toll. Between March 13th and April 15th of 1958, five B-47s disintegrated in flight. One of these was a B-47 approaching a tanker for inflight refueling over northern New York. The boom operator on the tanker, who had the plane in sight, said he thought the wings failed at the fuselage just before the explosion. This prompted a thorough inspection of several high-time B-47s. Numerous cracks were found in the fittings around the “Milk Bottle” bolts that fastened the wing to the fuselage. Shortly thereafter the entire B-47 fleet was grounded, pending inspection of the
wing root area. Some planes were relatively free from defects. Most, however, had at least a few cracks. My plane had a fair number of cracks and was only cleared to fly with a reduced fuel load to the depot in Oklahoma City for extensive repair and modification in what was called “Project Milk Bottle”. No more "over the top" toss bombing was accomplished after that. It was replaced with a different maneuver called a "Pop-UP" which was not as stressful on the airframe.
Mandy thanks for that interesting insight!
My father was crew chief on B-47 tail number 52-238, stationed at McDill AFB. He also deployed to England and Morocco. At time stamp 16:00 in the video you can see the crew station on the steps up to the copilot's seat where the crew chief would travel from time to time or if the aircraft was deployed. There's obviously no ejection seat for this 4th crewmember, so they were supposed to dive headfirst out the opening left by the bombardier's seat but before the pilot and copilot blew the canopy off. He had some close calls but successfully transitioned to civilian life and college in 1957.
Thanks for your service and to all these brave men and women who served!
great museum there years ago great displays worth the trip.
If you do read this, me watching your videos always brightens my day, always glad theres fellow plane geeks out there
I read every comment :)
@@PlatinumBit13 I really hope this channel thrives. Apparently a healthy comment section makes the algorithm view content favorably. A bad day 'waxing the wings' is better than a good day discussing politics.
I agree, cheers! The better the channel does the more days off my regular job and I can get more videos done. I have raw footage for about 20 more videos but just need the time to edit it all.
@@PaulStewartAviation We sincerely appreciate your efforts Paul.
This video provided my first look inside the B-47. My father flew them for several years before transitioning to the B-52. Once a year during the Armed Forces Day celebration we could walk right up to the B-47 but everything inside was Top Secret. I have a home video of my brother and I standing next to one of the airplanes our father was assigned to.
Thank you for such an in-depth tour.
Thanks for the great video,I like most of your followers truly enjoyed the education, I got to admire the Air Force they really know how to keep secret information secret
The New England Air Museum ( Windsor Locks, CT) had a B-47E for a number of years , until it was damaged in a tornado in 1979. 22 years later (2001) she was transferred to the Hill AFB Museum and given a minimum rexternal restoration . Last I hears , she had been pulled for (a) restoration or (b) scrapping ..
I was there at Offutt the day the Blackbird flew in for its retirement. My teacher was not happy that my mom wrote me a note saying to excuse my absence as I was 'going to watch an airplane land'.
I still have the VHS tape that I recorded the flyby's and landing on (well, and Air Force guy recorded it and made me a copy). Good stuff!
Your mom was the best mom ever!
SAC Museum is a real blessing. Always love going down there! :)
The SAC museum is fantastic and worth the drive from Omaha!
I had the pleasure of knowing a member of the SAC ! RIP Frank Greere
You are like the "Rick Beato" of aircraft tours. You have earned the respect of the curators of these aircraft.
Bravo
👍
Thanks
Thanks for sharing the cutaway cockpit from the Jimmy Stewart movie. The scene shot there was an intense landing event! That film is also loaded with amazingly beautiful B-36 and 47 flight scenes.
My Dad was a TAC fighter pilot that was also an instructor pilot on loan to SAC teaching the "loft launch" otherwise known by those fighter pilots teaching SAC pilots as the "over the shoulder maneuver". Because SAC bomber pilots were mostly L/Col in rank they had a real problem with 1LT Fighter Pilots as Aircraft Commanders & instructors but collectively they had never "looped" any aircraft much less a bomber. Dad's flying experience included 103 "type rated airframes" during his lifetime of 30+ years as a fighter pilot from WW2 through 3 combat tours in Vietnam retiring @ 47 yrs old in 1975. He continued as a instructor & instrument instructor well into his 70's. When Greg Boyington was told he needed an FAA Instructor to sign off on his civilian license, it was my Dad that did the check ride with him while we were living California @ March AFB, in later years he flew his close friend Gen "Bud" Day several times to DC to practice before the Supreme Court when arguing for VA WW2 medical rights as promised enlistees against Songbird McCain's relentless atteempts to strip lifetime medical care from those that had enlisted in ww2 and were still living in the 70's & 80's.
A military pilot that's never done an Immelmann? Pretty sure they learn to do those in UPT, but maybe not.
We lived about 5 1/2 miles to the east of Greenham Common where the USAF operated B47s, and it was commonplace to see them on landing approach. However when I went to Newbury Grammer School in 1957, I saw the B47s take off over our playng fields in a scramble alert, which was quite spectacular. One after another the B47 soared into the sky trailing black smoke. One day, being a member of the school army cadet force, we were invited to the base to see the aircraft.
And now, as I write at the age of 78, it's all back as a common !
Didn't know about this museum but I am going to have to visit it since my son lives in Omaha and we love going to museums like this.
It's incredible. About 20 mins drive from omaha
It’s along interstate I-80, between Omaha, and the state capital of Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s technically not in Omaha, but rather on the outskirts of the town of Ashland, Nebraska. If you’re coming from Omaha, you can see a Republic F-105 Thunderchief along with a sign telling you that the exit was coming up. But I tell you, Even for someone who’s lived in Nebraska, whole life, it looks pretty cool.
@@enterprisespatton6549 Thanks for the information.
I was about 10 years old when Pease AFB base was finished and started flying the B-47 around the skies of the seacoast. What a magnificent sight for a young boy to see. My eyes were always in the sky. I did not want to miss one flying overhead.
Not long afterward as a cub scout, we had the privilege to climb inside the B-47 at Pease. I can still picture the inside to this day.
Wow, your level of access is amazing.
I know right? No other channels really compare. His videos answer questions I've had for years.
@@NoManClatuer-pd8ckhonestly ive only seen a handful of other videos actually inside a plane in a museum much less a museum like SACs ive seen one decent one of the NB-52A while it was under restoration at pima air and space museum but there arent any other channels like his
I'm really fortunate to be allowed inside these birds and the museums have been really helpful. They allowed me to film inside the F-117 here and that video is coming in a week or two :)
@@PaulStewartAviationU are one lucky man. Did u hear that Pima hung their X-15 replica up underneath the NB-52 today?
@@PaulStewartAviation🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Outstanding video! Thank you. The complexity of these flying machines is incredible. 😮
Nice video. As a former Nav I always found the 47 crew layout fascinating. As a minor point, we usually use the term “instruments” rather than “dials”. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks
Thanks for the info!
@14:28 Can I just say how neat it is that some of the red panel indicator lights are lit. I mean there's no reason to have power routed to the plane at all as museum guests arent going to see the cockpit or anything; but this plan is absolutely complete. There's even plexi over some of the toggle panels when you first climbed in.
I had no idea they built so many of these. Amazing.
For the life of me I can't imagine how a guy wearing a fully loaded flight suit and a parachute moved around in one of these beautiful death traps.
@NoManClatuer-pd8ck I had the exact same thought, but I would guess they didn't wear parachutes, as they were in ejector seats. Still, Paul was just wearing shorts and a tshirt and still felt cramped!
@@hamishmcdonald806 typically a pilot wears his chute in his seat. The suit won't deploy unless it gets "seat separation", the exceptions were pods in planes like the '58 the F-111 etc. 🙂👍 of course if I'm wrong feel free to point it out. I've been married. Used to it.
@@NoManClatuer-pd8ck Oh, right... huh. I'm starting to think this deathtrap wasn't very comfortable to operate.
B-47's were also built by three manufacturers as well, Boeing, Lockheed and Douglas all produced B-47's with special manufacturing location designations.
Fun little bit of crossover trivia between the B-47 and the B-36:
The jet engines added to the B-36 later in it's career are off-the-shelf B-47 components, namely the inner paired jet pods. The way you can tell is that the Peacemaker jet pods still have the bulged fairing that would house the B-47 outrigger gear, even though this space is empty on the B-36.
I went to the SAC museum in Nebraska back in 2017. Impressive assortment of aircraft, some that I never thought I would ever see. Thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
The Most beautiful Bomber ever built; Grew up in Wichita; B-47s were always in the air...
Such a fascinating journey through history again Paul! Thanks for showing us inside this great jet.
My pleasure!
The B-47 was the first large sweep wing jet with the engines in pods on the wings and most jet air liners are built that way , with a few exceptions of course. I love the in side tour as well Great video!.
Well the first airliner, the Comet, had them inside the wings. But yes, after that then they were moved elsewhere.
Ditto on the Comet, and of course other airliners had tail-mounted engines (DC-9, MD-80, VC-10, and most bizjets) or imbedded in the aft fuselage (727, DC-10, L-1011).
In my opinion still the most beautiful bomber ever built.
Joined the USAF in 1964 and went to tech school at Chanute AFB Ill on the B-47. Being from a small town I had never seen such a huge bomber. After the School which was a lot of fun and so interesting becoming a 3 level 43131E jet engine 4 and over went to flight test at Edwards AFB CA as a ground crew mechanic 43151E on the chase TB-58 Hustler for the XB-70 and then to Travis AFB as a crew chief on the Lockheed Star lifter C-141A then on to Norton AFB, (one of the benefits of being a crew chief on the flight line was a 24 hour chow pass so we could eat when we got the chance, there was a war going on at the time and worked many 12-18 hour days for months at a time) and after that a crew chief on the Hercules C-130E 146 TAW as a 7 level master aircraft mechanic 43171E. Interesting to have the back ground of learning on the B-47 and to me still is one of my favorite aircraft, but at that time it was being retired from active service and never got the chance to maintain one.
I was a fire control system (MD4 gun-laying radar) 60 years ago. I have many memories of crawling around in that incredibly cramped cockpit, and the aft compartment where the guns were, along with the radar transmitter and modulator heads were. I’m very glad I don’t have to do that in my 80’s… Well, truth be told, I couldn’t do it, now. One thing that appeared to be missing from. the co-pilot’s area was the hand control which manually aimed the radar antenna and guns for lock-on. There was an analog computer which adjusted for aircraft attitude and air speed for aiming the guns. A properly harmonized system would shoot down its own ejected brass at 9,000 yards, which wasn’t bad for the era.
When I was a kid, we lived in Hampton Beach, NH directly, as in directly, under the flight path of B-47s and their companion KC-97s. When I heard them approach I often would run out of the house to see them at very low altitudes directly over my head as they relatively slowly clawed their way out over the sea. Mesmerizing and unforgettable, my favorite Cold War bomber still.
Pease AFB is long gone but in the 1950s and 60s, it was one of SAC's most important bases. It kept its B-47s as long as any other base, losing them only when the plane was withdrawn from service. Moreover, the base had not one but two bomb wings. Quite an accomplishment given it was not a large base when compared to the likes of Westover or Loring. I miss Pease very much. (At least there is an essential Air Guard refueling base in its place. Its retained importance is demonstrated by Pease being the first to receive the latest USAF tanker, the Boeing KC-46A . They too, as did the KC-135s and currently visiting C-5Ms, fly over my current house on their way to the North Atlantic sky.)
Dad was a crew chief on B-47's among other aircraft. At the 13.00 minute mark you showed the stainless hot water heater. We used one of those for years in the 60's into the early 70's at home to heat water. Would get it boiling in no time, finally burnt out. Would love to have another.
I was wondering where he would sit when going on a flight in one. I do remember him saying that he probably wouldn't have a chance of bailing out. A story he told me was one time on on war time alert the ground start system would not work and he had to cornanate with the pilot on starting the first engine manually by sitting off a charge to get it spinning up. Wing commander wanted to write him for it but base commander overrule him. Was happy that all aircraft were launched in the alloted time.
Went to tech school on the B-47 at Amarillo AFB in 1964. The engine run up was awesome. Never saw one after that.
The airplane was very low drag, but it could descend and land without the approach drogue parachute. The problem was that on final the engines would be at or near idle, leading to inability to increase thrust quickly if needed. The drogue chute allowed the engines to be kept at a higher RPM from which they could accelerate more quickly if needed.
This one is another dream come true Paul! I’m such a nerd for some of the more unsung Cold War era aircraft and SAC I general, and getting to see inside this and the B-36 has been such a treat! Thank you, and I hope you get back sometime soon to film that Hustler too!!
Yes I didn't film the B-58 this time as it'll be difficult to get into the cockpit, BUT considering how successful these videos are going, I reckon a video on the B-58 might be an idea for early next year :)
Love all this much-neglected early Cold War stuff. Looking forward to the B-58 Hustler. I really appreciate your work because I am unable to travel to these museums for a number of reasons. Cheers from Canada !
Cheers! Yes I'm very fortunate to be able to travel so much and hope people such as yourself can travel vicariously through my work. Sadly I didn't film the B-58 this trip but I'm keen to return soon and film it.
I remember seeing an EB-47E when I was at Roosevelt Roads in the winter of 1974. It was the one the Navy had on loan from the Air Force.
WOW, some great information!!! I just subscribed. I agree that the B47 was a beautiful “looking” aircraft. Your tour is very well done. The comments also yield many very interesting personal stories. Thank you, now I’ve got to check out all of your videos!
Thanks, Paul. What is amazing is the fact that the Germans in WW2 developed the technology for swept wings leading to the Cold War bombers until the current 'flying wings' designs.
In the 1970's I was part of a group of young boys that was at a summer camp on an active airbase where a B-47 was on static display. One of the boys had a dad that was a former crewmember and he knew how to open the crew hatch. What he did not know was that on this specific aircraft the crew ladder would fall into position due to a faulty latch. Soooo upon opening the crew door, down came the ladder smacking him square in the head. Needless to say the rest of us boys scattered leaving our would be pilot friend laying on the ground with a awesome gash on his forehead. The camp counselors were not happy! AT ALL!!!
You really have to admit that it's amazing and awesome to get a personal tour of a combat aircraft here by a genuine alien from outer space. I'm especially appreciative that the alien set up its language output for English as well, making it unnecessary to activate subtitles. Thanks much, comrade!
😂
One of my favorite early jets. Imagine how futuristic it looked in the late 1940's and how much it made all previous bombers instantly look obsolete.
Absolutely! To think she flew only a short time after the B-50 and 36 yet looks like something 20 years newer
I had a plastic model as a kid and knew next to nothing about planes in any technical detail. But the B-47 was the sleekest of the bunch, a real beauty.
On my "Bucket List" to visit. Thank you for another excellent video.
Thank you!
Been to both the Offutt AFB museum in 1982 and to the new SAC museum west of Omaha in 2022. Loved them both. My daughter lives in Council Bluffs. My dad worked at Offutt in the 1950s as a field engineer for RCA.
The folks at the SAC Museum have really cleaned, painted and spruced up the Interiors of the -36 and the -47. Likewise the quick view of the B-47E at the Museum of Flight shows her very clean . Last time I saw her , she was outside and wrapped in shrink Wrap. I notice you also visited the March ARB Museum for the SAC Movie mockup . NICE Job !
Yep a video from March field is coming too. They let me film in the P59 :)
I just wanted to say thank you for blurring out the other people that was visiting the planes. Even though most of us don’t mind being on film an especially film that’s posted online for the world to see. It’s just nice to see someone who wants to keep other people privacy protected. Even more reasons I’m glad I subscribe to your channel! Plus your videos are excellent and very knowledgeable
Sometimes the blurring doesn't work that well but I try. Legally there is no assumption of privacy although I try and blur the faces of kids.
@@PaulStewartAviation
That’s what I was commending you for. Even though there’s no expectation of privacy in public. It’s nice to see people who care enough to try to protect other people’s privacy.
Also wanted to say it’s really amazing how this plane was invented just 44 years after the wright brothers first flight in 1903. How far they came and how far we’ve come since then
Thanks for the great story 👍🏻
My boss, when i worked in Gainesville Georgia, 1994-2005, was a navigator / bombadier on a B47, late 1950's i believe. Was a good man.
I was just a little kid in October 1962, but I remember seeing a few of these guys sitting on the tarmac at the US Air Force base in Duluth, Minnesota-ready to roll. There were armed guards posted around them. Of course, you remember that little kerfuffle between Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro.
My Dad was a tech on the B-47 in the early 50's while he was in SAC.
Excellent work Paul. I love the interior tour. A perspective and view most of us would never see. Thank you!
The B-47 looked and reportedly flew like a giant fighter jet. I remember my first USAF air show in 1961 at Rickenbacker (formerly Lockbourne AFB) in Columbus. The Thunderbirds in F-100s were the main event, but I also got to witness a JATO B-47 takeoff. Boy, was it LOUD! Great tour, Sir! 👍👍👍
That is kind of an exaggeration. The wings are far too long and slender to support fighter style maneuvering, it's still a big jet with a long wing span. More like it's more maneuverable than it looks, mostly because it has so much energy from the speed it can generate. But you don't want to pull more than a couple gees and it's not going to react very quickly. It could do aerobatics for toss bombing but it was really more than it was designed to handle, especially at low altitude. I think that mostly is a myth stemming from the fighter style canopy. And it was definitely more agile than WW2 bombers. Compared to a B-36 you could say "it handles like a fighter", but not next to an actual fighter.
I was stationed at Lockbourne AFB in 1961 in the 301st Bomb Wing and as assistant crew chief I actually worked on both B-47's in this video also flew on a few of them, my seat was right at the top of the ladder. I may know you if you were military.
@@bradleyludwig2242 No, I wasn’t military and in 1961 I was just 7-years old. But when I was in 4th grade I lived down the street from a KC-135 Captain named Lee Corley who was stationed at Lockbourne and who befriended me because of my love of aviation. My young plan was to become a military pilot but I went very nearsighted in 6th grade which ended that dream. 🤷♂️ Cheers!
The rate that aviation advanced during that period was incredible. The first flight of the B-24 Liberator was in December of 1939. The first flight of the B-47 took place only eight years later!
There's one of these in the city park in Altus, Oklahoma. It was restored while I was stationed there in the 90s.
These are the best video on TH-cam
Thanks :)
The B47 was a great leap forward in aviation. It was the first aircraft to be powered by six jet engines and the first big aircraft powered by jets.
The SAC museum is one of the best. Absolutely awesome exhibits that you can walk right up to.
Awesome place and you can get up close with the planes. Minimal ropes keeping you meters away
Wow i haven't clicked on a video this quick in ages! I love the B-47 and i always wanted to see what the interior looks like. Very underrated jet, it was a huge advancement for the era.
Glad you liked it!
Yes, been to the SAC museum a couple of times! I especially liked the B-25 cutaway display. If you can do the Hustler, I wouldn't pass it up! That would be really cool! I also think that the last B-47 flight was in 1986. There was one (former Navy I think) that was restored and flown to Castle AFB in California. I read a list earlier that dealt with military aircraft being flown to museums for display.
Yes my next mission will hopefully the b-58 :)
Super nice job! Fascinating plane I always wondered about.
Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the great tour - I was just at the SAC Museum last week and it is a great museum. Wish I'd had the kind of access you did. Too bad I missed you - I'd loved to have said hello.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@PaulStewartAviation There are couple of interesting aviation museums here in Colorado - one is the Weisbrod Museum in Pueblo and Wings over the Rockies in Denver. They have some neat and unusual planes and I bet they'd love to have you visit and film there.
My dad was an electronics tech in the Air Force during the 1950s and worked on B-47's at Smokey AFB in Kansas. During the summers he and other techs would strip to their underwear to crawl inside those jets to work on the instruments...it would be so hot inside the belly of those planes that wearing your regular AF uniform was impractical. Sometimes they'd get up into the cockpit, fire up the generators, and turn on the air conditioning as they sat in the pilot's seat for a well deserved break from the elements!
My grandpa had over 1000 hours in the B-47. I have a coveted yoke "Boeing horn" piece he pried off before he transitioned to the BUFF.
Cold war jets are by far the most interesting planes IMO. 👍😁
Agreed! I've loved researching them! Such dramatic changes in design over a short period of time.
Agreed, the pace of change and innovation was breathtaking. My dad was in the USAF starting from the early 1950's, and when I started my engineering career in 1981 I worked with engineers from that era. My dad and my colleagues all had some interesting stories.
Hello from Omaha and a former RC-135 navigator. Thank you for the great presentation.
Cheers! I filmed the RC-135 at the sac museum and there’s a video coming for that too
@PaulStewartAviation ohh boy, I look forward to that video!
Thanks again for visiting little Ole SAC Museum. Such a gem of a museum. Should have seen of they'd let you into the B1A out front! ;)
Thanks Paul. I have been in love with the B-47 since i first saw "Strategic Air Command."
My grandfather flew the RB-47 as his first assignment. It was really cool to see what he saw inside.
I love this plane, its a real classic
Incredible Vibe
Beautiful Art
Amazing work
Thank you! Cheers!
What a great video Paul. I really enjoyed this one. The B-47 is such a cool jacket as it was also one of the first American jet aircraft developed for military use. It was also featured in the 1955 American military classic Strategic Air Command, the same place that the museum is located. It was a great movie and the first time I heard more about this incredible jet when I watched it a few months ago.
Cheers mate!
Caleb’s Aviation 😊
I just ran across your video I want to thank you so much.This is the plane.My father flew after the B36.And this is the first time that i've been able to get a comprehensive look of that plane. I have a lot of b forty seven Memorabilia, and that my father had.He's no longer with us colonel J.J.Haas
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you’ve seen my B-36 tour video too
@PaulStewartAviation next video I'll be watching. Sent the other to my sis, i made it to SRA in the Air Force, mabey a C-141 next. Lol
Turbojets are just super sexy. The B-47 installation most of all. The B-58 and -52 come in second.
I didn't know about the SAC museum until your videos, I now plan to drive up there in the future. I recognized your shots from Pima and the March AFB museum, both of which I've visited several times. Thanks for the tour!
Enjoy! It’s a great museum!
Very good video of the B-47. The B-47 at the Castle Air Museum last flew in June 1986. It was flown from China Lake in CA to Castle AFB.
And had a very rocky landing with a wingtip scraping the ground. I remember reading about it in Pacific Flyer
@@SPak-rt2gb It had been sitting out there at CL for at least 10 years, and was in pretty marginal flying condition. They didn't trust the hydraulics, so they flew the whole way with the gear down, just above the stall.
I really enjoyed this. Thank you! The B-47 was always a favorite of mine, since I was a kid in the '50's. Really cool to see the insides and it's equipment. 👍👍
I've seen several B-47 documentaries, but I think I learned more from yours. I really liked the internal tour.
Cheers! Hope you’ve seen my video in the B-36 and the F117 video is coming next week
Excellent, thanks.
It always interests me seeing interior features of the B-47 and KC-97, because when I look around a KC-135, I can see all the little engineering thoughts, parts, and features borrowed by that aircraft. While the 367-80 was revolutionary, it's easy to see all of the iterative engineering steps that went into it, and how it wasn't entirely a radical new design.
We had water injection in the J-57 turbine engines on the KC-135 Stratotankers... deionized water. Because it was fogged into the intake ahead of the compressor section it had to be deionized or we would end up pulling the engine and sending it to the test cell to get the water scale removed from the compressor blades. Several 5 gallon buckets of crushed walnut shells tossed into the intake (minus buckets) while engine was at WFO throttle. Polished everything up nicely and didn't create any balance issues. I miss SAC...
As a farm child in the Fifties I saw them up in the sky fifty miles from McConnell AFB. Often times practicing refueling from a prop driven tanker.
Just found your channel. Good stuff. I would love tours of lesser known planes, B18. Catalinas and amphib planes. I grew up on SAC bases.
Greeat tour, 1st time seing the inside of this beast
Cheers! I"ll show you inside the F117 next week :)
@@PaulStewartAviation Seriously ? can’t wait !! =)
yep it's almost done and I'm working on the 747SP too.
I don't know where you found photos of the bomb bay of the B47 but I am extremely glad you did. I went to the SAC museum years ago, but the bomb bay was closed as it is on every B47 I have seen on display. I had no idea that the tail gun was operated buy the copilot I always thought it was operated by the bombardier.
The bombay was open when I visited a week ago :)
@@PaulStewartAviation hears hoping the next time I go through that part of the country again it still is. I would love to see it for my self.
Excellent video. Amazed how crammed the cockpit was and claustrophobic the navigator station.
Engine pods on pylons below the wings produces not more, but less drag than having them flush with the wing as in previous planes with wing mount jet engines. There was no fuel in the wings, so the story that the pods were done to prevent fuel fires is inaccurate.
Excellent vid. Thank you!
Very welcome!
the most amazing thing was the extremely strict speed/altitude schedules that they had to fly before inflight refueling was installed.
Was also one of the unsafest planes to fly, most accidents were caused by the stresses of the toss bombing technique which would break the wings if done too agressively or cracks formed from prior attempts grew to a catastrophic point of failure.
Yeah there's a few of them in Tampa bay where the wings came off
Actually, most B-47 accidents were on takeoff or landing.
I can't stress enough how amazing the SAC museum in Ashland, NE is. I came upon it by accident when going to Omaha for a job interview and spent a couple of extra days in the area to take it all in. Do yourself a favor and go see it!
The movie "Strategic Air Command" with Jimmy Stewart is still a great movie today and I watch it about once every two or three years. The later movie "Bombers-B52" with Karl Maldin as a crew chief for a B-52 included actress Natalie Wood as his daughter. Excellent movies, thanks!
I’ve been watching SAC for years after first catching it on TCM once years ago. Finally got around to seeing Bombers B-52 this year. Pretty good too, but not as many great in air scenes and Karl Malden’s character is almost hilariously cranky all the time! 😂.
Fantastic video! Thank you so much for the interior video parts. Always wanted to see the inside. A childhood neighbor of mine was a B47 pilot who flew the reconnaissance ones in Vietnam.
Thanks! I love the B-47! Thanks for the cockpit tour!
Good thorough video on this plane!
Glad you liked it!
Happened to have set the simulator emergency landing record there when I was like 10 lol, it’s an amazing place and I’ve been planning on going back for years!! Love how open it is
B-47 for the win!!
Literally makes me entire day when you post a video 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Awesome 👍
The cockpit and flight instrument design is interesting. The design was considered state of the art for its time - yet was quickly surpassed by the technology of the early 1960's. Notice the large electro mechanical ADI, gyro heading indicator (where heading was indicated on a needle and not the position of the compass card). This would have been a very high workload airplane to fly as a pilot. First gen ILS displayed vis the old style "toilet bowl indicator" CDI/GS.
12:43 It's an ash tray. Younger kids ask "What's an ash tray?" It is for depositing the ash from a cigarette.
The podded engines, cantilevered well ahead of the cord line, served as inertial dampers/anti-flutter devices. Swept wings have structural shortcomings, thin wings have structural shortcomings. Swept thin wings are a nightmare. Allowing them to flex & building around that was brilliant, but then how to curb twisting and the flutter sure to follow? Putting something heavy on a stick and extend it out as far as practical. And this is why nearly every large multi-engine jet owes its basic form to the B-47. It was eureka brilliant and everyone forgot.
Oh wow, I have been waiting for a video like this on one of these for a long time!!! Thank you!
I visited the SAC museum last year when driving through Nebraska, there was hardly anyone there, it was a wonderful 2 hours spent, lots of neat and unique aircraft there. Thank you for the video, would love to see you do a video of the B-58 in the future. Thanks.
What time of year did you visit this museum? I ask, as I enjoy museums when not packed with a sea of humanity.
@@kevinriordan7842 I was there the second weekend of May. There were maybe a dozen or so people there and then a little later on a school bus of kids arrived, but we never crossed paths. It felt like we had the museum to ourselves.
Dang !
That's one helluva plane !
Thanks Paul