Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/08/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:07:37 +0200, Philippe Orlent _philippe.orlent@pandora.be_ (mailto:philippe.orlent@pandora.be) wrote: "Was it ever operational?" Hi Phillipe, It sure was, and was America's first truly intercontinental bomber, in squadron service with the Strategic Air Command between 1948 and 1958, until it was phased out for the B-52. Because of its size, it was affectionately referred to as the "Aluminum Overcast." Aside from its normal service, it served as a test bed for several parasite fighter programs (XF-85 Goblin, F-84 FICON and Tip-Tow), and was the first aircraft to carry a working nuclear reactor aloft (NB-36). It also starred with Jimmy Stewart and Karl Malden in the movie "Strategic Air Command." There is a preserved example at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patt. It's notable because the plane was moved into position, and then the original museum building was built around it. Hence, one room contains the nose section, another the wing nacelles, another the tail, and so on. It's one seriously large airplane. Best regards, Ira ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour