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Description
| Manufacturer: | Convair | |
| Base model: | B-36 | |
| Designation: | B-36 | |
| Version: | J | |
| Nickname: | Peacemaker | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1924-Present | |
| Basic role: | Bomber | |
| See Also: | ||
Specifications
| Length: | 162' 1" | 49.4 m | |
| Height: | 46' 9" | 14.2 m | |
| Wingspan: | 230' | 70.1 m | |
| Wingarea: | 4,772.0 sq ft | 443.2 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 171,035 lb | 77,566 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 410,000 lb | 185,941 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 6 | ||
| Powerplant: | Pratt & Whitney R-4360-53 (& 4 5,200Lb J47-GE-19) | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 3800 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 6,800 miles | 10,950 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 391 mph | 370 km/h | 200 kt |
| Max Speed: | 411 mph | 661 km/h | 357 kt |
| Climb: | 1,920 ft/min | 585 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 39,000 ft | 11,887 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Southwest Aerospace Museum | Fort Worth | Texas |
| Strategic Air Command Museum | Ashland | Nebraska |
| United States Air Force Museum | Wright-Patterson | Ohio |
B-36J on display
Southwest Aerospace Museum | Strategic Air Command Museum | United States Air Force Museum |
Recent comments by our visitors
| ROBERT HELTON STANLEY, NC | As a youngster (and a proud member of the Ground Observer Corps) I LOVED to see the B-36s fly over. They had such a distinctive sound no other plane had. However, there is a question I have about their nickname PEACEMAKER. I believe the B-36 was operational during the Korean War. Why were they never used? I have read many times they lived up to their name because they never dropped a bomb in anger. Could anyone enlighten me on this subject?
By the way-the USAF Museum is a FANTASTIC place!!!! 12/08/2009 @ 15:03 [ref: 25404] |
| Jerry Drayer , TX | My children, my wife, and I have made many hiking trips up to the El Paso, Mount Franklin, crash site -- and after many years -- we're going to make a family hike up there again, - summer of 2010. 11/15/2009 @ 18:05 [ref: 25295] |
| Randy Benton Gainesville, GA | I was stationed at Biggs AFB from 1955-1958. I was 2nd radio operator on B-36. I was in 336th bomb sqdn. of the 95th bomb wing. Was the best 3 years 01/12/2009 @ 16:50 [ref: 23476] |
| bob brock , WA | my dad was a mechanic for the b36 he retired in about 62, we lost him in 72, i still remember him saying that to mantain it was a night mare and to fill it up took 3 tankers if it where 1/2 full, i have been fasanated with it sence i can remember, in my mid teens my mother ,younger brother and i found one at some afb i just cant remember where but i remember how big it was.
to all the people that built maintained and piloted them thanks for the memorys 11/16/2008 @ 21:49 [ref: 23082] |
| john scanlan norristown, PA | spent 32mos at Ramey, PR, as ac elect,1956-1958 never ran out of trouble,but standing by at end of runway on night take-off was really a spectacle. Wish we would be able to see that once again 09/09/2008 @ 10:18 [ref: 22642] |
| john scanlan norristown, PA | spent 32mos at Ramey, PR, as ac elect,1956-1958 never ran out of trouble,but standing by at end of runway on night take-off was really a spectacle. Wish we would be able to see that once again 09/09/2008 @ 10:17 [ref: 22641] |
| wendell montague dallas, TX | The b 36 taken at clinton Ohio is really at Chanute afb.The b 29 in the background is now at albuquerque as Duke of Albuquerque.I stayed in the dorms in the background during tech school in 77.Ide like to see the rest of his mothers photos 05/01/2008 @ 11:20 [ref: 20769] |
| loomas marshall san bernardino, CA | The first airplane I ever flew in was a B-36 at Walker AFB NM where I started my Air Force career in 1954 in the 39th BS Engineering section as a third wiper on A/C 2819 a feather weight J model crewed by T/SGT Billy Graves. I then transfered to Travis to the RBs in 1957. After 11 years in SAC I attended Flt Eng school at McChord AFB and flew C124s,C141s. I retired in 1979 at Norton AFB Ca. 03/17/2008 @ 22:24 [ref: 20071] |
| Michael Hanson , MO | I have many memories of the B-36,from when I was a child in El Paso,TX. My father, MSGT Gillis W. Hanson, was a crew chief on the B-36. What a pain to maintain! So much to this bird with a crew of up to 16. I still have his flight records...20 or more hours for one flight to Alaska and back, non-stop, numerous times. The 36 that flew into the side of Mt.Franklin in Dec.51 was his plane. He didn't have to fly that night and was home in bed. I answered the phone from the Base, asking if he was home. My mother hated the B-36. It kept Dad away from home for long TDY's and even at Biggs, away from home for days at a time.
If you want a little idea of what life was like for a B-36 crew and the noise one could make....watch the movie "Stratigic Air Command", with Lt.Col. James Stewart on active duty, at the time. Turn up the volumn full on a surround sound system till your windows rattle and the pictures fall off the walls. I ain't kiddin' folks. 01/18/2008 @ 10:10 [ref: 19348] |
| Bill Rogers Delta (Vancouver), BC | Of all the aircraft built the B36 is my favorite. Have never seen one up close, nor witnessed a take-off or landing but have seen one flying north from Wash. State in Okanogan Valley. As a radio operator at Forth Smith, N.W.T. Canada, I was standing watch at the Royal Canadian Signals radio station monitoring 3105kcs aircraft frequency at about 0130hrs mid January (?) 1954 and a loud and clear voiced crackled over the radio stating "Fort Smith radio, Air Force (Ident Nr.)9,000 feet overhead, estimating The Pas, (Manitoba), 1hr 30 mins (?), about 15mins later same thing. There were nine A/C all to-gether. It was a cold, clear moonlight night & it was a real thrill to hear sound of the engines, it was something I had never heard before or since. Often wondered who was flying them & where they were going. Went outside to see if I could spot them in the moonlight but no success. Very interesting site. 12/07/2007 @ 19:29 [ref: 18842] |
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