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Dates |
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Event |
From 1946 to 1947 |
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Constructed as a YB-36. |
4 December 1947 |
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First flight.
Retained by Convair for test purposes. |
19 December 1947 |
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Third flight, reached over 40,000 ft. |
From 27 May 1948 to June 1948 |
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Converted to a YB-36A.
Single main wheels converted to four-wheel bogies. The six R-4360-25 engines were replaced by six R-4360-41s. |
June 1948 |
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First flight.
First flight as YB-36A. |
After June 1948 |
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Convair made 36 test flights and accumulated 97.5 hrs of flight time. |
February 1949 |
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First Farrand hemisphere nose site and its associated turret were installed for testing. |
Circa March 1949 |
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AN/APG-3 tail radar and associated turret installed for testing. At least two aft sighting stations installed for testing sighting equipment (no turrets installed). |
31 May 1949 |
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Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Air Force with s/n 42-13571. |
October 1949 |
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Transferred to 60th Bombardment Squadron, 72nd Bombardment Wing (Heavy) (SAC), Ramey AFB, PR. |
October 1950 |
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Converted to a RB-36E.
Returned to Convair for conversion. Also equipped with the four J-47 jet engines that were fitted to the RB-36D. Returned to 72nd BW when completed. |
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Was frequently the first B-36 to go through most modification programs. The USAF would add 1952.5 flight hrs before retiring the plane in 1957. |
18 February 1957 |
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Ferry flight. Delivered to United States Air Force Museum, Patterson Field (East Side), Dayton, OH.
12 hour, 10 minute flight from Ramey AFB, PR.
 View the Location Dossier |
March 1968 |
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Photographer: Chris Kennedy by permission |
March 1968 |
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Photographer: Chris Kennedy by permission |
Circa 5 June 1970 |
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Photographer: Glenn Chatfield
Notes: At the old Air Force Museum location at Patterson Field, Fairborn, OH |
1971 |
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Scrapped. |
Circa July 1972 |
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The museum sold the airframe for scrap when the museum Moved to new quarters and replaced the B-36 display with a J model, USAF s/n 52-2220. |
From Circa 1972 to Circa 1975 |
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To Walter Soplata Aviation Collection, Newbury, Cleveland, OH.
Acquired from a scrap dealer. The fuselage wings and two engines were moved to the Soplata collection. The remains were transported to the Soplata farm in 26 truck loads over 30 months.
View the Location Dossier |
Circa August 1973 |
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Photographer: Leon Cleaver |
Circa August 1973 |
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Photographer: Leon Cleaver |
Circa August 1973 |
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Photographer: Leon Cleaver |
1 September 1977 |
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Photographer: Leon Cleaver
Notes: Tail section is from F-101 |
1979 |
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Photographer: Roy F. Cochrun
Notes: Source: http://www.royfc.com/albums/non_ru/museums/museum/ohio/soplata/index.html |
1979 |
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Photographer: Roy F. Cochrun
Notes: Source: http://www.royfc.com/albums/non_ru/museums/museum/ohio/soplata/index.html |
20 August 1980 |
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Photographer: Leon Cleaver
Notes: One turret is from a B-36. I believe it was stolen sometime later. |
1984 |
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Photographer: Steve Tournay |
By 1985 |
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50 percent rebuilt. |
Circa 1991 |
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Photographer: Jayson Shenk |
Circa 1991 |
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Photographer: Jayson Shenk |
4 May 2010 |
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Photographer: John Bennett |
By 2013 |
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Photographer: Dennis A. Stewart |
Circa 2019 |
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Scrapped.
Scrapped by MotoArt for PlaneTags. |
