B-58 Hustler at Little Rock AFB

Let's see it.

I have fond memories from my youth when the "Hustler" flew over and knocked my mother's knick-knacks off the shelf.

 

The video? I don't have it any more - it was a VCR tape which belonged to my friend (an aerobatic pilot) Dave Howard, who was killed in a practice accident. He was a safety officer for the FAA and I believe it came from a library they keep at their center in Oklahoma City - they have just about every videotape of any reportable incident or accident kept there for reference.

 

Really disappointing that Texas lost it....I saw it when it was wrecked at the museum back in the corner but not before.

 

I just saw this on Facebook.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Convair B-58 Hustler at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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That's a good pic of the nose gear...

Read that it's very complicated, required lots of maintenance.

To retract, the top of the strut has to slide rearwards while the bottom does not move backwards. Has to clear the pod.

 

B58 along with many other bombers are on display at the SAC museum, South Bend Nebraska west of Omaha on I80.
www.sacmuseum.org

 

Yes - outstanding museum. When I was there in the early 90s, they also had a british Vulcan, the big B-36, and an SR-71. Plus the only Bomark cruise missile I have ever seen on display.

Unfortunately, at the time, all the planes were outside on concrete and subject to weather.

 

The HIGHLIGHT of visiting Omaha... driving down toward Lincoln and spending hours in the museum...

Fantastic. Hadn't seen many of the planes since I was a kid near Kirtland AFB in ABQ.

 

I never had the chance to see one of these fly but I worked at Webb AFB back about 1965. Webb was a T38 and T37 TAC training base at the time. It also had a squadron of F104s stationed there. We never seemed to get any sleep when they were doing their night ops. Those were some loud muthas........those 104s.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#World_Records

 

The last time I was in Omaha was around 1982/83. I went there for my initial USAF entrance physical. At that time most of the airplanes were outside. I'm glad to see them moved inside.

 

So, the Omaha museum planes have been moved inside?

When was that done?

 

The "new" SAC Museum was opened in May 1998. Well worth the stop if you are traveling I80 out this way.

 

IIRC the first sonic booms in the early 60's over our house in the country were B-58's. Not quick enough to spot one in the air though.

 

Live ordnance demonstrations, those were the days!

 

B-58 Content:

John Denver, the singer died in his plane.

His father had been a pilot also.

Colonel Henry J. Deutschendorf, Sr., USAF, held several speed records as a B-58 pilot.



His son, Henry John Deutshendorf, Jr. was an architecture student at Denver University here and sang in clubs on nights/weekends.

Changed to a 'stage' name of John Denver. Dropped out of school; the rest is well known.

 

As a small child - Remember vividly seeing one fly over our house in West Hartford, CT - giant silver dart, not that high up - was easily the loudest aircraft I have ever heard in my life.

 

Here's a large photo of the one at the Pima Air & Space Museum, near the boneyard. The one you're referring to, I imagine. Stunning in person.
http://v5.cache3.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1021866.jpg?redirect_counter=2

Video of the nose gear as you described it, jump to 6minutes, 40 seconds approx.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saeejPWQTHw[/ame]

 

Another of the escape pod.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGX0l_p6OqE&feature=related[/ame]

 

I've seen this particular plane at the Lonestar Flight Museum in Galveston back in 2008. Here are the pics (phone pics only, sorry) I took of it:
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That is a very cool B-29 model, incidentally.

 

Is that a C-130 static display that's going on Hwy 67 East of the main gate?

GT

 

The como finished plane looks like it might be a Chase C-123 Avitruck.