My father designed significant systems on the B-58 including the A/C mentioned in the video. Amazing fellow and always the smartest guy in the room. Miss you, Dad.
Man that's amazing! Your father was a great man and literally shaped the way bombers were built from that point forward! Amazing stuff. Truly! Thanks for watching!
As a young aspiring engineering kid in the 70s... your Dad & people like him were the Titans who drew us in, lead the way & filled our young minds... I honestly thought I would build submarines & delta bombers... 40 years I’ve done a lot... oxy nozzles for jet test bed... but never got a spammer on a delta winged anything😂👍
I am sorry for your loss! The general public has no idea what SAC crews and their families went through. I would have loved to have talked to your dad!
I was born in 85 but I always had eyes for these older planes. Shiny sexy metallic look. 😍 My dad was a pilot in the Army around that era. He was born 36 so mid 50's till right after Vietnam. So I got alot of my tastes from him when it came to planes, interests......type of women I like lol etc.
I knew a B-58 pilot. He said he lost a lot friends that flew that plane. When things went wrong, engines blowing up, etc, things happened faster than pilots could compensate for. No auto pilot/auto controls at that time. Planes could go out of control and disintegrate in a heartbeat at Mach 2. The ejection seat process started off with a blank 37mm cannon shell under the seat..
Tell him he's got fans of him and the guys who were the Cold War heroes. These planes are national history now,and I commend those who served during the revolutionary time periods!
Designed within ten years of the end of WW2 it shows the technological leap that occurred in post war aviation. The plane is drop dead gorgeous, even by today’s standards.
James- When considering F-104 and B58 I frequently think what you wrote. However I always remind myself that WWII aircraft were mostly designs from early to mid 1930’s. They were proven designs, and therefore practical choices to commit to mass production.
Yes, what a beauty and indeed a giant leap, especially compared to the generation of bombers before it. @Supernumary: yes the Starfighter is also a good looking jet.
@@Supernumerary "I always remind myself that WWII aircraft were mostly designs from early to mid 1930’s." At least for the Allies. Consider the Horten Ho 229 ua-cam.com/video/pO3OS6FNVeI/v-deo.html
Yea I know that's crazy hey? Not to mention the X-15! What it must have felt like at the time, watching these amazing advances happen so quickly. In comparison to today's aircraft, which really haven't changed that much over decades by comparison. I guess similar to smart phone and computer changes these days? No, these planes seem more ground-breaking than mere smart phones.
I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan - in the early to mid sixties these B-58's (from Bunker Hill AFB) would tear across our skies several times a week at max speed producing multiple sonic booms, which was neat to experience, but caused many complaints from area residents due to window glass breakage. After 1965 the USAF reduced the flyover speed to just under supersonic. Also found out that these planes were using our city as one of their "delivery targets" for both standard and "over the shoulder" bomb delivery techniques. In 1960-6l Cheerios Cereal had the Lindberg Model (1/64th scale)of the B-58 as a premium (2 box tops & 50 cents) mail-in. I got me one of those and thoroughly enjoyed the build and war games play. Yes . . . those were the days!!!
Given their vast experience I would have though Convair would would avoid Carnivores. Could you imagine arriving somewhere out at Groom in the early morning hours to find the safety pod still intact containing one very agitated Silver Back Grizzly which had just been shot out of a cannon at over mach11 at 70,000 feet. Silver Back Grissly's had to be used because the Forest Service was using all the trained Black Bears for the Smokey the Bear campaign.
When I was about 10 years old, I remember saving my allowance money and buying a B-58 model kit. After I built it, it remained on my desk through grade school and high school. Sadly, after I left for college and moved away from home, it disappeared. Your video brought back many memories. I' m going to find a B-58 Hustler model and put it back on my office desk!
A friend of mine was the ejection seat technician on one of those tests with the bear and told me a story about it almost 20 years ago. He said the bear survived the ejection and defecated all over the inside of the ejection capsule. No matter how hard they tried they could not get the smell out of the capsule. When they tried to use the same bear a second time and it got close enough to the capsule to realize what was going on he would have nothing to do with it.
I remember little plastic toys of the b-58 in the check out at grocery stores as a kid. They were blue or red plastic and we played with them frequently. An amazing form and downright beautiful aircraft.
My grandfather was one of the lead engineers at Convair(Carswell) for the B58. Along with the F111 which he also helped design, he always said that both got a bad reputation because they were testing out so many "new" technologies that as much as an operational aircraft, they were testbeds for many things which would later become common. They were transitioning from tube to transistor to digital technologies all within a relatively short time frame. That water tower you see at 3:45 was literally in their backyard overlooking the base. My Dad attended the same high school as John Dutchendorf(later John Denver) and my grandfather worked with his father for a couple of years(a USAF Col/B58 pilot). I still have many tie tacks, cuff links, manuals and other memorabilia. He also said that at one time someone proposed to modify the bomb pod to ferry VIP's. Basically they wanted to install windows, add seats and then haul Generals and such around at Mach 2. He said it WOULD have worked...but they knew NO ONE would ever ride in it!lol!
That’s an awesome story man. Thank you for sharing it with everyone. I’m going to pin it to the top of the comment section. Your grandfather sounds like he was an awesome guy! If he’s still living, tell him I said thank you for helping keep our country safe during the dark years of the Cold War!
@@theatomiccafe8996 He died many years ago. Yeah he had some very cool stories of working on the B36, the B58 and then the F111 and even the very early stages of the F16(he retired in 1973). On the F111 he was the 2nd or 3rd person called whenever one went down. Fun fact; The actor Jimmy Stewart wanted to go supersonic so they strapped him into the navigator's seat in a Hustler and took him up to Mach 2. To think that guys in short sleeves working on draft boards designed that plane in what would now be considered "overnight" in comparison to how long new aircraft take...even WITH computers...is pretty amazing!
@TakeDeadAim, The B58 has always been a favorite of mine just for sheer sexiness. Growing up in the 60s, one of my favorite toys was a red plastic B58. And I well remember the sonic booms, which I thought were quite cool. But anyway, on the reliability issue, yes, the electronics were troublesome but from what I understand, many of the crashes were caused by engine failure at high speeds. The outboard engines were practically at the wingtips so losing one of them, or especially both engines on the same side, caused enough adverse yaw for the slipstream to break the plane apart before the pilot could react. Or so I've been told by folks more familiar with the plane.
@@TheBullethead Yep, I remember him talking about one which went down at very high altitude and speed. As with the Space Shuttle Columbia, it spread pieces over a few states. Mainly Ok/Tx/Ar IIRC. That's exactly what happened. Lost one of the outboard engines while at full burner doing a high speed run at 50k feet or so and that was that. Once it got sideways there was nothing to do. Also, the tail mounted canon was always rather useless because at high speed, the round would basically be just barely moving away from the barrel because of the velocity that the gun(aircraft) was moving away from it...so in effect the target would need to run into it rather than be hit!lol!
I was a weapons load crew member on the B-58 in 1964 at Bunker Hill AFB. It was a very potent weapon system then with a Mark 53 in the pod and four Mark 43's on pylons. It demanded the very best in flight crew members and ground personnel. It really "pushed the envelope" in many technologies and performance. I look back to those days with pride; I'm very happy to have a connection with one of the most beautiful and advanced aircraft of that era. I'm certain its capabilities gave the Russians a lot of sleepless nights. The B-58's experience opened the door for later supersonic bombers like the B-1.
@@needleonthevinyl The entire F 22 program cost 67.3 billion dollars. The F 35 has cost over 1 Trillion dollars and is still not complete. That's the joke.
@@russetwolf13 1 trillion dollars over 50 years for over 3000 jets, training, upgrades and all the goodies. That's actually a bargain in comparison to F-22, Ospray, USS Zumwalt, and other blunders. Single F-22 comes for 400 million a pop, F-35 goes for 80-115 mil. Why would you let reality cloud your emotions though, right?
Michael-John L. Mushill I grew up in the ‘60s and had models of many of the post-war aircraft. I always thought the B-58 and the F-104 were the best looking aircraft to me as a kid. They both screamed speed and aerodynamics.
How about better safety, reliability, lower operating costs, higher payload, and greater range? The Valkyrie especially. It would have cost to operate just one of them what it cost to operate 7 B-52s. That's why McNamara cancelled it.
This is the first time I bumped into an military channel that didn't sounds like documentary film. They way you talked just like talking to a friend. Props!
You're right. The value of our Cold War bombers lay in the fact that they were never used. Their very existence prevented a nuclear war until their deterrence role could be replaced by missiles.
The objective of the triad was to have a striking system that did not depend on a single system. The bombers can be recalled rockers can't. Missiles are stationary or most were until the MX program. They would be the target that the Soviets would hit first. Bombers can be deployed making them hard to target. Subs are mobile and stealthy but have a limited pay load but one of the three would be able to launch it the other two were put out of action that was the theory.
The objective of the triad was to have a striking system that did not depend on a single system. The bombers can be recalled rockers can't. Missiles are stationary or most were until the MX program. They would be the target that the Soviets would hit first. Bombers can be deployed making them hard to target. Subs are mobile and stealthy but have a limited pay load but one of the three would be able to launch it the other two were put out of action that was the theory.
When I built my Monogram model of the B-58 back in the early '60s it was the most beautiful model of all that I had collected to that point, or after for that matter.
My 6 year old and I built one over Christmas. He absolutely loved it. He thinks the B-58 is probably the coolest plane ever built......he might be right 😉
I had one of those too! Before I retired, the company I worked for had a retired USAF pilot working with us as a consultant, he was a former B-58 pilot and I would love listening to his stories and talking with him about the '58.
I built one back then, too. My pride and joy - until my kid brother broke it. Was neat to see them under quonsets at the Bunker Hill AFB (later, Grissom AFB) in Peru Indiana in full view of traffic on US31.
I remember the Hustlers flying over us on the way to land at our local AFB. It was always a thrill to see one. Us kids would whoop and howler “Hustle hustle What a beautiful plane. A good job by the way. Keep improving
SAM batteries and, later, MiG-25 Foxbats were really all it took to counter the high-fliers of the US air force circa 1964-1980. Force an aircraft down low where the earlier turbjets couldnt push the aircraft past mach 1 economically and the MiG-21s, MiG-23s and even MiG-17s and Fishpots could pick it to pieces. Each attack, whether it hit or not, would likely force the pilot to defensively maneuver the jet until it reached bingo fuel, wasting the whole mission and likely forcing a fuel crash. The idea of high flying, straight-as-an-arrow offensive bombing methods was outdated since before the end of WW2 unfortunately; it was really only a matter of time til someone realized you could just make a REALLY fast interceptor to shoot down the REALLY fast bombers! Low level and multirole incursions seemed to be the way of the future but hindsight is 20/20.
One of these on static display at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson. Believe me it looks like it's doing Mach 3 just sitting still. One of the most beautiful planes at the site!
Yes, they had to haul it the full distance from the bone yard (hee hee). The first time I visited the museum (35 years ago) they only had 1 of the ejection 'eggs' on display in a shack, then the next time I visited (15 years later) I turned around and found myself facing the plane itself... (can't find the 'egg' anymore though) pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/convair-b-58a/
It must be a big impressive aeroplane. The scale doesnt come across on a movie. Same with an F4 phantom. Theyre really big planes next to an F16 for example
Great video dude. Your getting much more confident. The Hustler was definitely as much about propaganda to the east as it was about technological innovation for sure
It was fast as hell, but original it was developed for mach 2 in high altitude. With improvements in SAMs they got vulnerable, and switched to low altitude, but delta wings are little flexible and such planes have a rough flight at high speed in low altitude (like the difference between the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter - the first one was specially developed for low level flying at high speed. Eventually this led to stress and fatigue cracks in the B 58s airframes.
As a piece of art, the Hustler stand on its own merits. I lovingly built the plastic scale model when this jet was early in its period of service. Twisting the model in the air with my hand, I would try to imagine it in flight. It wasn't hard to do. With the weapons pod and massive engine nacelles, it occurred to me that the B-58 might have the glide characteristics of a brick in a sudden power loss situation. Gotta have a lot of respect for the men that flew these babies. Thumb up.
Me too! As a kid of the Cold War (I still remember those drop drills in L.A. schools and the 4th Friday-of-the month, 10 a.m. air raid siren tests), I had to have a model kit so that I could build my own B-58 Hustler!
The CORDIC algorithm that is used to compute trig functions in pocket calculators came out of the development of the guidance systems needed in this aircraft
I was an M.A. Specialist. Mechanical Accessories. 'M. A., Mostly Anything, ' I met a fellow M.A. dude who had worked on these birds, and he didn't have any nice words to describe the experience! I lucked out with MAC, and cargo-platform aircraft for my almost 6 yrs. Nice video.
Nice rundown on a beautiful aircraft. In 1969 and 1970 I was a young F-4C crew chief at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson. I watched a number of the B-58s make their last touch and go and full stop landings when the Hustler was retired.
The 58 is one of my favorite airplanes. Top 5. Ever sense I saw it for the first time as a little kid in Dayton OH. It is the epitome of the 50/60 era Air Force aircraft. Even now it looks futuristic.
I remember seeing a model kit of one of these in 1976 when I was ten years old, and I was very surprised to find out that it was an old bomber that had been retired already. To me it looked modern, fast, and dangerous.
and does anyone remember the name of the F104 squadron that flew cover ?? "Skyscraper" The book was the bomb! I saw the movie after reading the book and was disappointed.
also the idea that the B58 could operate as a super long range bomber from heartland America to the Soviet Union was laughable if you recognized the actual bomber. That high speed came at a price, with half the range of a B52.
Speed turned out to not be very meaningful for bombers though as missile technology improved. It ended up being the better option to stick to the cheaper, reliable, longer ranged B52s and have them rely on ECM and low altitude (which blunted the B58's speed advantage) for defense. The Hustler was a neat engineering design to see how fast you could make a bomber, but that goal ended up not being practical.
In the summer of 1966 I was an AFROTC cadet at summer camp atLochborn AFB near Columbus, Ohio. I was aboard a KC- 135 that flew up over Canada where we refueled a B-58, and I was in the pod with the boom operator when he put the boom into that bomber. It was quite a sight!
The A-5 Vigilante had a similar situation, a lot of innovative features and great performance that carry on long after the plane's service life, which was shortened by a number of factors, among others a novel weapons bay.
I'm glad you mention the North American A3, redesignated as the A5. North American was building the XB-70 simultaneously. Both projects were cut short because of the U-2's loss in May,'60 deep in Russia, victim of a SA-2. The Vigilante would lose most of its fuel when it ejected its only weapon, because the fuel tanks sat on the same pod that would be ejected rearward.
Thanks for the upbeat video on the b-58. My dad got in a flat spin in one did not recover crashed in great salt lake. A lot of them did not recover from flat spins. Thanks again for the great videos!
Words just can’t describe her. Actions can! Bendix trophy winner, 1962 NewYork to LosAngeles 2 hours, 56 minutes. Fell head over heals for this aircraft as a kid, still love it today.
My uncle was an engineer on the B-36, and said that every 36 flying had a mechanical issue. From misfiring plugs, flared turbines, runaway compressors etc. they were SO complex. He used to say that for every 10 hour flight there was 5 hours of maintenance. The ground crews always had an engineer with them because of the complexity. He always said he wished he could have worked on the 58, said it had 1/4 the headaches
Uh no, that's a lie. My brother was a B-58 jet engine mech at Little Rock AFB. They required the same maintenance as any other aircraft...no more no less. They were ready to go at a moments notice. Always on stand by. It was the Cold War....you had to be ready.
I love the opening scenes and music of your Atomic cafe! It's spot on for the times, and your data is mostly correct on these time's and aircraft you document. Keep up the good work!👍🇺🇸
It just WAS a “giant piece of America”. Well said. The Hustler, besides being beautiful and fast, was ahead of its time and suffered from the same issues that so many other ground-breaking aircraft do. Thankfully, the lessons learned on this program benefitted others that came after it. Thankfully, it never got to do its job. Excellent video on this forgotten bird.
I work at Lockheed what was then Convair. I can eat lunch and watch f35’s take off on that same runway. It’s cool to see how the scenery around the base/plant.
That’s a pretty cool job. I had an offer to work at Lockheed nearby working on the F-16’s being licensed through them for the Saudi’s. But the schedule just wasn’t going to pan out.
My dad was a pilot during the end of WWll. He always loved that B58 and took us kids for a fly by at the Cleveland Air Show in the early 60's. It went by supersonic and let out a sonic boom! I'll never forget that day!
USAF - The B-58 has cost over 20billion dollars without progress , cancel it. USAF - The F-35 has cost over 1.5 Trillion dollars without progress, keep building. USAF logic.
Not to mention, these days "our" defense contractors probably sell half of the technology used to develope those new aircraft to foreign countries. After using tax payer dollars to fund their development and production. 😤
The great irony being that the F-35 was designed to save money by replacing 3 different aircraft with a common airframe. Although to be fair, the $1.5 trillion estimate is for it’s service life and its per unit cost is less then that of the F-22.
Wrong the F35 is so cutting edge no other aircraft comes close. The cost and time over runs were not the fau!t of the contractor. The services put more demands on the plane while it was tooled up for production. The cost benefit will kick in when the plane is being used. It has already been combat missions and had performed excellent. "Our" defense industry does not sell or export the top tier weapons. The F15 we sell are not the models that we use and the F15E is an example it is a USAF ONLY weapon.
@Trista Fravel good thing we have the F18 super H, F22, B2, B1, A10, plus drones, satellites, ICBMs, cruise missiles. And whatever black budget projects.
My father was with the B-58 program and SAC from it's inception. Dealing with Field Maintenance Squadron at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, TX, Offutt AFB in Omaha, NB, to Bunker HIll AFB in Bunker HIll, IN. I grew up hearing those planes overhead and warming up their engines near the end of the runway. Watching them in the early morning or twilight during a "Broken Arrow" or s scramble with the After Burners ablaze is something I will never forget. Most impressive plane I have ever encountered. Thanks for reminding me about the sound of safety and freedom.
I built plastic models of many WWII and Cold War combat aircraft in the 1960s. I believe the B-58 kit was made by Revell. The model was relatively small but still great fun to "fly" against my MiG-15.
Excellent video. I grew up in awe of the B-58 and I fully agree it symbolized American cold-war power and prestige. The sleek curve of the upper fuselage, delta wings and 4 turbojets hauling some gawd-awful thermonuclear gravity weapon is comfort for all who love the USA.
The B-58 Hustler is my Ideal super sonic bomber from my childhood and growing up. I was in awe of the sleek design and the ability to drop the pod carried below the fuselage. I built all the model kits and probably still have the Aurora model in a trunk from my childhood. That's how special this plane was to us growing up in the 1960's.
Yep. This is why I made the point to talk about the psychological effect this plane had on Americans. People loved it. It was an example of national defense that just “looked awesome”. You could see it, hear it, and then know how fast it was. It made people “feel good” and during that time period, with the Soviet Union.....that effect is kind of hard to over estimate. Almost every article I read about it while researching it for this video, all of them seemed to act like it was a massive mistake to have ever built it. But when I talked to average people, they absolutely thought it was the greatest thing ever. They loved this air plane. It made them feel good. Thanks for the comment! 👍
A lot of that footage was available on VHS tapes in the 1990s. I don't know where and if it's available on DVD or online now, and if so at what price. I used to have a small collection but it's all gone now, together with my last VHS player/recorder.
My Dad was a B-58 jet engine crew chief at Carswell in the early 60's. He just retired last year from Southwest Airlines. SAC was a living hell for all maintenance types under LeMay's command.
I built a scale model of the B-58 when I was a kid back in the 60's. It has always been one of my favorite aircraft. I can remember hearing those sonic booms on a fairly regular basis back in the day.
Charles Stearman: As a child in Columbus during the Vigilante’s development, they flew over our house on a regular basis (we were in the downwind leg flight path for landing). There were also frequent sonic booms which I loved. As they were testing the conversion to the reconnaissance role, I can remember night flights overhead using a really bright strobing light as a flash for the camera. Seems like centuries ago!
Yes, the B-58 is prominently featured in “Fail-Safe.” However, the filmmakers erred on the cockpit shots, which had pilot and copilot seated side-by-side, with the navigator/bombardier seated behind the co-pilot. We airplane nerds know that the crew sat in tandem, as you have so accurately described. I remember building a model of the Hustler when I was a kid. The kit was either Monogram or Revell.
Thunderstruck54 Among Sidney Lumet’s best films. Given the year of release, 1964, the dramatic tension in that movie was almost unbearable in spite of any technological shortcomings.
daf827 especially in the war room with the Major cracking up and the odd part about his drunken father and home life that was different although I guess they were showing everyone’s home life and Walter Matthau partying all night before a lecture and smacking that woman he was a scary man
Agree 100%. The Hustler was one of those designs that was just right. It not only did what it was designed to do, it looked good. Great plane. Keep up the good work. Love your stuff.
Technology changed so fast in those days that military equipment was often fast obsolete. The icbm, submarine and cruise missile made the B58 as a weapons platform obsolete. Also as stated in this video the anti air defence on high altitudes became a real threath. A B52 armed with cruisemissils could do the nuclear job way better for the AF. the B52 did not have to penetrate enemy airspace and lauch its cruisemissiles before enemy airspace .
It should be noted that neither the United States nor the Soviets had much luck with supersonic nuclear bombers. Ours was the B-58, and theirs was the Tupolev TU-22, the first version, the one with two engines back on the tail. It was a worse horror than the B-58, which is saying a lot.
Fred Ferd correct, high speed bombers had zero advantages and many disadvantages compared to B-52. Today, we battle for air supremacy first, then we can bomb at will with a B-52. This works against any country except the top few.
@@fredferd965 In the cold war they did everything to get an edge over the opponent. missiles were just easier to get above mach 2 so the supersonic bombers had to go mach 3.5 and above to evade the SAM missiles. The MIG 25 is seen as the fastes fighterjet (mach 3.2) ever produced to counter the B58 at high altitude. Like the B58 also a bird that needed high maintenace and training of the crews to perform maximum performance. The development of nuclear jet powered bombers were also canceled om both sides.
My uncle was a B58 mechanic when they were in service. He was stationed at Bunker Hill in Indiana at Grissom AFB. He tells stories about what he had to do to keep the bird flying. The instruments and sensors were in some interesting spots and he had to hang them out on a regular basis. Can do Mach 2 was their motto.
My dad worked as an ECM (electronic countermeasures) tech on this plane and many others. I was born at Bunker Hill and spent the first 7 years of my life there in Peru, IN. The absolute highlight of my being around for my dad's AF career was when he took me to see a B-58 up close, even getting to climb the platform that the crew members to get into the plane to look into the 3 pods. What a beautiful plane!
Great video, well done. It was a tricky time, switching from a recip, prop, straight wing mentality to swept wing jet took its toll. Also technology was advancing fast and aircraft became obsolete before becoming operational.
@@nightlightabcd 26 of 116 total aircraft destroyed with 36 crewmen killed - all in non combat incidents and within only 10 years operation time. Horrible statistics.
I've built the B-58 Hustler model plane as a kid growing up in the mid-1960s.I spent many hours of imaginary flight with that model. and you're right the coolest looking jet bomber for its time. Also it was featured in the movie "Fail-Safe" starring "Henry Fonda" co-starring "Walter Matthau" and "Larry Hagman" who was the translator.
"...that sonic boom shake the ground brought a smile to a lot of American faces"... I can still remember the little dance she did while screaming, but I can't remember my grandma's smile. Living near George A.F. Base in the early 1950s didn't ease her anxiety problems. 🤯
It's amazing how aircraft had come & gone, such as the B-58, within 10 year operational time span . . . while the B-52 . . 'Buff' remains operational, beyond its' 40th year ! 🇺🇸
I had a patient back in the 80s that flew B-58s, he said it was like a fighter without the weapons pod but with it, it was a wallowing pig. Loved checkout flights without the pod.. said it was the most fun he had ever had in his life.
I was stationed at Rantoul AFB Illinois We had a static one on display and I used to walk around that and wonder at its beauty and agile looking design and was proud we had it on the base. What a beautiful machine.
I was stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base in 1967 and 1968 with the 305th Bomb Wing which flew the B-58. I worked on the B-58 many times. I was in the Armaments and Electronics Squadron as an Airborne Radio Repairman. I am proud to have been part of the B-58 program. I still think it is one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built. It was so fast that by the time they discovered it on radar and scrambled fighters to intercept it it was gone. As a matter of fact very few fighters could match it's speed.
When I was a kid, we had a "duck and cover" drill in music class. During the drill, there was a sonic boom that happened. Neither I, nor any of the other 7 year olds in the class fully grasped why the teacher was a trembling wreck the rest of the class-session. As I've gotten older that event has never left me. While I'm glad the B-58 was never used for real in its role, I can't see it as a failure. It was built to do what no one ever hoped it would ever need to do, and frankly what was thought impossible on its inception. It was a successful deterrent, and a leap forward in technology.
One of my mentors in aviation, Capt. Bill Hale ejected from a B-58 at Bunker Hill in april 1962. He experienced an un-commanded roll shortly after T/O. He lost one of his crew members that didn't survive the eject. Bill was the USAF's highest time B-58 pilot and retired as a 747 Capt. for a major cargo airline. He has since flown west. Very humble and unassuming man that loved to fly his ultralight.
The only "mistake" on the B-58 was the lack of foresight to keep it in service and update it continuously like they do the B-52. The Hustler was a fantastic aircraft.
I always find it interesting that they retired the B-58, because the idea of a super sonic bomber suddenly faded out as missiles took over. But then, less than a decade later, they built the B-1 lancer....to fulfill basically the same exact role. 🤔🤔🤔
What we learned from building and flying this plane is what made other supersonic planes possible. We wound up with highly experienced engineers, pilots and technicians who took those skills to other projects. Thats a benefit the critics overlook.
I was in the US Air Force and Graduated Tech School in 1964 and assigned to the 6516 OMS Edwards AFB CA at the age of 19 graduated first in class and sent to flight test at Edwards. We never missed a flight, ever. Working on the B-58 was the high light of my career. Went to be a master aircraft crew chief on C-141 A and C-130 E. The B-58 was and is one of the great airplanes ever to fly. Everything must be taken in the context of the day. Most people today were not even alive then.
I was fascinated by the B-58 Hustler as a young boy. I used to read all that I could find on it. Same with the Peacekeeper and other Air Force aircraft. Thanks for the video
As a child growing up near the plant that built these and it’s air base during the 1960’s, I can remember the constant testing and most especially the sonic booms. Childhood around Ft. Worth Texas back then was an amazing place for a kid with airplanes on his mind to grow up. . My dad went to DeVry Institute in Chicago, when they were about to graduate in 1958, Convair representatives came to DeVry and hired my Dad’s whole class as electronic technicians for the B-58 program.
I really liked the video and especially the commentary. Really informative. The 50's and 60's were truly the golden age of aviation and you Americans had it covered. Keep up the awesome work - from Down Under.
As a former Canadian aircraft technician who worked on the Immortal F-104, any aircraft that is designed with 4 J-79 engines gets my respect. A gem indeed. Your opinion that it was a "Home Run" and "Giant piece of America" is noble indeed. I found your information dealing with the female headset AI voice quite interesting. In my day with the introduction of the Canadian F-18, her name was "Bitchin Betty" Maybe her grandma was "Sexy Sally"?
My father designed significant systems on the B-58 including the A/C mentioned in the video. Amazing fellow and always the smartest guy in the room.
Miss you, Dad.
Man that's amazing! Your father was a great man and literally shaped the way bombers were built from that point forward! Amazing stuff. Truly! Thanks for watching!
As a young aspiring engineering kid in the 70s... your Dad & people like him were the Titans who drew us in, lead the way & filled our young minds...
I honestly thought I would build submarines & delta bombers... 40 years I’ve done a lot... oxy nozzles for jet test bed... but never got a spammer on a delta winged anything😂👍
@@theatomiccafe8996 surprised you didn't make reference to its featuring in the film, 'Failsafe'. It is where I remember it from.
I am sorry for your loss! The general public has no idea what SAC crews and their families went through. I would have loved to have talked to your dad!
B-58 was my favorite airplane growing up in the '60s. It looked fast standing still, and for a pre-teen it was the ultimate speed machine.
Same here too!
I guess it had adolescent appeal. Always my favorite too!
Even little kids. I was in grade school and thought these were the coolest thing ever.
I was born in 85 but I always had eyes for these older planes. Shiny sexy metallic look. 😍 My dad was a pilot in the Army around that era. He was born 36 so mid 50's till right after Vietnam.
So I got alot of my tastes from him when it came to planes, interests......type of women I like lol etc.
The B-58 and the F-104
I have a friend who flew a B-58 Hustler and he is still around at the time. I am 82 now.
Thanke you!
I knew a B-58 pilot. He said he lost a lot friends that flew that plane. When things went wrong, engines blowing up, etc, things happened faster than pilots could compensate for. No auto pilot/auto controls at that time. Planes could go out of control and disintegrate in a heartbeat at Mach 2.
The ejection seat process started off with a blank 37mm cannon shell under the seat..
Tell him he's got fans of him and the guys who were the Cold War heroes. These planes are national history now,and I commend those who served during the revolutionary time periods!
Wishing you still good health. God bless you in your good old age.
Designed within ten years of the end of WW2 it shows the technological leap that occurred in post war aviation. The plane is drop dead gorgeous, even by today’s standards.
James- When considering F-104 and B58 I frequently think what you wrote. However I always remind myself that WWII aircraft were mostly designs from early to mid 1930’s. They were proven designs, and therefore practical choices to commit to mass production.
Yes, what a beauty and indeed a giant leap, especially compared to the generation of bombers before it.
@Supernumary: yes the Starfighter is also a good looking jet.
Thanks to all the recovered technologies and German scientists from Nazi Germany.
@@Supernumerary "I always remind myself that WWII aircraft were mostly designs from early to mid 1930’s."
At least for the Allies. Consider the Horten Ho 229
ua-cam.com/video/pO3OS6FNVeI/v-deo.html
Yea I know that's crazy hey? Not to mention the X-15!
What it must have felt like at the time, watching these amazing advances happen so quickly. In comparison to today's aircraft, which really haven't changed that much over decades by comparison.
I guess similar to smart phone and computer changes these days? No, these planes seem more ground-breaking than mere smart phones.
I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan - in the early to mid sixties these B-58's (from Bunker Hill AFB) would tear across our skies several times a week at max speed producing multiple sonic booms, which was neat to experience, but caused many complaints from area residents due to window glass breakage. After 1965 the USAF reduced the flyover speed to just under supersonic. Also found out that these planes were using our city as one of their "delivery targets" for both standard and "over the shoulder" bomb delivery techniques. In 1960-6l Cheerios Cereal had the Lindberg Model (1/64th scale)of the B-58 as a premium (2 box tops & 50 cents) mail-in. I got me one of those and thoroughly enjoyed the build and war games play. Yes . . . those were the days!!!
RIP the poor tech who had to open the pod after the bear was ejected
RIP to the poor tech who had to pressure wash bear legs and guts out of the pod
Given their vast experience I would have though Convair would would avoid Carnivores.
Could you imagine arriving somewhere out at Groom in the early morning hours to find the safety pod still intact containing one very agitated Silver Back Grizzly which had just been shot out of a cannon at over mach11 at 70,000 feet. Silver Back Grissly's had to be used because the Forest Service was using all the trained Black Bears for the Smokey the Bear campaign.
My dad knew the chimp that flew the B-58. Said he was a good chimp but turned into a real asshole when he got drunk.
@@Wildstar40 I've known people like that. No saying they were related or anything
What about the poor tech who had to get the bear in there in the first place.
One of the more famous record-setting pilots of the B-58 Hustler was Major Henry J. Deutschendorf USAF, the father of singer John Denver.
Shame that young John didn't learn the First Rule of Aviation... "Don't Run Out of Gas."
byronking Truer words were never said. An embarrassing way to buy the farm for the son of a famous test pilot.
And, John Denver, so wanted to serve in the Air Force. A great singer and a great American!
That John Denver's full of shit man.
So that explains his obsession with flying. I always wondered. Also, why he changed his name.
When I was about 10 years old, I remember saving my allowance money and buying a B-58 model kit. After I built it, it remained on my desk through grade school and high school. Sadly, after I left for college and moved away from home, it disappeared. Your video brought back many memories. I' m going to find a B-58 Hustler model and put it back on my office desk!
You'll be envied by a lot of men. It was beautiful.
A friend of mine was the ejection seat technician on one of those tests with the bear and told me a story about it almost 20 years ago. He said the bear survived the ejection and defecated all over the inside of the ejection capsule. No matter how hard they tried they could not get the smell out of the capsule. When they tried to use the same bear a second time and it got close enough to the capsule to realize what was going on he would have nothing to do with it.
I regret i have but one upvote to bring this to people's attention.
Why am I not surprised? Bear ain’t stupid! 😆
Bears never poop in the same place twice😊
Nothing smells like bear shit
I remember little plastic toys of the b-58 in the check out at grocery stores as a kid. They were blue or red plastic and we played with them frequently. An amazing form and downright beautiful aircraft.
My grandfather was one of the lead engineers at Convair(Carswell) for the B58. Along with the F111 which he also helped design, he always said that both got a bad reputation because they were testing out so many "new" technologies that as much as an operational aircraft, they were testbeds for many things which would later become common. They were transitioning from tube to transistor to digital technologies all within a relatively short time frame. That water tower you see at 3:45 was literally in their backyard overlooking the base. My Dad attended the same high school as John Dutchendorf(later John Denver) and my grandfather worked with his father for a couple of years(a USAF Col/B58 pilot). I still have many tie tacks, cuff links, manuals and other memorabilia. He also said that at one time someone proposed to modify the bomb pod to ferry VIP's. Basically they wanted to install windows, add seats and then haul Generals and such around at Mach 2. He said it WOULD have worked...but they knew NO ONE would ever ride in it!lol!
That’s an awesome story man. Thank you for sharing it with everyone. I’m going to pin it to the top of the comment section. Your grandfather sounds like he was an awesome guy! If he’s still living, tell him I said thank you for helping keep our country safe during the dark years of the Cold War!
@@theatomiccafe8996 He died many years ago. Yeah he had some very cool stories of working on the B36, the B58 and then the F111 and even the very early stages of the F16(he retired in 1973). On the F111 he was the 2nd or 3rd person called whenever one went down. Fun fact; The actor Jimmy Stewart wanted to go supersonic so they strapped him into the navigator's seat in a Hustler and took him up to Mach 2.
To think that guys in short sleeves working on draft boards designed that plane in what would now be considered "overnight" in comparison to how long new aircraft take...even WITH computers...is pretty amazing!
@TakeDeadAim, The B58 has always been a favorite of mine just for sheer sexiness. Growing up in the 60s, one of my favorite toys was a red plastic B58. And I well remember the sonic booms, which I thought were quite cool. But anyway, on the reliability issue, yes, the electronics were troublesome but from what I understand, many of the crashes were caused by engine failure at high speeds. The outboard engines were practically at the wingtips so losing one of them, or especially both engines on the same side, caused enough adverse yaw for the slipstream to break the plane apart before the pilot could react. Or so I've been told by folks more familiar with the plane.
@@TheBullethead Yep, I remember him talking about one which went down at very high altitude and speed. As with the Space Shuttle Columbia, it spread pieces over a few states. Mainly Ok/Tx/Ar IIRC. That's exactly what happened. Lost one of the outboard engines while at full burner doing a high speed run at 50k feet or so and that was that. Once it got sideways there was nothing to do. Also, the tail mounted canon was always rather useless because at high speed, the round would basically be just barely moving away from the barrel because of the velocity that the gun(aircraft) was moving away from it...so in effect the target would need to run into it rather than be hit!lol!
Hats off to him.
I was a weapons load crew member on the B-58 in 1964 at Bunker Hill AFB. It was a very potent weapon system then with a Mark 53 in the pod and four Mark 43's on pylons. It demanded the very best in flight crew members and ground personnel. It really "pushed the envelope" in many technologies and performance. I look back to those days with pride; I'm very happy to have a connection with one of the most beautiful and advanced aircraft of that era. I'm certain its capabilities gave the Russians a lot of sleepless nights. The B-58's experience opened the door for later supersonic bombers like the B-1.
Betty Page and the B-36 during your intro; TOPS!
Thanks 🍻😬
"The cost of the 116 planes was over 3 billion dollars, which is over 20 billion in today's dollars."
Laughs in F-35.
yeah but they used the technology developed for it on all the planes that followed it.
More like F22
@@needleonthevinyl The entire F 22 program cost 67.3 billion dollars. The F 35 has cost over 1 Trillion dollars and is still not complete. That's the joke.
@@Revener666 Are we talking about the Hustler or the F 35 (no way in hell am I calling it the "Lightning 2").
@@russetwolf13 1 trillion dollars over 50 years for over 3000 jets, training, upgrades and all the goodies. That's actually a bargain in comparison to F-22, Ospray, USS Zumwalt, and other blunders. Single F-22 comes for 400 million a pop, F-35 goes for 80-115 mil.
Why would you let reality cloud your emotions though, right?
I rank the Hustler right up there with the Valkyrie as far as curb appeal. Sleek, sexy, dangerous! What more could you want?
Michael-John L. Mushill I grew up in the ‘60s and had models of many of the post-war aircraft. I always thought the B-58 and the F-104 were the best looking aircraft to me as a kid. They both screamed speed and aerodynamics.
I don't know. How about an A-5 Vigilante?
Commenters here have a true appreciation of aesthetics!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
How about better safety, reliability, lower operating costs, higher payload, and greater range? The Valkyrie especially. It would have cost to operate just one of them what it cost to operate 7 B-52s. That's why McNamara cancelled it.
@@lancer525 _"How about better safety, reliability, lower operating costs, higher payload, and greater range?"_ You peasant! ;-)
This is the first time I bumped into an military channel that didn't sounds like documentary film. They way you talked just like talking to a friend. Props!
lol
Like the SR-71, it still looks futuristic and fast.
You're right. The value of our Cold War bombers lay in the fact that they were never used. Their very existence prevented a nuclear war until their deterrence role could be replaced by missiles.
No. They were part of the strategic triad. The object was to wreak vengeance on the enemy up to a few days after the initial attack.
@@MrShobar The object was to have the capacity to detter the enemy from attacking. Plan for war to keep the peace.
The objective of the triad was to have a striking system that did not depend on a single system. The bombers can be recalled rockers can't. Missiles are stationary or most were until the MX program. They would be the target that the Soviets would hit first. Bombers can be deployed making them hard to target. Subs are mobile and stealthy but have a limited pay load but one of the three would be able to launch it the other two were put out of action that was the theory.
The objective of the triad was to have a striking system that did not depend on a single system. The bombers can be recalled rockers can't. Missiles are stationary or most were until the MX program. They would be the target that the Soviets would hit first. Bombers can be deployed making them hard to target. Subs are mobile and stealthy but have a limited pay load but one of the three would be able to launch it the other two were put out of action that was the theory.
41 for Freedom thankfully never used also; the USS Ethan Allen SSBN-608 fired a live shot in ‘62 I believe hot straight and normal and BOOM
When I built my Monogram model of the B-58 back in the early '60s it was the most beautiful model of all that I had collected to that point, or after for that matter.
My 6 year old and I built one over Christmas. He absolutely loved it. He thinks the B-58 is probably the coolest plane ever built......he might be right 😉
I had one of those too! Before I retired, the company I worked for had a retired USAF pilot working with us as a consultant, he was a former B-58 pilot and I would love listening to his stories and talking with him about the '58.
I built one back then, too. My pride and joy - until my kid brother broke it. Was neat to see them under quonsets at the Bunker Hill AFB (later, Grissom AFB) in Peru Indiana in full view of traffic on US31.
My Dad and I built one too. Kept it for a long time.
I recently met a retired USAF pilot who told me the biggest thrill of his career was flying the Hustler-a plane he was very impressed with.
I remember the Hustlers flying over us on the way to land at our local AFB. It was always a thrill to see one. Us kids would whoop and howler “Hustle hustle What a beautiful plane. A good job by the way. Keep improving
That must have been amazing. I wish I had lived back then to see them fly. I appreciate the compliment!
Saw em as a kid landing at Kelley AFB . Low level landing speed. Beautiful plane.
Besides being fast and beautiful, think about how much the USSR spent in order to defend against it.
@mandellorian Did you not watch the video? It was excellent down low.
@@Keifsanderson bruh
The USSR tried to replicate the 58 and killed a lot of test pilots, was a head of its time, but the crashes while armed...bad
SAM batteries and, later, MiG-25 Foxbats were really all it took to counter the high-fliers of the US air force circa 1964-1980. Force an aircraft down low where the earlier turbjets couldnt push the aircraft past mach 1 economically and the MiG-21s, MiG-23s and even MiG-17s and Fishpots could pick it to pieces. Each attack, whether it hit or not, would likely force the pilot to defensively maneuver the jet until it reached bingo fuel, wasting the whole mission and likely forcing a fuel crash.
The idea of high flying, straight-as-an-arrow offensive bombing methods was outdated since before the end of WW2 unfortunately; it was really only a matter of time til someone realized you could just make a REALLY fast interceptor to shoot down the REALLY fast bombers! Low level and multirole incursions seemed to be the way of the future but hindsight is 20/20.
@@ElPINGAS9000 Thanks for your insights
One of these on static display at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson. Believe me it looks like it's doing Mach 3 just sitting still. One of the most beautiful planes at the site!
I have seen her. We used to have one here at a museum in Galveston. Not sure it still here. Gee I think I will have to go visit!!
Yes, they had to haul it the full distance from the bone yard (hee hee). The first time I visited the museum (35 years ago) they only had 1 of the ejection 'eggs' on display in a shack, then the next time I visited (15 years later) I turned around and found myself facing the plane itself... (can't find the 'egg' anymore though)
pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/convair-b-58a/
Pima Air & Space is awesome! Weren't some of these planes modified to take off with rocket assistance?
It must be a big impressive aeroplane. The scale doesnt come across on a movie. Same with an F4 phantom. Theyre really big planes next to an F16 for example
I drive by it every day. It still looks like it is going over Mach 2 jus sitting there.
Great video dude. Your getting much more confident. The Hustler was definitely as much about propaganda to the east as it was about technological innovation for sure
It was fast as hell, but original it was developed for mach 2 in high altitude. With improvements in SAMs they got vulnerable, and switched to low altitude, but
delta wings are little flexible and such planes have a rough flight at high speed in low altitude (like the difference between the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter - the first one was specially developed for low level flying at high speed. Eventually this led to stress and fatigue cracks in the B 58s airframes.
It was pushing the envelope, Training for a mission you should be happy never occurred. Their ability was very real.
As a piece of art, the Hustler stand on its own merits. I lovingly built the plastic scale model when this jet was early in its period of service. Twisting the model in the air with my hand, I would try to imagine it in flight. It wasn't hard to do. With the weapons pod and massive engine nacelles, it occurred to me that the B-58 might have the glide characteristics of a brick in a sudden power loss situation. Gotta have a lot of respect for the men that flew these babies. Thumb up.
Me too! As a kid of the Cold War (I still remember those drop drills in L.A. schools and the 4th Friday-of-the month, 10 a.m. air raid siren tests), I had to have a model kit so that I could build my own B-58 Hustler!
The B-58 shouldn't have been cancelled so quickly; its costs weren't that big, some of those maths were skewed to justify its cancellation.
The CORDIC algorithm that is used to compute trig functions in pocket calculators came out of the development of the guidance systems needed in this aircraft
That is some good info right there. Thank you for sharing. Because I’m almost 100% sure that hardly anyone knows that! 🙂
@@theatomiccafe8996 see the refs to Jack volder on the cordic wiki page
I was an M.A. Specialist.
Mechanical Accessories.
'M. A., Mostly Anything, ' I met a fellow M.A. dude who had worked on these birds,
and he didn't have any nice words to describe the experience! I lucked out with MAC, and cargo-platform aircraft for my almost 6 yrs. Nice video.
Nice rundown on a beautiful aircraft. In 1969 and 1970 I was a young F-4C crew chief at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson. I watched a number of the B-58s make their last touch and go and full stop landings when the Hustler was retired.
The 58 is one of my favorite airplanes. Top 5. Ever sense I saw it for the first time as a little kid in Dayton OH. It is the epitome of the 50/60 era Air Force aircraft. Even now it looks futuristic.
I remember seeing a model kit of one of these in 1976 when I was ten years old, and I was very surprised to find out that it was an old bomber that had been retired already. To me it looked modern, fast, and dangerous.
I always thought she was a beautiful plane.
Fuselage technology stopped advancing in the late 60's, change by mind.
Yeah. I had a model of it.
.
@@chunkblaster that's an absolutely bizarre claim.
@@chunkblaster no, after that we got the rise of the blended wing body, like the B-1 lancer, TU-160, SU-27 MIg-29 etc.
What a beauty. Gorgeous in the air and on the ground! Thanks for the effort. You do good with the old footage you have to work with.
You do a fine job narrating. Don't "improve" too much, your delivery is refreshingly on point.
Thank you. Ah, yea, I can only clean it up so much anyways. 😂 thanks for the compliment. 👍
The B 58 was a badass plane, and it was one of my favorite planes, and the plane also carried decoys they could launch, to confuse Russian missiles.
I think footage of B58's was used in the movie version of "Fail Safe" as the fictional "Vindicator" bombers. If my memory serves...
Yes they did however they also showed the crew side by side. Which is false. Great movie.
and does anyone remember the name of the F104 squadron that flew cover ?? "Skyscraper" The book was the bomb! I saw the movie after reading the book and was disappointed.
also the idea that the B58 could operate as a super long range bomber from heartland America to the Soviet Union was laughable if you recognized the actual bomber. That high speed came at a price, with half the range of a B52.
The B58 was supposed to make a supersonic dash over the target after cruising to the target at subsonic speeds.
Speed turned out to not be very meaningful for bombers though as missile technology improved. It ended up being the better option to stick to the cheaper, reliable, longer ranged B52s and have them rely on ECM and low altitude (which blunted the B58's speed advantage) for defense.
The Hustler was a neat engineering design to see how fast you could make a bomber, but that goal ended up not being practical.
In the summer of 1966 I was an AFROTC cadet at summer camp atLochborn AFB near Columbus, Ohio. I was aboard a KC- 135 that flew up over Canada where we refueled a B-58, and I was in the pod with the boom operator when he put the boom into that bomber. It was quite a sight!
Awesome story! Thank you for sharing it 👍
The A-5 Vigilante had a similar situation, a lot of innovative features and great performance that carry on long after the plane's service life, which was shortened by a number of factors, among others a novel weapons bay.
I'm glad you mention the North American A3, redesignated as the A5. North American was building the XB-70 simultaneously. Both projects were cut short because of the U-2's loss in May,'60 deep in Russia, victim of a SA-2.
The Vigilante would lose most of its fuel when it ejected its only weapon, because the fuel tanks sat on the same pod that would be ejected rearward.
Thanks for the upbeat video on the b-58. My dad got in a flat spin in one did not recover crashed in great salt lake. A lot of them did not recover from flat spins. Thanks again for the great videos!
Got to see this fly at the Edwards AFB air show in the 1960's
the best was seeing the B-58 flying chase for the XB-70-1.
That had to be cool to see.
Yeah. Wright-Pat.
Words just can’t describe her. Actions can! Bendix trophy winner, 1962 NewYork to LosAngeles 2 hours, 56 minutes. Fell head over heals for this aircraft as a kid, still love it today.
My uncle was an engineer on the B-36, and said that every 36 flying had a mechanical issue. From misfiring plugs, flared turbines, runaway compressors etc. they were SO complex. He used to say that for every 10 hour flight there was 5 hours of maintenance. The ground crews always had an engineer with them because of the complexity. He always said he wished he could have worked on the 58, said it had 1/4 the headaches
laughs in b 2. LOL
Uh no, that's a lie. My brother was a B-58 jet engine mech at Little Rock AFB. They required the same maintenance as any other aircraft...no more no less. They were ready to go at a moments notice. Always on stand by. It was the Cold War....you had to be ready.
I love the opening scenes and music of your Atomic cafe! It's spot on for the times, and your data is mostly correct on these time's and aircraft you document. Keep up the good work!👍🇺🇸
Much improved brother, and music? Awesome, what a difference!
Pro!
Had a brother who built a model of this plane. Of all the cars and planes he built B-58 was the most badass. IMO❤
Much improved. I've been watching your videos and you've improved a lot. look forward to your next video.
It just WAS a “giant piece of America”. Well said. The Hustler, besides being beautiful and fast, was ahead of its time and suffered from the same issues that so many other ground-breaking aircraft do. Thankfully, the lessons learned on this program benefitted others that came after it. Thankfully, it never got to do its job.
Excellent video on this forgotten bird.
I work at Lockheed what was then Convair. I can eat lunch and watch f35’s take off on that same runway. It’s cool to see how the scenery around the base/plant.
That’s a pretty cool job. I had an offer to work at Lockheed nearby working on the F-16’s being licensed through them for the Saudi’s. But the schedule just wasn’t going to pan out.
Your vids are great-no need to change
Your presentation is improving!!! Keep up the good work!!! The sexiest jet of it's time!!!!!!
My favorite cold war era jet!!!!
My dad was a pilot during the end of WWll. He always loved that B58 and took us kids for a fly by at the Cleveland Air Show in the early 60's. It went by supersonic and let out a sonic boom! I'll never forget that day!
USAF - The B-58 has cost over 20billion dollars without progress , cancel it.
USAF - The F-35 has cost over 1.5 Trillion dollars without progress, keep building.
USAF logic.
Not to mention, these days "our" defense contractors probably sell half of the technology used to develope those new aircraft to foreign countries. After using tax payer dollars to fund their development and production. 😤
The great irony being that the F-35 was designed to save money by replacing 3 different aircraft with a common airframe. Although to be fair, the $1.5 trillion estimate is for it’s service life and its per unit cost is less then that of the F-22.
porkbarrel
Wrong the F35 is so cutting edge no other aircraft comes close. The cost and time over runs were not the fau!t of the contractor. The services put more demands on the plane while it was tooled up for production. The cost benefit will kick in when the plane is being used. It has already been combat missions and had performed excellent. "Our" defense industry does not sell or export the top tier weapons. The F15 we sell are not the models that we use and the F15E is an example it is a USAF ONLY weapon.
@Trista Fravel good thing we have the F18 super H, F22, B2, B1, A10, plus drones, satellites, ICBMs, cruise missiles. And whatever black budget projects.
The plane featured in the 1964 movie "Fail Sail."
Launching a bear at Mach 2 out of an ejector seat at 50,000 feet, aaahhh Cold War science ❤️
My father was with the B-58 program and SAC from it's inception. Dealing with Field Maintenance Squadron at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, TX, Offutt AFB in Omaha, NB, to Bunker HIll AFB in Bunker HIll, IN. I grew up hearing those planes overhead and warming up their engines near the end of the runway. Watching them in the early morning or twilight during a "Broken Arrow" or s scramble with the After Burners ablaze is something I will never forget. Most impressive plane I have ever encountered. Thanks for reminding me about the sound of safety and freedom.
The 58 was one of my favorite models that I built in the late 80's. I just wish the box of planes survived the move....
I built plastic models of many WWII and Cold War combat aircraft in the 1960s. I believe the B-58 kit was made by Revell. The model was relatively small but still great fun to "fly" against my MiG-15.
Excellent video. I grew up in awe of the B-58 and I fully agree it symbolized American cold-war power and prestige. The sleek curve of the upper fuselage, delta wings and 4 turbojets hauling some gawd-awful thermonuclear gravity weapon is comfort for all who love the USA.
B-58 wAs freakin’ AWESOME! Like a Concorde modded to carry a nuke!
The B-58 Hustler is my Ideal super sonic bomber from my childhood and growing up. I was in awe of the sleek design and the ability to drop the pod carried below the fuselage.
I built all the model kits and probably still have the Aurora model in a trunk from my childhood. That's how special this plane was to us growing up in the 1960's.
Yep. This is why I made the point to talk about the psychological effect this plane had on Americans. People loved it. It was an example of national defense that just “looked awesome”. You could see it, hear it, and then know how fast it was. It made people “feel good” and during that time period, with the Soviet Union.....that effect is kind of hard to over estimate. Almost every article I read about it while researching it for this video, all of them seemed to act like it was a massive mistake to have ever built it. But when I talked to average people, they absolutely thought it was the greatest thing ever. They loved this air plane. It made them feel good. Thanks for the comment! 👍
It was the right tool at the right time. It was also pretty freaking amazing.
"It was shiny." LOVE IT!
I thought it was a great plane. In certain regards, it was way ahead of its time.
My neighbor across the street and his crew still hold the world record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe in the B 58 .
My old family friend lead that mission, Lt. Gen Archie Old.
micrumm If I have a chance I’ll ask Sydney if he remembers him. He’s not doing well so I don’t know if I’ll get to talk to him.
Is Archie still with us ?
@@northsouth4299 Sadly he passed away back in 1984.
If he is allowed, bring him over a beer for me :)
B-58...The 'Bettie Page' of SAC bombers.
Where do these type of channels get this stock footage from?
Officially, the Department of Defense has a huge archive of unclassified footage for press, education and public information.
From Russia
@@TheMischief9 I got a pretty good laugh out of that one.
A lot of that footage was available on VHS tapes in the 1990s. I don't know where and if it's available on DVD or online now, and if so at what price.
I used to have a small collection but it's all gone now, together with my last VHS player/recorder.
My Dad was a B-58 jet engine crew chief at Carswell in the early 60's. He just retired last year from Southwest Airlines. SAC was a living hell for all maintenance types under LeMay's command.
LeMay was a hard-ass!
In fairness, Convair didn't do the maintenance crews any favors when designing the B-58.
your doing a great job dude thanks again
Appreciate the compliment. Glad u enjoyed it.
I built a scale model of the B-58 when I was a kid back in the 60's. It has always been one of my favorite aircraft. I can remember hearing those sonic booms on a fairly regular basis back in the day.
A topic suggestion? The Martin Seamaster. The USN answer to the B-52.
I'll def put it on the list. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@theatomiccafe8996 ua-cam.com/video/utCTIEB_V3E/v-deo.html
How about the North American Vigilante - designed as a supersonic nuclear bomber for the USN but converted into a reconnaissance aircraft?
The SeaMaster was such a cool bird.
Charles Stearman: As a child in Columbus during the Vigilante’s development, they flew over our house on a regular basis (we were in the downwind leg flight path for landing). There were also frequent sonic booms which I loved. As they were testing the conversion to the reconnaissance role, I can remember night flights overhead using a really bright strobing light as a flash for the camera. Seems like centuries ago!
The B-58 is still in my opinion one of the sexiest airplanes ever built.
Is this the plane they were flying in the excellent movie “Failsafe”? With Henry Fonda? Thanks for putting this video together
Yes, the B-58 is prominently featured in “Fail-Safe.” However, the filmmakers erred on the cockpit shots, which had pilot and copilot seated side-by-side, with the navigator/bombardier seated behind the co-pilot. We airplane nerds know that the crew sat in tandem, as you have so accurately described. I remember building a model of the Hustler when I was a kid. The kit was either Monogram or Revell.
daf827 I noticed that also great movie though and the ending Blackie dropping the big one and biting the pill
@@daf827 I had it too. Revell model. Also built the Monogram B-36, B-47, B-25, and A-26. Never got around to a B-52.
Thunderstruck54 Among Sidney Lumet’s best films. Given the year of release, 1964, the dramatic tension in that movie was almost unbearable in spite of any technological shortcomings.
daf827 especially in the war room with the Major cracking up and the odd part about his drunken father and home life that was different although I guess they were showing everyone’s home life and Walter Matthau partying all night before a lecture and smacking that woman he was a scary man
Agree 100%. The Hustler was one of those designs that was just right. It not only did what it was designed to do, it looked good. Great plane. Keep up the good work. Love your stuff.
"Technological marvel or Cold War blunder"
Short answer: Both.
True.
Technology changed so fast in those days that military equipment was often fast obsolete.
The icbm, submarine and cruise missile made the B58 as a weapons platform obsolete. Also as stated in this video the anti air defence on high altitudes became a real threath.
A B52 armed with cruisemissils could do the nuclear job way better for the AF.
the B52 did not have to penetrate enemy airspace and lauch its cruisemissiles before enemy airspace .
It should be noted that neither the United States nor the Soviets had much luck with supersonic nuclear bombers. Ours was the B-58, and theirs was the Tupolev TU-22, the first version, the one with two engines back on the tail. It was a worse horror than the B-58, which is saying a lot.
Fred Ferd correct, high speed bombers had zero advantages and many disadvantages compared to B-52. Today, we battle for air supremacy first, then we can bomb at will with a B-52. This works against any country except the top few.
@@fredferd965 In the cold war they did everything to get an edge over the opponent.
missiles were just easier to get above mach 2 so the supersonic bombers had to go mach 3.5 and above to evade the SAM missiles.
The MIG 25 is seen as the fastes fighterjet (mach 3.2) ever produced to counter the B58 at high altitude. Like the B58 also a bird that needed high maintenace and training of the crews to perform maximum performance.
The development of nuclear jet powered bombers were also canceled om both sides.
My uncle was a B58 mechanic when they were in service. He was stationed at Bunker Hill in Indiana at Grissom AFB. He tells stories about what he had to do to keep the bird flying. The instruments and sensors were in some interesting spots and he had to hang them out on a regular basis. Can do Mach 2 was their motto.
"fuelselage [sic]" -- "fuselage"!
thanks - you beat me to it.
That might be a good word to use for the SR-71...😊
Drink!
My dad worked as an ECM (electronic countermeasures) tech on this plane and many others. I was born at Bunker Hill and spent the first 7 years of my life there in Peru, IN. The absolute highlight of my being around for my dad's AF career was when he took me to see a B-58 up close, even getting to climb the platform that the crew members to get into the plane to look into the 3 pods. What a beautiful plane!
Getting better at narration! Quit saying fuelselage! It is fuselage.
Great video, well done.
It was a tricky time, switching from a recip, prop, straight wing mentality to swept wing jet took its toll. Also technology was advancing fast and aircraft became obsolete before becoming operational.
I was hoping you say if anyone successfully ejected in the pods, since there were so many crashes.
I was wondering how many crewmen were lost to.
@@nightlightabcd 26 of 116 total aircraft destroyed with 36 crewmen killed - all in non combat incidents and within only 10 years operation time. Horrible statistics.
I've built the B-58 Hustler model plane as a kid growing up in the mid-1960s.I spent many hours of imaginary flight with that model. and you're right the coolest looking jet bomber for its time.
Also it was featured in the movie "Fail-Safe" starring "Henry Fonda" co-starring "Walter Matthau" and "Larry Hagman" who was the translator.
“Before the me too era” lmao
Those young men calling a women actress sexy! Those wild toxic animals! How horrible! I bet "Sexy Saly" got PTSD and painted hair pink afterward.
"...that sonic boom shake the ground brought a smile to a lot of American faces"... I can still remember the little dance she did while screaming, but I can't remember my grandma's smile. Living near George A.F. Base in the early 1950s didn't ease her anxiety problems. 🤯
B1B is just a upgrade of the B58 in my opinion
It's amazing how aircraft had come & gone, such as the B-58, within 10 year operational time span . . . while the B-52 . . 'Buff' remains operational, beyond its' 40th year ! 🇺🇸
65 years, operational since 1955.
I had a patient back in the 80s that flew B-58s, he said it was like a fighter without the weapons pod but with it, it was a wallowing pig. Loved checkout flights without the pod.. said it was the most fun he had ever had in his life.
The "Hustler" was a beast! Best of her era. You want high performance, you pay high bills.👍👀🇺🇸
One of my favorite War Planes! Good video & Good Narrator. Humility is such a rare trait these days.
Well presented. Saw one fly over my home as a kid in in 1966. Inspired me to become a career military pilot...
I was stationed at Rantoul AFB Illinois We had a static one on display and I used to walk around that and wonder at its beauty and agile looking design and was proud we had it on the base. What a beautiful machine.
I was stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base in 1967 and 1968 with the 305th Bomb Wing which flew the B-58. I worked on the B-58 many times. I was in the Armaments and Electronics Squadron as an Airborne Radio Repairman. I am proud to have been part of the B-58 program. I still think it is one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built. It was so fast that by the time they discovered it on radar and scrambled fighters to intercept it it was gone. As a matter of fact very few fighters could match it's speed.
I was there from 1959 to 1962 and with the 305Th A&E, worked the B58 also.
When I was a kid, we had a "duck and cover" drill in music class. During the drill, there was a sonic boom that happened. Neither I, nor any of the other 7 year olds in the class fully grasped why the teacher was a trembling wreck the rest of the class-session. As I've gotten older that event has never left me. While I'm glad the B-58 was never used for real in its role, I can't see it as a failure. It was built to do what no one ever hoped it would ever need to do, and frankly what was thought impossible on its inception. It was a successful deterrent, and a leap forward in technology.
One of my mentors in aviation, Capt. Bill Hale ejected from a B-58 at Bunker Hill in april 1962. He experienced an un-commanded roll shortly after T/O. He lost one of his crew members that didn't survive the eject. Bill was the USAF's highest time B-58 pilot and retired as a 747 Capt. for a major cargo airline. He has since flown west. Very humble and unassuming man that loved to fly his ultralight.
Good vid. I like the very casual narration - like sitting across from you in a bar. B58 is just amazingly elegant.
I enjoy these videos as they are! I must say the more you do anything, the better you get at it though. Keep up the awesome!
The only "mistake" on the B-58 was the lack of foresight to keep it in service and update it continuously like they do the B-52. The Hustler was a fantastic aircraft.
I always find it interesting that they retired the B-58, because the idea of a super sonic bomber suddenly faded out as missiles took over. But then, less than a decade later, they built the B-1 lancer....to fulfill basically the same exact role. 🤔🤔🤔
@@theatomiccafe8996 Exactly! Had they kept on with the B-58, the B-1 project would not have been even necessary. Lack of foresight...
What we learned from building and flying this plane is what made other supersonic planes possible.
We wound up with highly experienced engineers, pilots and technicians who took those skills to other projects.
Thats a benefit the critics overlook.
That was one of my favour jets, when I was a kid. Never realised just how big it was though
I was in the US Air Force and Graduated Tech School in 1964 and assigned to the 6516 OMS Edwards AFB CA at the age of 19 graduated first in class and sent to flight test at Edwards. We never missed a flight, ever. Working on the B-58 was the high light of my career. Went to be a master aircraft crew chief on C-141 A and C-130 E. The B-58 was and is one of the great airplanes ever to fly. Everything must be taken in the context of the day. Most people today were not even alive then.
I was fascinated by the B-58 Hustler as a young boy. I used to read all that I could find on it. Same with the Peacekeeper and other Air Force aircraft. Thanks for the video
As a child growing up near the plant that built these and it’s air base during the 1960’s, I can remember the constant testing and most especially the sonic booms. Childhood around Ft. Worth Texas back then was an amazing place for a kid with airplanes on his mind to grow up. .
My dad went to DeVry Institute in Chicago, when they were about to graduate in 1958, Convair representatives came to DeVry and hired my Dad’s whole class as electronic technicians for the B-58 program.
I really liked the video and especially the commentary. Really informative. The 50's and 60's were truly the golden age of aviation and you Americans had it covered. Keep up the awesome work - from Down Under.
As a former Canadian aircraft technician who worked on the Immortal F-104, any aircraft that is designed with 4 J-79 engines gets my respect. A gem indeed. Your opinion that it was a "Home Run" and "Giant piece of America" is noble indeed. I found your information dealing with the female headset AI voice quite interesting. In my day with the introduction of the Canadian F-18, her name was "Bitchin Betty" Maybe her grandma was "Sexy Sally"?