Convair B-60

[john e. holliday]

Check out the site,  "PlaneADay"  at   www dot plane-a-day dot com  for Feb. 29, 2012.    I've never seen this one before.   

[afml]

I know where Won O' Dem Dare planes R at!
Seen it!

"Plane-A-Day"

Kool site!

"Tight Lines!"

Wes

[Marvin Denny]

  I was lucky enough to get to see that first flight and also the next several flights of the YB-60. I was stationed at Carswell AFB just across the runway from the Convair factory when that took place.   A magnificant graceful plane--- Too bad  it wasn't a couple of hundred MPH faster.

  Bigiron

[Bill Little]

It would really be a hoot with  6 gas turbines flying the pattern,,,,,,,,,

BIG Bear
RNMM/Amm

[Tom Niebuhr]

Bill Little said: "It would really be a hoot with  6 gas turbines flying the pattern,,,,,,,,,"

Calling Paul Walker!!!!!!

[Balsa Butcher]

I know where Won O' Dem Dare planes R at!

Two made, only one flown...where would that be?... Inquiring minds want to know. 

[afml]

"Two made, only one flown...where would that be?... Inquiring minds want to know."

Me too!
SORRY......My bad....Checked my pics and they were of the Convair XC-99.







Those are the wingtips!
Can be found at the NMUAF, Dayton, Ohio, on the Restoration Tour.
Only available in advance and only on Friday.
They are also doing a SUPER job on restoring the "Memphis Bell" and "The Swoose!"

"Tight lines!"

Wes

[Steve Helmick]

My recollection of the XB-60 is that it's basically an all jet version of the B-36 and had a pointy pitot tube (?) sticking straight out of the nose cone.

Coincidently, when we arrived in Pullman, WA in '56, they were flying B-36's out of Fairchild AFB (Spokane), but soon changed to B-52's. There were some C-45's, C-47's and C-123's at Fairchild, and when Dad and the rest of the ROTC officers went up for their monthly flights (to maintain flight status and flight pay), they hoped and prayed they'd not get the C-123's, because they usually had mechanical problems, and the 80 mile drive was for naught. Steve

[Brett Buck]

  I was lucky enough to get to see that first flight and also the next several flights of the YB-60. I was stationed at Carswell AFB just across the runway from the Convair factory when that took place.   A magnificant graceful plane--- Too bad  it wasn't a couple of hundred MPH faster.

   I would be surprised if sweeping the wing helped very much. It was mostly the same wing with a wedge section to sweep it. Too thick.

    Brett

[Howard Rush]

Root section is NACA 63(420)-422.  Here's a picture: http://books.google.com/books?id=DPZYUGNyuboC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=NACA+63%28420%29-422&source=bl&ots=7292d-MTNL&sig=SG_FvNIZCiV6YWlDfQNwtP0y0ws&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_K1OT7XaAoWtiQLUoryUCw&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=NACA%2063%28420%29-422&f=false . 

[Mike Keville]

Several good views of this one via Google.  Powered by EIGHT J-57s, reported max speed was 508 mph at FL290 (which probably translates to a cruising speed of substantially less).

[afml]

On 25 August 1950, Convair issued a formal proposal for a swept-winged version of the B-36 with all-jet propulsion. The United States Air Force was sufficiently interested that on 15 March 1951, the USAF authorized Convair to convert two B-36Fs (49-2676 and 49-2684) as B-36Gs. Since the aircraft was so radically different from the existing B-36, the designation was soon changed to YB-60.

The YB-60 had a 72-percent parts commonality with its piston-engined predecessor. The fuselages of the two aircraft were largely identical, although the YB-60 had a longer, pointed nose with a needle-like instrument probe instead of the B-36's rounded nose, and the tail surfaces were swept to match the wings. The swept wings also used a lot of B-36 parts, with a wedge-shaped insert at the wing root.

The YB-60's unofficial competitor for an Air Force contract was Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress. Convair's proposal was substantially cheaper than Boeing's since it involved modifying an existing design rather than starting from scratch. Like the B-52, it was powered by eight Pratt & Whitney J57-P-3 turbojets mounted in pairs in four pods suspended below the wing.

Instead of the B-36's crew of 15, the YB-60's crew numbered only ten. Production B-60s were to have defensive armament similar to the B-36.

Convair YB-60 serial number 49-2676 made its maiden flight on 18 April 1952, piloted by Beryl Erickson. The Boeing YB-52 beat the Convair aircraft into the air by three days. The YB-60 was approximately 100 mph (160 km/h) slower than the YB-52 and also had severe handling problems. It carried a heavier bomb load - 72,000 pounds against 43,000 pounds (20 t) for the YB-52 - but the Air Force did not see the need for the extra capacity given the YB-60's other drawbacks. Later "big belly" modifications increased the B-52's bomb load to 60,000 lbs.

The flight test program was canceled on 20 January 1953 with 66 flying hours accumulated, and a second prototype was never completed. The airframe was built, but it was not fitted with engines or much other equipment. Since Convair completed their prototype contract satisfactorily, both YB-60s were formally accepted by the Air Force in 1954. The operational aircraft never flew again, and both airframes were scrapped by July.

So like.....
I guess I'll never see one up close & personal.....

"Tight Lines!"

Wes

[Brett Buck]

Root section is NACA 63(420)-422.  Here's a picture: http://books.google.com/books?id=DPZYUGNyuboC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=NACA+63%28420%29-422&source=bl&ots=7292d-MTNL&sig=SG_FvNIZCiV6YWlDfQNwtP0y0ws&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_K1OT7XaAoWtiQLUoryUCw&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=NACA%2063%28420%29-422&f=false .  

   Does not look like a good transonic section! I don't care if you put 16 J57s on it, its gonna run into a brick wall about about 550 mph. Even the P-38 was thinner and it had all sorts of compressibility issues at high altitudes. Wonder if that was the source of the "severe handling problems"?

   Straighten out the camber line and it looks like it would be marginally too thick for a stunt airfoil.

    Brett

 p.s. take that back, the kissin' cousin 63(4)-021 looks like an ideal stunt airfoil. No bucket, at least.