The Last B-36 Is In Trouble!

[corl737]

What would you say if your Uncle gave you the keys to a rusty old '62 Corvette and said, "it's mine but you can do whatever you want with it."

Being a Corvette enthusiast, you wanted to restore it to "factory new" condition. You spent years stripping the old paint, repairing damaged panels, even creating some of the needed parts from scratch. Now, while in the process of building a new garage to safely store and display the vehicle, your Uncle says, "wow! What a nice car. I want it back so I can park it in my neighbor's back yard."

That's almost as bad as the scenario being played out in Ft. Worth, Texas right now. The last B-36 Peacemaker, named City of Ft. Worth has been in North Texas ever since it's last flight in 1959. It sat for years, abandoned, at the Amon Carter Airport in Ft. Worth (later renamed Greater Southwest).

Deterioriating and in great disrepair, a group of former Convair employees -- the very people who built the aircraft in Ft. Worth in the 1940's -- took on the challenge of restoring the last B-36. They have spent a lot of effort and money bringing the ol' bird back. The ultimate goal -- to give this major part of North Texas' aviation history a respectable and proper place to be displayed. A new facility, fully enclosed and air conditioned, has been drawn up for construction at Ft. Worth's Meacham Airport.

As a final step, the members of the "B-36 Peacemaker Museum" applied to the United States Air Force to become an officially sanctioned museum location. Instead of the traditional "nice job, here's your certificate", they were stunned to learn that the Air Force wants to take possession of the aircraft and move it to an outdoor display at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona! There is will become just one of a multitude of WWII bombers with no special significance to it's curator, residents, or visitors. (The USAF says it has been in negotiations with Pima for over 18 months ... but they never said anything to the Ft. Worth folks who continued to work tirelessly to restore the aircraft.)

There are only four B-36 aircraft remaining in the world. One is in California at Castle AFB. Another is at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Offut AFB, Omaha, the former Strategic Air Command headquarters. The massive Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio contains the third. The repossession and reassignment of the City of Ft. Worth to a location void of a historical link to the aircraft is a terrible act of disrespect toward the people who literally gave their lives work to create the first element of the Cold War's Nuclear Deterrent force.

Please help keep the last B-36 in Ft. Worth where it rightfully belongs. This aircraft was created in Ft. Worth. When it was retired from active service the US Air Force returned it to Ft. Worth. It was fully restored through the efforts and funding of Ft. Worth residents. It is here, in Ft. Worth, that the significance of the aircraft and the related B-36 artifacts are most appropriately displayed, commemorated, and appreciated.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT! In July, 2005 he USAF intends to cut up the City of Ft. Worth and place it on trucks to be shipped to the Pima Air Museum. This needs to be stopped NOW!!!

We need everyone to please contact your US Representatives and Senators urging them to help prevent the moving of this Ft. Worth and North Texas treasure.

Please follow this link for more information about the B-36 and why it's location is so important:

www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org

 

[PRINCESS KIDAGAKASH]

There has been an airshow held every year since 1991 at Alliance Airport(AFW) Ft. Worth, TX. to raise money to build a museum for this B-36. I don't want to piss in your wheaties, but where did all that money go? The people running the fund raising for this airplane(museum) squandered all the cash and are now crying because the Air Force is taking the airplane somewhere else? Looks like too little,too late!

 

[mga707]

Sorry, but I'm excited that it's being sent here to PASM (Pima Air and Space Museum) to be reassembled and displayed. It'll be just minutes from my house, and I'm a PASM member.
It'll be in good company amongst PASM's B-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-47, B-52 (three of 'em!), B-57, B-58, and B-66. Once they get the '36, they'll have all of the important bomber aircraft except for the Martin B-26 Marauder.
I love the B-36, and can't wait for us to get one!

 

[corl737]

There has been an airshow held every year since 1991 at Alliance Airport(AFW) Ft. Worth, TX. to raise money to build a museum for this B-36. I don't want to piss in your wheaties, but where did all that money go? The people running the fund raising for this airplane(museum) squandered all the cash and are now crying because the Air Force is taking the airplane somewhere else? Looks like too little,too late!

[post="277184"][/post]​

Princess -- Your assumptions are not completely correct. Please read this carefully so you can understand the situation a little better.

The B-36 Peacemaker Museum is NOT the organization that runs the Alliance Airshow. The proceeds from the Alliance Airshow went to the Fort Worth Aviation Heritage Association and were intended to create the Aviation Heritage Museum on the grounds of DFW airport. the B-36 was to have been part of that display. (I have no connection to the FWAHA so cannot tell you where the money went/is going. Likewise, the AHM website doesn't list any aircraft as specific "display" items so I don't know what they're real plans are.) So far, however that group has been unsuccessful in establishing a facility and, with the B-36 aircraft restoration reaching completion it was imperative that that a site be located quickly. Thus the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, Inc. was founded. It's President is BGEN (ret) Bill Guy.

The members of the B-36 Peacemaker Museum are currently focused in preserving this single aircraft, a Ft. Worth and North Texas treasure, and a multitude of other B-36 artifacts and historical documents. The City of Ft. Worth has set aside a spot at Meacham on which the facility can be built. (When I talked to BGEN Guy today he said that the ground is in the process of being prepared for construction.) The issue now is whether or not the airplane will still be around when the facility is completed.

The people that are crying are not the ones who "squandered" the money. It is the people who designed, built, flew, maintained, and gave their careers to the B-36. The people of Ft. Worth rightfully deserve to have this aircraft displayed in its birthplace. For the Air Force to reassign this airplane to another location simply because some other museum curator wants to fill a square on his BINGO card of aircraft is tragic. This is made even more egregious since the group that was pouring its soul and resources into the laborious and costly restoration project were not told of the intention to relocate the aircraft until it was nearly complete.

I hope I have straightened out the misconception. If you have questions, please ask! Time is of the essence and it is important that everyone understand the significance of this event.

 

[corl737]

Sorry, but I'm excited that it's being sent here to PASM (Pima Air and Space Museum) to be reassembled and displayed. It'll be just minutes from my house, and I'm a PASM member.
It'll be in good company amongst PASM's B-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-47, B-52 (three of 'em!), B-57, B-58, and B-66. Once they get the '36, they'll have all of the important bomber aircraft except for the Martin B-26 Marauder.
I love the B-36, and can't wait for us to get one!

[post="277230"][/post]​

I can understand your enthusiasm. There's nothing more exciting than being able to stand up and yell "BINGO!" when you get all your spaces filled.

Do keep in mind, however, that the cost of your glee will be felt every day by the hundreds of men and women who worked tirelessly to restore the City of Ft. Worth to the pristine showpiece that you covet.

What significance does Tucson have in the life of this B-36 let alone any B-36? Ok, I'll grant you that hundreds of B-36s sat in the desert at Davis-Monthan for a while before being cannibalized and destroyed. Why didn't the Pima Air Museum - or any other resident group - attempt to acquire an existing airframe from AMARC when they were readily available? Seems to me that waiting for a restoration project to be paid for by another organization then coming in as a sniper to rip it away is down right nasty.

Surely you can understand that this B-36 aircraft has much more significance - both historical and personal - to the people of Ft. Worth than anywhere else in the world. They rightfully deserve to have this aircraft displayed in its birthplace. Besides, I think you would be much more impressed by a complete exibition that is possible in Ft. Worth. Being a featured aircraft in an enclosed, climate-controlled facility that encompasses the entire history of the airplane is undoubtedly a much better fate than sitting unprotected in the desert sun. (With a wingspan nealy 50% greater than a B-52 I doubt PASM has the funds to put a B-36 inside.)

I have never been to Pima. It looks like an interesting place with many aircraft that I would like to see. However, as they already have shown, the presence of a B36 isn't a requirement for their success. I call on the Pima Air and Space Museum to put their ego aside and decline the shipment of the last B-36. The PASM is not required to accept every aircraft the Air Force offers and should use their sense of fairness to assure that the last of only 4 B-36s existing on the planet remains where it belongs. (If the PASM would do this noble thing I'd become a member! I enjoy being a part of groups for which integrity and decency are paramount.)

-- Corl

 

[whatkindoffreshhell]

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap39.htm

I've seen this plane at Wright-Pat -- and forevermore have been amused by those "Goblin" fighters designed to protect this massive bird!

Good luck with your rescue effort for the Texas plane. Hope you find an angel savior!

 

[Guest]

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap39.htm

I've seen this plane at Wright-Pat -- and forevermore have been amused by those "Goblin" fighters designed to protect this massive bird!

Good luck with your rescue effort for the Texas plane. Hope you find an angel savior!

[post="277261"][/post]​

Thanks for your words of encouragement. The B36 is indeed a unique aircraft ... and this specific airframe has immense significance to the people of Ft. Worth. You also probably noted how good that airframe looks having the benefit of a fully-enclosed climate-controlled environment. Imagine that same aircraft exposed to all the elements as is the current plan calling for the movement of the last B36 to the Airzona desert. Right now all we're asking for is help preventing the fully restored aircraft from being ripped apart and shipped west while it's permanent - and rightful - place of honor is being constructed in Ft. Worth.

If you'd be willing to drop short letter to the Director of the AF Museum it sure wouldn't hurt the effort! (Yes, this is shameful begging but it's necessary in this situation!)

 

[PRINCESS KIDAGAKASH]

No wonder the Air Force is sending the aircraft to PASM. You guys don't even know where your gonna display it in the DFW area. I have been driving past a sign on Eagle parkway(AFW) for the past ten+ years saying the museum was going to built at Alliance. They never even dug a hole out here. Then, we hear it going to built at DFW airport, and now you people(peacemaker museum) want to build it at Meacham Airport.

The people who wanted to display this airplane should have made a deal with the Dallas Aviation Museum to jointly build a first class museum. I find it amazing that the Dallas Aviation Museum in the last year bought and modified a facility over at Love field that is first class, and has many aircraft and artifacts on display of many different types. The people involved with the display of this B-36 dropped the ball and PASM picked up the fumble and ran it back for a touchdown.

 

[corl737]

No wonder the Air Force is sending the aircraft to PASM. You guys don't even know where your gonna display it in the DFW area. I have been driving past a sign on Eagle parkway(AFW) for the past ten+ years saying the museum was going to built at Alliance. They never even dug a hole out here. Then, we hear it going to built at DFW airport, and now you people(peacemaker museum) want to build it at Meacham Airport.

The people who wanted to display this airplane should have made a deal with the Dallas Aviation Museum to jointly build a first class museum. I find it amazing that the Dallas Aviation Museum in the last year bought and modified a facility over at Love field that is first class, and has many aircraft and artifacts on display of many different types. The people involved with the display of this B-36 dropped the ball and PASM picked up the fumble and ran it back for a touchdown.

[post="277335"][/post]​

Princess --

I can appreciate your sense of disbelief in the effort. And yes, the people who originally said they would locate a suitable site for displaying the aircraft failed to achieve their stated purpose. The current organization, however, is composed of an entirely different set of people with a markedly higher level of motivation. Believe me when I say that they are just as dismayed with the failure of previous efforts as you are.

As for joining with the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, that was discussed. Most folks don't even know about the North Texas Association of Aviation Museums, an informal organization that unites most of the aviation museums in the metroplex. Representives from these museums meet often to discuss how they can work together to make the collective group better. Simply put, the B-36 was too large of an aircraft to be displayed at any existing indoor facility including the new FOFM building at Love Field. (The B-36J has a wingspan nearly 20 feet greater than a Boeing 747-400!)

Importantly, note that I have repeatedly talked about an indoor display facility. Why? Let me quote from Don Pyeatt, the curator of the B-36 Peacemaker Museum:

"When the restoration of 52-2827 began in 1992, the Air Force had, not long before, mandated that any Air Force Museum asset placed on loan MUST be displayed indoors in an environmentally controlled facility. This requirement makes good sense but it also straps anyone wishing to obtain a new loan of a very large aircraft with an enormous task of providing a large enough building. Such a facility can easily cost in excess of $20 million and can incur many thousands of dollars monthy in operating costs. The restoration plan (which was approved by the AFM) called for raising $25 million from proceeds of an annual airshow and the airshow operators continued trying to raise this AFM imposed funding for over 12 years. When Lockheed Martin asked the B-36 restoration team to vacate their hangars to make room for the Joint Strike Fighter, the airshow operator decided to move the B-36 to DFW Airport, dump it in a field and begin praying for money. That's when we (the restoration team) got fed up and started our own non-profit museum corporation with the goal of satisfying AFM requirements for loan of the B-36, enclosed and air conditioned per AFM's mandate."

Here is the architect's rendition of the final B-36 Museum to be built at Meacham Field in Ft. Worth. (The ground is starting to be cleared and leveled in preparation for the initial building phase!) This building, unlike every other effort is REAL!

Sadly, what you are dismissing in your "stick it in your ear" statement is that this specific B-36 is not simply a casual assembly of aluminum parts. It represents real people from the local Ft. Worth community who poured their lives into the design, manufacture, operation, and maintenance of this aircraft. It is a symbol of the immense role North Texas played in the successful deployment of the United States nuclear deterrence force. No where else in the country can claim such a unique and integrated history with this airplane. To have this airframe moved now, after the restoration efforts have been completed, is to disrespect the individuals to whom the airplane owes its very creation. The volunteers who performed the restoration, most of them North Texas residents, committed over 44,000 hours to the project. For this, the Air Force Museum gives them thanks by relocating their now beautifully restored airplane?

------------------------------

I was born in 1960. I am only 45 years old. I wasn't involved in any of the historical processes associated with the B-36 aircraft. However, I recognize when a debt of gratitude is owed. The B-36 was the first operational strategic bomber truly capable of enforcing the principle of nuclear deterrence. I grew up in the Cold War era and, thanks to these creators and operators of the B-36, I enjoyed a period of peace. I feel compelled to help them honor, recognize, and commemorate the aircraft and people that, through the demonstrated ability to yield immense military strength, were truly the Peacemakers of the era.

 

[mga707]

Imagine that same aircraft exposed to all the elements as is the current plan calling for the movement of the last B36 to the Airzona desert.

Oh, just stop with the misinformation already! Many of Pima's aircraft have been "exposed to all the elements" for 30 years or more now (PASM opened in 1976) and they look just fine!
why do you think the USAF's "boneyard" is right here at Davis-Monthan AFB (right across the road from PASM, BTW)? The dry climate preserves aircraft, it does NOT destroy them!

 

[corl737]

Oh, just stop with the misinformation already! Many of Pima's aircraft have been "exposed to all the elements" for 30 years or more now (PASM opened in 1976) and they look just fine!
why do you think the USAF's "boneyard" is right here at Davis-Monthan AFB (right across the road from PASM, BTW)? The dry climate preserves aircraft, it does NOT destroy them!

[post="277418"][/post]​

That is exactly the problem! This B-36 is not meant to be preserved but to be displayed! It has been restored to fully exploit the educational and historical value of this aircraft. PASM has so many other aircraft competing for attention that it simply doesn't have this capability, financially or through available personnel. I just have a hard time thinking that after the initial excitement of acquiring -2827 that it will start a slow deterioration as newer aircraft arrive and it is relegated to "old timer" status. Eventually its loss of popularity makes it just another silouhette on the museum's map diagram.

Conversely, a single airplane featured as the focal point of an entire facility is destined to receive much more care. It is obvious to everyone associated with such a place that if the "star" falters, so does the museum and the memories it was created to uphold.

Dont' get me wrong. I applaud PASM's efforts to protect historical airplanes from being destroyed. However, the accumulation of airframes into a single site should never be the primary goal, especially when the number of available airframes is so limited. Evaluating the comprehensive combination of aircraft, location, and facility should be the overriding consideration.

My offer to become a member of PASM if it recognizes the injustice of accepting the last B-36 still stands. Surely the loss of a B-36 is worth my donation!!!