Strategic Air And Space Museum

[cheeseczar]

Anybody ever been there?
Looks like they have a ton of large aircraft including a B36 on display.
Place must be huge.

[rrrr]

The one in Nebraska? I was there once about 20 years ago when everything was outdoors. They have some cool stuff. There aren't many B-36s left to look at. There's one in Dayton, one at Pima, and the one at SA&SM. Think that's it.

[cheeseczar]

That's the one.
When my Son-in-law returns from deployment in a year I plan to meet him in Ashland for a couple days of exploration.
I just want to walk under the wing of one of those old things and stare at the ghosts.

[AGRiculture]

I went to it several times when it was actually on Offutt AFB property, but not since they moved it. I don't know what they've added since then. It had quite a few interesting planes. The one in Dayton is better, but this one is a good museum, worth the time if you're in the area.

[Tifositoo]

If any of you is ever in central Indiana...check out the Grissom Air Museum on US 31, just 10 miles north of Kokomo.


No B-36, but we do have a B-58, a B-47 and a TF-102 flown by George W. Bush...



Dan

[cheeseczar]

Was on the Bunker Hill AFB a few times as a child when Dad was still in the reserves.
We drove past on the way to Pendleton from South Bend many times and saw a few KC-135's landing/taking off.
I saw a B-58 land once.
Are the ordnance mounds still there?

[Tifositoo]

Was on the Bunker Hill AFB a few times as a child when Dad was still in the reserves.
We drove past on the way to Pendleton from South Bend many times and saw a few KC-135's landing/taking off.
I saw a B-58 land once.
Are the ordnance mounds still there?

I believe the mounds are still there, but will have to check...there is a live nuclear bomb there that has been encased in concrete( a leftover from a B-58 taxiing accident).


My mother saw a B-58 crash once. I knew people who owned farms on both ends of the runway, and each had Hustlers crash on their property. The B-58 was very temperamental...if you flew it by the book, it was reliable, but if you tried to do your own thing with it, it would bite you in an instant. It was fast, spectacular to watch take off at night and one of the coolest airplanes ever to take to the sky...but, it was also very difficult to exit, very unforgiving and the noisiest SOB i ever heard.

Also, it was back before the days of cable TV, and those jokers would really screw up the signal from your antenna...



Dan

[racer47201]

Dan, the Hustler wasn't taxiing. I remember when the notification of the came on tv. Also I serveed at Grissom with the 434th CSG in the 70's and 80's. Never heard a Hustler take off, but did hear the Water Wagons(KC 135) take off during an alert. First the claxons sounded(continously) and about 16 135s started up. It took about an hour from the start till the end.

[silvercrown]

As a little kid, it was always a highlight of the trip down to indy and back going past the AFB. Sometimes we saw A-10s or tankers.. once in a while we saw some sort of command type jet.. 747 with extra stuff on it.

What I always wondered is.. what is the structure on the southern end of the base, near to the road? Its a big earthen mound. Always seems to have cars parked in front of it. Today, it sits in front of the new jail.

[Sea Fury]

As a little kid, it was always a highlight of the trip down to indy and back going past the AFB. Sometimes we saw A-10s or tankers.. once in a while we saw some sort of command type jet.. 747 with extra stuff on it.

That's an E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post. They are based at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Despite the similar paint job, it is NOT the same as the VC-25s commonly referred to as "Air Force One" if the President is aboard. If the President boards an E-4B, bad stuff is about to go down....

[Frank Capua]

That's an E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post. They are based at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Despite the similar paint job, it is NOT the same as the VC-25s commonly referred to as "Air Force One" if the President is aboard. If the President boards an E-4B, bad stuff is about to go down....

Ah yes that's the one with the Lincoln bump... the one with extra headroom so Lincoln didn't have to take his hat off.

[silvercrown]

yep.. thats the plane

[racer47201]

neacp, when I was there, didn't have the upper bump.

[Gomer Simpson]

That's an E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post. They are based at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Despite the similar paint job, it is NOT the same as the VC-25s commonly referred to as "Air Force One" if the President is aboard. If the President boards an E-4B, bad stuff is about to go down....

Nah, that's a GForce. I can tell by the shape of the ugly airbox.

[Sea Fury]

neacp, when I was there, didn't have the upper bump.

They were probably unmodified E-4A models then. The fleet (all 4 of 'em) got the bumps when they were upgraded to the E-4B standard.