Transitioning to the cockpit of a B-36 "Peacemaker ...

[Mark Allen M]

... required a strict program of beginner link trainer to B-36 flight simulator.

or something like that ...


I'm sure it all started with The Atom.










The Curtiss-Wright B-36 simulator contained an actual cockpit for pilot, copilot and flight
engineer. Behind the cockpit is the instructor's compartment.



Eventually the actual flying begins.


XB-36 42-13570

[Cvairwerks]

Mark: Did you notice that the simulator was the "portable" one? Some good shots of the XB there.

[Duggy009]

The last cockpit photo is the XC-99 flight deck.

[Pat Carry]

[DH82EH]

Reminds me of that line in Apollo 13 "imagine a computer, that could fit in a single room"

[junkman9096]

All that computing power is likely contained in my smart phone, no doubt.

[Hooligan2]

Reminds me of that line in Apollo 13 "imagine a computer, that could fit in a single room"

I was watching Apollo 13 a few days ago thinking about how they achieved the simulators at NASA, hadn't realised such things went as far back as the B-36!

[Mark Allen M]

The last cockpit photo is the XC-99 flight deck.

Correct indeed. "Convair XC-99 flight deck during flight. Photo: June 28, 1952." Note the triple columns of double-pointer engine instruments over the flight engineer for the six Pratt & Whitney R-4360-41s.

[Mark Allen M]

Convair XC-99 at Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, USA. June 19, 1952.


Stinson L-13 with the Convair XC-99. 16 March 1949

[Lynn Allen]

I crawled all through the XB-99 while parked outside Kelly AFB back in the late 60's before it was fenced in. The only thing I was worried about was finding a large yellowjacket nest while up in the tail section...

[old iron]

I crawled around everything in the airplane - including within the wings - back in early 1977 when the XC-99 was across the road from Kelly AFB. A group of people were working to build an aviation museum around this.

[lucky52]

Too bad that sim isn't around today.It would be a hoot to fly.

[p51]

Too bad that sim isn't around today.It would be a hoot to fly.

You wouldn't be able to fly it even if it still existed. No way it'd still work and nobody would be able to fix the thing.

[JohnB]

Imagine the first crews, getting used to taxiing (and landing) an aircraft from such a high vantage point.

I suppose the Boeing Stratocruiser (C-97) would have been a decent trainer for ground handling.

To help 747 crews, Boeing made a elevated ground trainer.

[wendovertom]

What museum would not love to have that simulator set up in thier collection? Visitors would LOVE to sit in it. you could run it as a premium add on attraction

Tom P