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B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker

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The Convair B-36 is one of those engineering marvels which one suspects is unknown and disregarded by most Americans. Yet, in its day, this was regarded as America's "Big Stick" and was very well known to all in the land (not to mention many in charge over in the Soviet Union.) Happily there are four of these machines still in existence under roofs in aviation museums. However, the very last B-36 to be manufactured had the most difficult time on its long road to preservation. This CD-ROM format book tells the story in great detail with 219 photos and plenty of descriptive text.

To make it compatible with most computers, the files are in HTML format, and should work with any Internet browser. The text and photos are adequately hyperlinked and there are also some links to websites that contain extra information.

One unexpected treat is the pair of vintage sound files, letting us hear the sound of a B-36 taking off with its ten engines throbbing and roaring away. The only other place to hear (and see) a B-36 in operation is the video release of "Strategic Air Command" starring Jimmy Stewart, and if you like either this book or that movie, you will want to have the other one.

Hey, and think about paying a visit to support this last B-36.

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Update 2010
This B-36, which spent most of its time in Ft. Worth, has been moved to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ, where it is being assembled again. Some of the restorations made in Ft. Worth were deemed inadequate by the National Museum of the United States Air Force (which actually owns the plane), so Pima ASM is doing some additional restoration. Hopefully the old bird will be fully assembled in the near future. Meanwhile, the one and only XC-99 cargo transport version of the B-36 (even larger than its sister), has been moved from its long posting in Texas and resides in Ohio at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton. It will take some years of restoration before it is put on display.

When I was a high-school kid in the late 1970's I fell in love with an older lady - the massive, marvelous B-36 Peacemaker on display at Amon Carter Field in Fort Worth, Texas.

First designed to attack Nazi Germany from North American bases, the B-36 became America's "Big Stick" at the height of the Cold War. The capabilities of the B-36 provided much of the deterrence that prevented the Soviet Union from attacking America or our NATO allies. B-36J #52-2827 was the last B-36 built, of over 300 produced. In 1958 she made her last flight and was put on display at Amon Carter Field.

When I discovered her in 1977 or so, she was in pretty sad shape. But a bunch of old guys (so they seemed to me) were putting her back together, and they didn't mind me hanging around and helping out. At the time, I was just a teenager crazy about airplanes. I had no idea of the grand scope of the project at the time, much less the incredible efforts of the "old guys" working on the plane.

Now I do. "Saving the Last Peacemaker" not only brought back a lot of fond memories, but gave me a deep appreciation for the amazing accomplishments of the dedicated men who rescued and restored #2827.

Today, the Last Peacemaker has been lovingly restored in painstaking detail and is currently awaiting a new home for permanent public display. Compare the photos of the stripped, vandalized cockpit in the late '70s to the photos of the interior after restoration, and you'll understand the labor of love involved.

Sure, lots of old airplanes have been preserved and restored, and the stories blur together after a while. But "Saving the Last Peacemaker" is no dry technical memoir. It's a cliff-hanger adventure story, complete with government agents, desperate races against the clock, last-minute reprieves, and plot twists.

It's illustrated with dozens of photographs. Model-builders will revel in the close-up photographs of the structure and the interior, revealing details seldom seen before.

If you're an airplane nut - of any age - this is a must-have item.

I had read with interest about the efforts to restore the B-36 which is the subject of this book when I was in High School. Over twenty years later, when I ran across a reference to this CD, I just had to get it.

The CD is written in HTML, the "language" of the Internet, and requires web browser software to view it. It came up fine on IE 4.0 running on my 133 MHz PC running Win95, and later on a 450 MHz laptop on IE 5.0 under WIN98.

The book is written in chapter links which can be selected at any time, which I found convenient to use. It was mildly annoying to read so much text (many hours) on a PC screen, but the plethora of pictures helped break up the text, and the sound files were great fun. I scaled the text size up a bit for easier reading.

The history of the aircraft is absolutely first-rate; the book runs logically along its lengthy timeline, from manufacture to its final move to safety. I was fascenated with the many unique photos of the interior, engines being run up, and the various pieces being frantically moved out to avoid being scrapped. It was wonderful to discover the final fate of this big old bomber.

I recommend this CD to any aviation buff who would dream of discovering, restoring and flying an old abandoned military airplane - you will enjoy this story, and learn a whole lot about the practical problems that come along with such a great project.

Well, I have recieved my copy of "B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker" this past week and let me tell you it is excellent. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it. This has got to be on the cutting edge as far as aviation history publishing is concerned. In my opinion you will see more and more publications like this one. You know it has to be pretty good if they were able to get Walter Boyne to write a forword for it.

Anyway, this book really does have it all. Over 200 photos and much text. As a bonus it has sound recordings of the B-36 including one of a B-36 dropping a string of 136 500 pound bombs! That's something you will not find in the print media.

The content is excellent and informative. The pictures are my favorite part. No tiny pictures these. I have a 21 inch monitor and they fill up a very satisfying amount of the screen. The resolution of all the pictures is excellent. I am very happy with the quality. Model builders take note; this CD has a wealth of detail shots I for one have never seen anywhere else. Even if you see a B-36 in a museum, you will not see the kind of internal details shown on this CD. I do have one suggestion, maybe in the future reprints (I am sure there will be some) some video might be included of the B-36.

This is an excellent product and I highly recommend it. It is well worth the money. The authors deserve a pat on the back and job well done.

This CD does one thing the finest book cannot. It allows you to hear the mighty B-36 both taking off and on a bombing run. Talk about rolling thunder! Thanks to ALL who labored to save this magnificent aircraft for future generations to marvel at!

B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker chronicles in text and photo format the long-running and contentious effort to preserve and restore the last of these giant propeller-driven bombers to be built. Starting with the return of the aircraft to Ft. Worth, Texas, where all B-36's had been built, the account follows it through years of neglect as a park display, a misguided effort to get it flying once more, and herculean moves to avoid distruction, all motivated by the desire of a small number of dedicated individuals that this aircraft be saved as a permanent monument to the pride and industry of Ft. Worth and a now-vanished era in the history of the Air Force. Supplimentary material includes what is probably the best sound recording available of the sound this massive aircraft made on takeoff. Produced in HTML format, the content is viewable on any PC running current versions of Windows (95-98-NT)and having an up-to-date Web Browser.