Convair giant gets jet boost | Aviation Week, April 4, 1949

 

First flight of the prototype Convair B-36D is shown here on takeoff at Fort Worth using a total of 40.000 hp. developed from six Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major piston engines and four Allison J-35 turbojets. The B-36D took off with a gross weight of 280,000 lb. in 3500 ft. of runway. Composite powered bomber was aloft for 3 hr. 15 min. on its initial test flight and reached an altitude of 40,000 ft. Convair test pilots B. A. Erickson and A. S. Witchell were at the controls. Underslung jet nacelles used on the B-36D prototype were made by Convair. Production model will use General Electric J-47 turbojets.