Streaming and Peacemakers
Fly to 100 and the XB-36
“To have command of the air means to be able to cut an enemy's army and navy off from their bases of operation and nullify their chances of winning the war.” - Giulio Douhet
On the Radar
Fly to 100! As my channel approaches 100k subscribers - thank you for being a subscriber, and if you aren’t please do! - I’ve decided to livestream each Sunday night at 7PM Central US Time. During the stream I will fly the F-15C in arguably the best combat simulator DCS World. The first stream was yesterday, I used the South Atlantic map which covers the Falkland Island and Argentina. The mission was a simple one - take off and fly to the Argentinian coast. I equipped the Eagle with three drop tanks or “bags” six AIM-120s and a pair of Sidewinders, and then proceeded to fly to the coast.
Along the way, I chatted with the viewers who tuned in, and all I can say is: Thank you! I had a really great time and will be creating some community posts on the YouTube page to see what mission ideas we can come up with for the next stream. So, if you are available at 7PM Central US Time this Sunday, tune in and check it out!
More videos on the way be sure to check the channel!
This week in aviation history
8 August 1946: Just one year after World War II, the XB-36 prototype first flew. A product of Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation, this massive aircraft took to the skies at Fort Worth Texas. The flight was delayed until noon, and since it was August and Texas, the temperatures were around 100 degrees (37.8° Centigrade) with cockpit temperatures climbing to about 140 degrees (60° Centigrade) due to the large amount of window panels in the aircraft.
The XB-36 was huge - with a 230 foot (70.104 meter) wingspan, and almost 90 feet longer than still new at the time B-29 it would replace, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go:
Despite its enormous size and six engines, the XB-36 could only cruise at 216 miles per hour, however the bomber was designed to carry some 132 500-pound bombs, along with an assortment of defensive gun turrets, including 37mm cannons as well as .50-caliber machine guns. The B-36 would go on to serve from 1949 to 1959 and is one of the more unique looking airplanes ever to fly.
In case you missed it
Speaking of bombers, here is the first video in a two part series on the B-52:
Photo Outlet
Here is a Cessna O-2 Skymaster better known as “Oscar Deuce”
That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! If you know a fellow aviation enthusiast that would enjoy these weekly newsletters, then please forward this along. Now you know!
-Tog