The B-58 Hustler is another amazing aircraft, along with the B-36 that I'd
like to hear more about, too.

The Hustler *is* truly amazing. We visited the Chanute Air Museum (formerly
the Chanute Air Force Base), in Rantoul, IL, last week, where they have the
B-58 Hustler that set the speed record from the U.S. to Japan. (I think the
record still stands...)

From every angle, the plane is perfect. Even the engine pods, which look
kind of odd at first, hanging down below the delta wing, blend in nicely
from all angles, just like the toy Hustler I had as a boy. The wasp-waist
flows nicely into the aft fuselage, and the whole thing just SCREAMS
"speed!"...

Until you get up close, and take a look at the construction. Even though
the designers used some exotic materials, due to the extreme heat build-up
at Mach 2+, the construction techniques don't look dramatically different
from the B-29s and even the B-17s that were built just a few years earlier.
You could literally take large pieces off the plane with a simple Phillips
screw driver, and the cockpit instrumentation would be right at home in a
Piper Apache.

And those engine pods have some really bizarre details, with elaborately
curved, flush-riveted, intricately cut pieces butting up against plates that
are simply screwed on. The whole aircraft is a perfect "period piece",
bridging the gap from World War II, past Korea, and right into the Viet Nam
era...

One of the coolest planes ever conceived. Wish I had seen it fly.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"