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B58

B-58 navigator did more bomb runs than anyone in the Hustler on one mission

by Till Daisd July 4, 2024

The B-58 Hustler

On November 11, 1956, the US Air Force’s B-58, the nation’s first operational supersonic bomber, took off. The Hustler was distinguished by its delta wing design, in addition to its sophisticated inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, a slender “wasp-waist” fuselage, and an extensive use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in the fuselage; and wings.

A nuclear weapon, additional fuel, and other specialized gear were all contained in a droppable, two-component pod located beneath the fuselage, as the thin fuselage made it impossible to carry explosives within. The B-58 crew consisted of a pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defense systems operator.

Richard “Butch” Sheffield, was flying the B-47 as navigator/bombardier, he volunteered for the then brand new B-58.

He writes about it in his book “The Very First,” which he left for his family.

More bomb runs than anyone in the Hustler on one mission

‘After we got back to Ft. Worth from SOS (squadrons officer school) in early 1962, I started flying with my new B-58 pilot, Major Dick Reynolds. I soon learned he was just as aggressive as I was, and we made a great team. He would fly anywhere, anytime, and for as long as I wanted.

‘One night, after we had flown for about ten hours and made more bomb runs than anyone ever had in the B-58 on one mission, he found out that some KC-135 tankers were coming back to the area with leftover fuel on board and would be willing to give it to us.

‘He lined up about five tankers with about ten thousand pounds of fuel each and filled out tanks so we could fly six more hours, thus breaking the record for flight length in the B-58.

‘After we topped off, we headed for the bomb plot to make more bomb runs when the command post came on the air and ordered us to dump the fuel and land right away. The Wing Command heard about what we were doing and thought it might be a safety-of-flight issue. Also, higher headquarters wanted to know what we were up to when the tankers started reporting the offloads to us.

‘I thought Dick was going to be in lots of trouble over the refueling, but I never heard about it. I believe they found out just how aggressive he was, and they liked it.’

Combat Crew Training School

He continues;

B-58 navigator recalls dropping Mark-53 nuclear bomb (without plutonium pit) while flying at 500 feet and at 628 knots, low level recce missions, dinner with Doolittle Raiders and Jimmy Stewart — Richard Butch Sheffield (in the middle) B-58 crew.

‘The (43rd) wing soon checked our crew out as instructors and assigned us to the Combat Crew Training School (CCTS), where we taught all the new students coming into the B-58 Program for the next four years.

‘My job was to teach the Bombing and Navigation System (ASQ-42) for one week each month to the new Radar Navigators (RN) and one day to the Pilots and DSO’s. This was a heavy load. I had to do everything other B-58 RNs did, plus teach. Even my vacations had to be planned around the teaching load. I taught this course from 1962 to 1964.

‘Even with our crew being out of action for one week out of each month to teach in the CCTS, we still were beating all the other crews by getting the most bomb runs (with the best scores) and navigation legs per mission.

‘We were rated best crew in the wing in 1963.

B-58 on nuclear alert during Cuban Missile Crisis

‘During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the B-58 Wing did not have a group of aircraft on alert like other SAC Bomb Wings because we were still doing CATEGORY II & III tests on the new weapon system. When the President ordered the military to get ready for war, the Wing Commander, B/G Brick Holstrom, ordered the Wing to get all our B-58s ready and load them with nukes.

‘Soon, we had forty B-58s loaded and ready to go but had no targets or tanker support. When SAC Headquarters found out, they gave us targets and tankers. Carswell had B-52s and tankers on alert, so there was no place for the B-58 alert crews to stay on base.

‘We pre-flighted our aircraft, studied our target, and were sent home to await a call from the Command Post to report to the aircraft and launch. I was armed with my snub-nosed Cal. 38 handguns and wore the nuclear weapons “GO” code around my neck. I felt odd being in the house like that with the kids around.

‘Soon, our Squadrons’ Operations Building had beds and guards, so we moved onto the base. We stayed on alert for a long time, about thirty days.’
Sheffield concludes;

‘Our house was right near the flight line. I told (wife) Rosie, if you hear us taking off, put the kids in the car and drive west. She had already bought canned goods and water. It was a terrifying time for the Country and us.’

Check out Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

B-58 navigator recalls doing more bomb runs than anyone in the Hustler on one mission, being on nuclear alert during Cuban Missile Crisis

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and U.S. Air Force

July 4, 2024 0 comment

History

B-58 navigator recalls dropping Mark-53 nuclear bomb (without plutonium pit)

by Till Daisd July 1, 2024

written by Till Daisd

B-58 Navigator

The first operational supersonic bomber of the US Air Force, the B-58, took flight on November 11, 1956. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by its advanced inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, its slender “wasp-waist” fuselage, and its extensive use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in both the wings and fuselage.

Since the thin fuselage prevented the carrying of bombs internally, a droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage contained a nuclear weapon, along with extra fuel or other specialized gear. The B-58 crew consisted of a pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defense systems operator.

Richard “Butch” Sheffield, was flying the B-47 as navigator/bombardier, he volunteered for the then brand new B-58.

“Mainline”

As he explains in his unpublished book “The Very First,” the USAF needed a long-range, low-level reconnaissance system. This became apparent during the Cuban missile crisis. General Powers, CINCSAC, ordered the 43rd Bomb Wing to do it, and we did.

He recalls;

‘Our crew was selected. Only six crews in the wing were made “Mainline crews.” They are the best crews in the wing.

‘We trained at five hundred feet and six hundred knots. The radar was almost useless at the low altitude, so we had to navigate by dead reckoning and map reading. It was exhilarating flying that fast at those low levels. I don’t believe most SAC personnel knew about this capability.

‘The B-58 reconnaissance crew’s code name was “Mainline.” The fact that the B-58 had a reconnaissance capability was kept close hold so our adversaries did not know.

‘Our crew was selected to fly to the UK with the reconnaissance pod on board. The flight was uneventful. A far cry from the first time I had crossed the Atlantic all by myself, shooting stars the whole time. The B-58’s navigation system was almost automatic. It had a star tracker for heading, Doppler for ground speed, and inertial for all movement of the airframe.

‘After we landed, another crew took the aircraft to France and then back home to Carswell. The B-58 program did not treat its crews well like the program I was heading for did [the SR-71 Blackbird program]. They could have arranged a better way for us to return home, but did not.’

Dropping Mark-53 nuclear bomb (without plutonium pit)

He continues;

‘SAC had a program called “Dual Exhaust.” The program was to test the reliability of the real nuclear weapons SAC possessed. We were selected to drop a real Mark-53 nuclear weapon at White Sands test range in New Mexico with the nuclear pit removed [Plutonium].

‘We dropped it at five hundred feet about the ground and at six hundred and twenty-eight knots. After release, we pitched up into a forty-five-degree bank and watched it go off. It looked just like a nuke explosion.

‘We decided to fly back to Carswell subsonic with altitude hold-off, to see how high the aircraft would go without the pod on it. It just keeps climbing, higher and higher, we finally stopped the climb at about *forty-seven thousand feet. This was the only time I was never in a B-58 without the pod; it sure flew like a bird without one.’

B-58 navigator at dinner with Doolittle Raiders and Jimmy Stewart

Sheffield continues;

‘Our Wing Commander, B/G Brick Holstrom, was a “Doolittle Raider.” He was one of the first pilots to take off from the aircraft carrier Hornet to bomb Tokyo. He was as fine of a gentleman as I ever knew. He really liked our crew, I think it was because of Dick Reynolds and his can do attitude.

‘On April 18, 1964, the “Raiders” all got together in Ft. Worth for one of their annual reunions and we got to attend. Jimmy Stewart was master of ceremonies. General Doolittle was there and all the living raiders. It was a fine affair.’

Up until 1964, when he was hired away to the SR-71 program, Sheffield remained with the B-58s. Early in March 1965, after passing the astronaut physical at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas without problems, he arrived at Beale Air Force Base, home of the USAF Blackbird fleet.

Check out Habubrats SR-71’s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and U.S. Air Force

July 1, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

During a night training Mach 2 bomb run, the B-58 navigator remembers his pilot turning in his wings after their Hustler went in a nose-high stall

by Till Daisd June 24, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The B-58 Hustler

On November 11, 1956, the B-58, the US Air Force’s first operational supersonic bomber, took off. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by its advanced inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, its slender “wasp-waist” fuselage, and its extensive use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in both the wings and fuselage. The thin fuselage made it impossible to carry bombs inside; thus, a nuclear weapon, additional fuel, reconnaissance equipment, and other specialized gear were all stored in a droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage. The B-58 crew consisted of a pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defense systems operator.

Richard “Butch” Sheffield volunteered for the then-new B-58 while serving as a navigator and bombardier on the B-47. He had to return to his previous rank of lieutenant after losing his spot promotion. In his book “The Very First,” which he left for his family, he writes about it.

‘I entered the B-58 Combat Crew Training School (CCTS) as a student. The school was about two months long with academics and simulators. I was crewed with Captain Sparks (Sparky), aircraft Commander (AC), and Lt. Patrick, Defense Systems Officer (DSO).

The first crew to pass Central Evaluations Group

‘We soon started flying, and I loved the B-58. The bombing and navigation system, plus the cockpit, were excellent. We became combat-ready fast and were one of the first crews checked out in the aircraft, number fourteen, I believe.

‘General LeMay wanted all SAC crews to be changeable. Each crew and crew position were to have procedures alike for the aircraft they were flying in. The Central Evaluations Group (CEG) visited each wing and tested and evaluated the crew force to see if all wings performed the same procedures. To pass CEG was a big deal in B-47’s.

‘The CEG people wanted to get their foot in the door on this new program, so they decided that they should come in and give a check ride to one of the crews. We were selected.

‘It was a joke; they didn’t know anything about the aircraft, but they went through the motions and checked us; it was a piece of cake; we passed. So, we became the first B-58 crew ever to pass CEG.’

B-58 Hustler nose-high stall over Dallas

He continues;

B-58 navigator recalls when his pilot turned in his wings after their Hustler went in a nose-high stall during a night training Mach 2 bomb run over Dallas — Richard Butch Sheffield (in the middle) B-58 crew.

‘About six months after we became combat-ready, we flew a Mach 2 bomb run on Dallas at night. When the run was over, and we went to start our descent from fifty thousand feet, Capt. Sparks pulled back the power but FORGOT to take the altitude hold off.

‘The aircraft went into a nose-high stall, and we began to drop quickly; the engine’s compressor stalled, and the generators all went offline. We lost all electrical power; I had only a tiny battery-powered light in the cockpit. The only thing I could see was the airspeed and altimeter. I called the pilot, who said the flight controls had locked up.

‘It took one hundred and fifteen pounds of pressure to override the autopilot. He was a petite guy trying to override it, not knowing that altitude hold was on. It was a wild ride down. We were falling tail first with very little forward motion.

‘I decided to eject at fifteen thousand feet as we were trained. At about twenty thousand feet, I felt the nose of the aircraft starting to drop, and he said, I think I have got it (he had overridden the autopilot). Once the nose came down, the engines could be re-started, and we recovered at about ten thousand feet; we landed at Carswell. No one said a thing.’

The pilot quits

Sheffield concludes;

‘The following day, when I went into the Squadron, everyone was saying, did you hear about “Sparky?” I said no. They said he went into the commander (CO) office this morning, and threw his wings on his desk, and said, “I quit!” He then went around the Squadron bad-mouthing the B-58 and telling the other crews they should quit the program, too, because the aircraft was unsafe; the CO told him to get out.’

Up until 1964, when he was hired away to the SR-71 program, he continued to serve with the B-58s. In 1965, he arrived at Beale Air Force Base after passing the astronaut physical at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas.

Check out Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Convair Thought to Transform the B-58 into a Supersonic Airliner. And to Store 5 Passengers in Hustler’s MB-1C Pod.

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and U.S. Air Force

June 24, 2024 0 comment

History

Why the B-58 Mach 2 had the most controversial designs in the history of aviation

by Till Daisd May 19, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Despite several flaws, the B-58’s pilots and crews were in awe of it. The Hustler represented the apex of a bomber pilot’s career

The B-58, the US Air Force’s first operational supersonic bomber, flew for the first time on November 11, 1956. The Hustler stood out for its sophisticated inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, slim “wasp-waist” fuselage, and significant use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in the wings and fuselage in addition to its delta wing design. A droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage held a nuclear warhead along with extra fuel, reconnaissance equipment, or other specialized gear because the thin fuselage disallowed carrying explosives internally. A pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defensive systems operator made up the B-58 crew.

Convair produced 116 B-58s, including 30 test and prototype models and 86 operational aircraft. Between 1960 and 1970, hustlers flew for the Strategic Air Command. B-58s set 19 world records for speed and altitude while also getting five different aviation trophies. Nonetheless, the B-58 was the product of one of the most divisive designs in aviation history, despite its amazing features and accomplishments.

‘The B-58 Hustler, the supersonic bomber of the early Cold War had an appalling accident rate, was a maintenance nightmare, terrible flight characteristics, and the basic mission was obsolete before the aircraft was fielded,’ said David Tussey former US Navy A-7 pilot on Quora. ‘I think over ~1/4 of the aircraft were lost in accidents. The Hustler retired quickly from service serving less than a decade. The “bomb pod” — the combination centerline fuel tank + nuclear bomb dispenser — was a horror show. The plane looked sexy and was visually striking with that huge delta wing and four jet engines, but what a disaster.

‘One of my Navy colleagues’ father had flown the B-58 out of Carswell, I believe. He told us of one particular fuel transfer failure that the aircraft had and that if this failure occurred during supersonic flight, it would result in trapped fuel that would shift the CG of the aircraft and make it uncontrollable when you slowed below supersonic flight.’

Tussey concludes;

‘So… if this emergency were to happen (and it did), you had two equally horrific choices — 1) eject while supersonic, which was likely to kill everyone, or 2) slow the aircraft to subsonic speed, allow the aircraft to go uncontrollable, and then eject—which was equally likely to kill everyone. ‘Unbelievable.’

Yet, despite the B-58’s flaws, pilots and crews were in awe of it. The B-58 aircraft represented the apex of a bomber pilot’s career. All of them were volunteers, the best of the best, and they only wanted to fly. On the B-58 Hustler website, Lt. Col. Strank, a former B-58 pilot, provides a summary;

‘The delta wing made the aircraft handle differently than straight-wing aircraft, but the B-58 was firm, responsive, and was a joy to fly–although you were “flying” it even when you taxied. You had to pay attention to detail at all times, and you couldn’t really relax from the time you climbed on board until you parked and cut the engines.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

May 19, 2023 0 comment

History

The arrival of the first B-58 Hustler Supersonic Bomber at the Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB

by Till Daisd March 30, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The B-58 Hustler was the first bomber in history to be built with supersonic speeds maintained throughout the mission profile

The beautiful picture in this article, which was taken on February 15, 1958, shows the first Convair B-58 Hustler (55-665) arriving at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) Flight Test Center for Phase IV testing after completing a combined delivery and test flight (the center was renamed the Air Force Test Center on July 13, 2012).

It is noteworthy that this aircraft is currently being stored and is a part of the collection at the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Flight Test Museum.

The four-engine delta-winged aircraft, which made its first flight on November 11, 1956, was the first bomber in history built to maintain supersonic speeds throughout its mission profile. The Hustler stood out for its sophisticated inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, slim “wasp-waist” fuselage, and significant use of heat-resistant honeycomb sandwich skin panels in the wings and fuselage in addition to its delta wing design. A droppable, two-component pod beneath the fuselage held a nuclear warhead along with extra fuel, reconnaissance equipment, or other specialized gear because the thin fuselage disallowed carrying explosives internally.

A pilot, navigator/bombardier, and defensive systems operator made up the B-58 crew. Convair produced 116 B-58s, including 30 test and prototype models and 86 operational aircraft. Between 1960 and 1970, hustlers flew with the Strategic Air Command (SAC). B-58s set 19 world records for speed and altitude while also taking home five separate aviation medals.

Source: U.S. Air Force; Photo by Edwards History Office file photo / U.S. Air Force Base

March 30, 2023 0 comment

History

When Convair planned to turn the B-58 into a Supersonic Airliner

by Till Daisd July 30, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Convair stated in 1957 that it could adapt an MB-1C pod to accommodate five people beneath a B-58 and provide some initial experience with commercial supersonic travel, but not proposing a large SST of the sort that Lockheed and North Americans were considering

The B-58 Hustler was designed in the late 1940s, a time when the motto “faster and higher” served as the inspiration for the majority of military aircraft designs. It embodied the idea that a bomber could overcome harsh enemy defenses simply by having a lot of power and speed. A bomber that could avoid interception, get to its target quickly, and disable the enemy’s offensive capability was required due to the nuclear threat.

Convair created the first supersonic strategic bomber and, aside from the North American XB-70, the noisiest aircraft in the world by pushing the boundaries of technology and employing 10 years of experience in the construction of delta-wing aircraft. It could maintain a speed of 1000 mph for several hours while being mostly automatically piloted and controlled by a fighter-type control column.

In the mid-1950s, when maximum airspeeds were increasing almost annually, there was a determined effort made by the US aerospace industry to create a supersonic transport aircraft (SST). As explained by Peter E Davies in his book B-58 Hustler Units, because of the Hustler’s spectacular top speed of Mach 2.2, Convair felt that the company’s lead in creating the first relatively large supersonic vehicle should be converted into a civil transport initiative.

Convair first suggested in 1957 that it could adapt an MB-1C pod to take five passengers beneath a B-58 and provide some initial experience of commercial supersonic travel, even though it did not propose a large SST of the size that Lockheed and North Americans were considering. Additionally, it was believed that this experiment may advance the concept of quick transportation for crucial military personnel.

Convair then put forth the CV-58-9, an expanded Hustler-based design with four non-afterburning J58 engines from the B-58C, a B-58 wing, and a fuselage that could carry 52 passengers at Mach 2.4. The Anglo-French Concorde, for which basic design studies had started in 1956, would have been quicker than the CV-58-9, which was first conceptualized in 1960 and may have entered service as early as 1964.

When the American SST program received the official go-ahead in April 1961, BAC and Sud Aviation had already completed Concorde designs, using a slender delta wing that originated from prototype work with the Handley Page HP.115 research aircraft, and some of the data generated by the Convair XF-92A program — the latter had, of course, contributed to B-58 development. SST was developed in reaction to the possible threat Concorde posed to the US aviation industry, and it resulted in design contracts for Lockheed and Boeing, whose Mach 2.8 Model 2707 was chosen for further development. The CV-58-9 from Convair was not a contender.

It is conceivable that America’s unfavorable experiences with supersonic booms, primarily caused by B-58 flights, may have contributed to the US Congress’s decision to withdraw support for the SST in 1971, which was attributed in large part to the overland supersonic flight’s negative environmental effects. The Hustler was known for being the loudest airplane ever built by that point. In reality, the supersonic flights of the B-58As were usually restricted to a 1000-mile overwater route between Mobile, Alabama, and a point off the coast of Texas near Corpus Christi.

B-58 Hustler Units is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

July 30, 2022 1 comment