Boeing B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber first
flew on 17 December 1947, It was America's
first swept-wing all jet bomber. There
were over 2,000 B-47's produced, more
than any other Free World bomber since
WWII. This B-47 Stratojet (Serial number
50-0062) is a TB-47B, a training version
of the bomber aircraft. It was built by the
Boeing Airplane Company at Wichita,
Kansas and delivered to the US Air Force
on 7 February 1952.
This aircraft was first assigned to the
Stratgic Air Command's training wing at
McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. In
January 1957, the aircraft was re-designed
as a JTB-47B for the use as a flying test
platform. It was transferred to Eglin Air
Force Base, Florida, where it remained
for the rest of its service life. In April
1967, the aircraft was dropped from the
US Air Force inventory and was
allocated for museum use. The aircraft was
transported to The Mighty Eighth Air Force
Heritage Museum from Florence, S.C. in
1998 and has since been refurbished
largely by dedicated volunteers.
During the 1950s and early 1960s the B-47
played a vital role as a mainstay of the
United States nuclear deterrent forces.
The B-47s and their crews stood on nuclear
alert during the Cold War, prepared to
strike the Soviet Union and its client states
with only a few minutes warning. Stratojets
eventually equipped twenty-eight of
Strategic Air Command's medium bombardment
wings and also flew vital strategic
reconnaissance missions.
The swept-wing, multi-jet engine design
of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber provided
a model for commercial jet airliners from
the time of its introduction in the late
1940s through the 1960s. Commercial
aircraft such as the Boeing 707, the Boeing
747 and the Douglas DC-8 owe their
aerodynamic profiles to this Cold War
bomber.
This particular aircraft is painted to
represent a B-47 assigned to the 303rd
Bomb Wing. It stands as a tribute to the
World War II Eighth Air Force veterans
of the 303rd Bomb Group stationed at
Molesworth Base in England, whose
generosity made the restoration of this
aircraft possible. The red triangle "C"
depicted on the vertical fin did not appear
on the original aircraft. This World War II
insignia symbolizes the historic tie
between World War II and post- World
War II bomber units and aircraft.
TECHNICAL DATA
B-47 B
Length: 106.8 ft
Wing Span: 116 ft
Weight empty: 78,102 lbs
Crew: 3
Ceiling: 40,800 ft
Speed: 528 kn at 16,300 ft
Combat radius: 1704 mi
Combat weight: 122,650 lbs
Maximum bomb load: 25,000 lbs
Marker can be reached from Bourne Ave..
Courtesy hmdb.org
