Thinking Outside the Box by bmac62
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Description
...See that big hook on top of the nose of this plane?
...In the early 1950s Cold War, the US Air Force had a dilemma. It was flying huge propeller driven B-36 bombers that were too slow to survive Soviet Air Defenses...or even to get to assigned targets.
...Early jet fighters were fast but had relatively short ranges and aerial refueling was still an unproven concept.
...The RF-84K Thunderflash was designed to be carried underneath a modified B-36 near to a reconnaissance or attack target, be released for a dash to the target and return to hook back up for a return to home base.
...prototypes proved the system worked but with even the most experienced pilots there were many near disasters during rehook-up. Imagine flying several hundred miles per hour a few feet from another aircraft and trying to thread a needle with that hook! Yikes:)
...by 1956, more advanced aircraft and reliable mid-air refueling techniques allowed this program to be shelved.
...for the aviation enthusiasts among you who'd like to see what this complex arrangement looked like, Click Here.
Bill
P.S. Location: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.
"Automotive Abstract"
Comments (33)
jayfar
A great piece of aviation history Bill and a great shot to boot.
durleybeachbum
Well I never! Amazing!
jendellas
Great capture & good info!!!
awjay
sounds pretty tricky
Blush
Awesome capture Hugs Susan~
T.Rex
Nice photo and very interesting article. The Germans developed a piggy-back system which never got far development-wise due to the end of the war. This system was to use the bomber's bomb bay as a storage for the jet fighter/bomber. I wonder if it had been more feasible if the small plane had "landed" on the back of the bomber instead. Thanks for the info! :-)
MrsRatbag
Sounds frighteningly difficult! Great capture, Bill, love the spotlights in the hangar, they look like stars!
Osper
Nice shot, difficult mission. This would be a loooooong mision if you were in the 84.
drace68
Gahh. if the hook fails, you're on your own. Not good.
cfulton
No wonder those pilots walked so funny... they had big ... Umm. Super capture of a piece of technological history, Clive
helanker
A really beautiful POV of this plane.
fallen21
Excellent capture.
sandra46
SUPERB CAPTURE
bazza
How interesting Bill had never heard of this before but then I'm not a plane fan lol.. Super capture of this plane my friend!!
blinkings
What a fantastic photo and post. I could imagine Roger Ramjet flying this! Worse than trying to refuel a fighter in the air for sure!
goodoleboy
Stellar ambience of clarity, detail and lighting effects in this cool inhangar foto, Bill. Never heard of this experiment during the postwar years of aircraft development. I'm surprised it got this far considering the touch-and-go hazards and speeds involved.
Faemike55
Fascinating bit of information, to be sure. I think I'd opt to do a carrier landing at night blindfolded and in a straight jacket before I'd try that procedure
flavia49
marvelous image!!
nikolais
stunning capture of the stunning machine, Bill!
lyron
Cool capture!!
auntietk
Wow ... look at that floor!! :)
hipps13
had to scroll back up to look at that floor That Tara pointed out the many colors smile as me eyes go round really cool info as well as the capture stares warm hugs, Linda
whaleman
Interesting shot and info!
neiwil
Hmmm, well I'm well aware of 'parasite' fighters but I've never come across this one before! Great info and an excellent photo, the link is also appreciated. An unusually angular lower nose profile, I'm assuming they are camera ports? I actually wouldn't mind giving this one a spin as a photo platform, certainly appears to have excellent shootdown capability...
bobrgallegos
Awesome Image and info!!
jocko500
wow they mush be real good flyers then. cool shot
tofi
Excellent composition of this beast! :) I love the background and the lighting you've captured here. A fascinating caption as well, that leaves much room for thought. Beautifully captured and composed!
danapommet
I thought that I knew my military aircraft but I missed this one completely. Great shot and thanks for the link. Dana
beachzz
Dang, that's just crazy--near disasters, indeed!!
makron
Very interesting photo and information.