Right one-third of flight engineer's panel.
By Donald R. Maxion. 1998
The Convair B-36 was a 10 engine aircraft with 6 reciprocating engines plus four jets. A flight engineers dream.
Our B-36 test flight crews included a pilot, co-pilot, four Flight engineers, a radar operator and a radioman.
At Convair San Diego, two flight crews consisting of eight men each made up the flight test teams.
The Convair crew's function was to receive the B-36 aircraft from production, modification or major maintenance and then shake down the aircraft before transferring the aircraft from the builder to an Air Force flight crew. Sometimes the Convair crew would deliver the B-36 to an Air Force base.
The shake down testing consisted of ground inspection, operation of systems on the ground, engine runs and finally a flight test. During flight test all systems were operationally tested including simulated atomic bomb drops over a predetermined target, operation of all guns and cannons, dive tests including speeds over red line, feathering and unfeathering the reciprocating engine's propellers, shut down and start up of the jet engines, manual emergency drop of the landing gear and instrument landing systems, to mention only a small portion of the tests required to be satisfactorily performed.
A typical test flight of a B-36 could take 3 or more flight days depending on the success of each flight.
The flight crew would receive their notice in the early AM any day of the week and was expected to be at the flight crew office not later than 2 a.m. Several station wagons would take the flight crew, with all necessary gear, directly to the flight line. Our gear could consist of parachute, Maywest, oxygen leg bottle, shark repellent, flares and a knife. We also carried several emergency gear boxes which included such things as crowbars, cutters etc. We would stow our parachutes and other gear at our assigned stations.
Flight engineers occupied the flight engineers panel, the jump seat adjacent to the flight engineers panel, radio operators station and at the two scanners positions in the rear pressurized cabin. Flight engineers would often rotate position assignments, sometimes during a flight.
Right one-third of flight engineer's panel.
Following stowing of gear, which included a large box of emergency gear, each crew member was assigned an inspection section of the aircraft. Typically, a flight engineer would climb up the landing gear inspecting for hydraulic leaks, loose cables and so forth and then continue into the wheel well. You could stand up in the wheel well without difficulty. After inspecting the wheel well the flight engineer would continue his inspection through the wing especially looking for gasoline leaks, metal cracks etc. The most difficult section of the wing to physically inspect was that section outboard of the number 1 and number 6 reciprocating engines.
To move to that position, the flight engineer would have to climb over a tight crawl space over the engine. Occasionally the engine would be operating. Flight engineers would also perform this same inspection following decent from altitude.
The ground inspection would take 3 or 4 hours. Following the detailed walk around inspection, the engines would be ground tested for several hours. One flight engineer would remain on the ground during the engine tests in communication with the crew and specifically with the flight engineer assigned to the flight engineers panel. Often the engine runs were accomplished during the dark of the early morning and completed by sunup.
With ground checks completed and all crew members on board, station areas inspected and checked out, our parachutes and Maywest’s were put on. Each parachute was stenciled by crew member name and was specifically sized and sewn to fit one individual so that adjustments were not necessary when they were put on. All you had to do was buckle up. The jet engines as well as the reciprocating engines were started for take off. Typically, the take off took place toward the southeast and over the city of San Diego.
During the climb to altitude a number of tests were accomplished.
Many tests were performed at a predetermined parameter over the red line. As an example, our dive test was performed at a given percentage over the red line. Eventually we would climb to 40,000 feet. Back in the 50s, 40,000 feet was considered to be very high. The biggest problem that we would have during the final climb is that military jets would scramble to make simulated passes at us. Very often, the military jet would turn too tight and lose control, go into a stall or some other dangerous situation. In fact, a Convair civilian flight crew flying a B-36 test from Carswell AFB crashed as a result of a military jet losing control and flying into the B-36. Only a few survived that accident as I remember. One name that comes to mind was a flight engineer that I knew named B.B. Gray.
At forty thousand feet we had a number of tests to run depending on the version of B-36. One test that I recall was that a flight engineer would go on pressurized oxygen and out to the bomb bay. He would take position, midway between the length of the two bomb bay doors. There he would strap into a crew chair and plug into the oxygen system and communications system. The bomb bay was not pressurized. Once he reported in, the bomb bay door would be exercised to simulate a bomb drop. The flight engineer would assure that all the bomb locks actuated. The flight engineer would also, upon command from the pilot, open the 20mm cannons enclosures, bring the cannons out of their stowed positions and perform a firing sequence.
One of the last tests we would perform was an automatic Instrument landing System test at a field In Long Beach California. We would enter the flight path fairly hot and break off from the automatic system as soon as the test parameters were achieved. We would not land but go to climb power in preparation for the next test. We would then fly at speed over the red line at 500 feet over the water for a given period of time, climb to altitude and typically then head for home.
Another test on the way home at about 5000 feet was for the flight engineers, usually two, to do an inspection of the bomb bay and the two wing internal sections. We looked for gasoline leaks since the change from 40,000 feet to 5000 feet often resulted in fuel clamp leaks. Our job was to tighten up any fuel lines that seeped or leaked.
The final test prior to landing was to accomplish an emergency manual drop of the landing gear. This Involved again, two flight engineers. An opening in the fuselage gave access to the wing root where the landing gear was up and locked. One flight engineer would remain In the fuselage and observe the progress of the flight engineer who went out into the wing and report that progress to the pilot. The flight engineer who went into the wing would climb up on pegs extending out of the rear spar to a narrow platform over the landing gear. Attached to the platform was a ratchet wrench with a cable and hook assembly. The flight engineer would attach the hook to the landing gear and canoe door up-lock mechanism. The Flight Engineer would then slowly ratchet the hook assembly to pull the up-lock mechanism to the unlock position. There would be a loud bang and much air turbulence as the up-lock pin was pulled and the Canoe door and landing gear started to drop. The Flight Engineer would then dangle his feet and legs off the narrow platform and the Flight Engineer in the bomb bay would lean out to help place the feet of the Flight Engineer still hanging on to the rear spar structure onto the foot pegs so as to guide him back into the aircraft. A very hairy procedure.
During our approach for landing, the pilot would rev up the engines so that all the wives would know to start dinner, no matter how late. The sound of the B-36 during landing was very distinctive. After landing, a short debriefing was held and reports finalized and signed.
We were a team and really cared about one another. Over the years we held crew reunions. During the last reunion, there were only two remaining, Roy Sommers the radio operator and Don Maxion a Flight Engineer. Roy died in August 1996.
