The Convair Division of General Dynamics had a factory at the East end of the airport that built B-24s during WWII.
This factory was responsible for making modifications to the B-36s - a program that ran from March 1950 to December 1952, when all modification work moved to Ft. Worth so that the Lindbergh Field factory could switch over their assembly line for the production of F-102s (1,000 of that fighter built).
The modification was to convert all B-36Bs into B-36Ds, and the San Diego plant converted 133 of them.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteI'm fortunate enough to have seen and heard B-36s fly when I was a child. There's one at the air museum in Atwater, Ca...you can walk around and under it. To look up into the bomb bay is an experience...
B-36 Peace Maker. Not quite as big as the Jesus Christ plane, (Hugh's Spruce Goose) but pretty close.
ReplyDeleteWas this called "The Aluminum Overcast"?
ReplyDeleteLindbergh Field, San Diego, no less!
ReplyDeletethat's my thinking too, as I'm in San Diego, and know how low the planes come in over Laurel st. And there is a palm tree in the photo, but I can't figure out why they'd be landing a B36 at Lindbergh unless that was where it was made (Convair) and they were coming back from a test flight
DeleteI thought it looked like San Diego when I first saw the picture. It's a little surprising when you are leaving the airport and see planes flying so low over the city.
Delete8MM film of the beast, looks like the filmier was leading the plane too much. Great shots of the roof tops though.
ReplyDelete