USAF in the 1950s

Link for biggerer and zooming in:
http://i.imgur.com/1ax0yyA.jpg

I really want to be able answer more than the about one I feel semi-confident on.

I can manage more than 1, but not more than a handful – I’m guessing the one you’re confident about is back left?

are we talking the exact designation or the generic name of the aircraft ?

Is the C130 really that old? (Assuming it is a C130!)

Well there are at least three I know of still in service (in their current variant), and another one still being used by NASA, if not USAF. I got 9 on my first look. I’d have no clue about exact designations and variants either, just overall airframe/type. I have an annotated version to post later.

Edit: C130A entered service in 1956!

11 for sure, 14 with some educated guesses.

I was expecting a C130.

Having done a bit of cheating, I suspect one I “knew” isn’t actually the designation I thought, but still known by the same generic name.

6 were easy including the rather sweet little helicopter. Another 8 on educated guesses and some Google image search.

Still leaves me another 8 to find!

Wasn’t aware that the septics used Canberra’s until now.

I have a suspicion that’s the one still in use by NASA

all but 1

7ish, but its foreign muck. Even the Canbera is Martin foreign muck.

Lots of goodness here
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@32.1538875,-110.8375637,179m/data=!3m1!1e3

got a name for all though exact marks would be tricky

17 for me.

The Canberra is a licence built example called a Martin B57 – NASA are still flying two or three modified examples used for high altitude “ground survey” work.

Only 11 for definite….

I did some work on a C130 back in September at Cardiff Airport it came of the production line in 1956

Yes, yes I can.

I can get most of them, but I won’t spoil any surprises.

BTW the google map of the Boneyard, there’s a modified B-57 with extended wings. The B52s shown have all been cut up because treaty terms dictate that Russian spy satellites will monitor the area and ensure that any strategic bombers are completely deactivated.

There’s a strict limit on how many B52s the US Air Force can have operational post Cold War.

due to childhood fascination with aeroplanes…

All of them, designations and names in about 45 seconds….

Sad

Here you go:

Linky for zooming:
http://i.imgur.com/ZsdS6KF.jpg

Where I found it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/3xzyyw/usaf_in_the_1950s/

And a post from there, by reddit user Avaric:

Left side, from top to bottom:

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (serial not visible) (likely C model because the large wing tanks were introduced with that model, as well as the white anti-flash paint scheme in this time period)
Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker (55-3121)
Boeing RB-47E Stratojet (51-5261)
Douglas RB-66C Destroyer (54-451) (redesignated EB-66C in 1966)
Martin B-57E Canberra (55-4244)

Second from left:

Lockheed RC-121D Warning Star (54-2306) (converted to EC-121T)
Lockheed F-94C Starfire (51-5658)
North American F-86D Sabre Dog (53-4047) (converted to F-86L)
North American F-100D Super Sabre (55-3514)

Center:

Convair B-36D Peacemaker (serial not visible, probably D model since has jet pods)
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (52-7548)
Cessna T-37 Tweet (serial not visible)
Convair F-102A Delta Dagger (serial not visible)

Second from right:

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II (possibly 52-953, hard to tell)
Boeing KC-97E Stratofreighter (51-210)
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (52-6480)
North American F-86H Sabre (52-1985)
McDonnell RF-101A Voodoo (54-1496)

Right side:

Boeing KB-50K Superfortress (51-452)
Lockheed C-130A Hercules (55-022)
Grumman SA-16A Albatross (51-048)
Northrop F-89H Scorpion (54-270)

Bonus, in the background. Another KB-50 and B-47. I see at least two more F-89s, another F-86H and 13 or 14 T-33s.

45 secs is pretty good. Not sad at all.
I am a USAF Cold War aviation geek.
I must admit I struggled a bit to remember the F-94 and needed some google help!
Great photo by the way.
Is it a B-29 or B-50? I reckon a B-50. But is a KB-50??

So it is a KB-50!

Ah, not quite, I didn’t think that was F100-D, I thought it was an A or at the very least a C

and I thought the F86 was a E

ah well.

someone needs to invent/code a simple virtual sealed envelope for stuff like this.

Great shot. I think I’ll always remember being near a Canberra when they fired the engines up and getting a flight in a C-130 back when I was a cadet.