A Guided Tour of the B-36 Peacemaker

The Complexity of the B-36!

YouTuber Paul Stewart takes us through a guided POV tour of the Convair B36 J Peacemaker Cold War bomber. The plane is currently on display at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Omaha, Nebraska.

The Peacemaker is a high-altitude, long-range bomber that was designed for WWII. Back in the day, the fear was that Germany was going to invade the United Kingdom.

However, the B-36 didn’t enter production until the war was over. Thus, it was relegated as the main nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

This video gives viewers a detailed tour of the B-36’s interior. At 2:13 for instance, we get to see some pretty impressive ripples and creases in the fuselage skin. It also offers valuable insight into such complex and historic aircraft. Definitely an incredible display of American engineering!

All in all, this has got to be one of the best guided tours on YouTube as it offers pretty detailed information on such a massive plane. One of the things that stood out is that the plane actually has an amazing payload capacity.

It was tricky to build with such a large and open bomb bay. It was also briefly explained why the engines were in pusher configuration.

Additionally, the B-36 is well-restored and accessible. One of the most impressive things about it is that it seemed to have all the equipment still fitted inside.

Most equipment is usually hard to replace if something goes missing. The video also features the retracting armament to full effect albeit in older footage only.

Is the B-36 one of your favorite Cold War aircraft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!