Airborne Aircraft Carriers of the early 1950's

[ScudRunner-d95]

Check this out

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guest-bloggers/airborne-aircraftcarriers-of-the-early-1950s-by-hans-wiesman.html

[Barneydhc82]

There was a mod to the B-36 that allowed for a really silly looking little jet to be launched and retrieved via a trapeze in one of the bomb bays.

Barney

[Tailwind W10]

I don't believe the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was ever carried by a B-36, it was carried by a B-29.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_XF-85_Goblin

A later program with the B-36 used a Republic F-84 Thunderjet.


The earlier program was a failure, not in small part because of the turbulence generated from the monstrous trapeze the Goblin had to hook up to.  Apparently the airplane flew reasonably well, though performance was modest.

Gerry

[Barneydhc82]

Thanks for the correction.  I was working from a very old memory card... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Slick Goodlin]

Interesting how the Thunderjets (god I love that name) in the first pic are attached with a fair bit of 'toe out.'  I wonder if that's a drag thing (maybe the air just flows inward like that out there) or a structural thing for the protection of everyone's spars.