Specialty Press' Magnesium Overcast: the story of the B-36

Aviation of the 1940s and 1950s was one of great strides in both aircraft performance and size. One plane that defintely fits into the size area is the B-36. In the time before aerial refueling became the norm, the only way to get the range one needed for intercontinental bombers was to build them big. This also allowed these planes to carry heavy loads. Nuclear bombs of the time were quite heavy and needed a plane that had the lift capability. They were also rather large and so we have planes like the B-36; able to carry large loads a long distance without refueling.

Though in service a relatively short time, as was the norm in those days, the aircraft fulfilled its role as a deterrent more than as a combat aircraft. Those of us who have seen these plane during that time, have always gone away from the experience quite impressed by the size of these planes. Developing such an aircraft was not an overnight process and this story is superbly told by author Dennis Jenkins. The depth of the research is top notch and within the book itself is more than the simple story of one aircraft. There are the projects with which this plane was associated. The XF-85 parasite fighter was developed for the B-36 and while the plane itself was a failure, it did lead to the FICON aircraft which used the same principles to carry an RF-84K during a short operational period. Even now, the missions that were performed are classified. The program was terminated once the U-2 became operationsl.

The B-36 was also America's only flying nuclear power station, developed during a period of time when it was thought that nuclear power could power an aircraft. Though actually powering the plane was never done, the aircraft did fly with the power plant in operation. Then there were the off-shoots of the B-36. The huge XC-99 cargo plane and the equally large XB-60 strategic bomber. The story of these aircraft is also covered in this volume. There are 350 color and black and white photos to help tell the story along with a listing of every plane built.