[1949 NATIONAL AIR RACES w/ "MAGNESIUM CLOUD" B-36 PEACEMAKER BOMBER FLY-OVER]

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1949

Description:

Probably dating to 1949, this short home movie shows a family's visit to what appears to be the National Air Races air show. The film is significant because it shows a B-36 Bomber, also known as the Peacemaker, on the ground (1:12) and in the air (2:30). The aircraft shown has the insignia of the 7th Bomb Wing and the motto "Mors Ab Alto" which means "Death from Above" (1:26). The National Air Races flags are seen at (1:33). Some of the other imagery seen in the film includes a young woman wearing sunglasses (00:17), a parachutist gliding to earth (00:42), Meteor jet aircraft (1:09), and a massive flyover of aircraft (01:48) including B-29 bombers (2:14).

An article from 1949 states: "Air Force B-36 bombers will be featured in the aerial armada
over Cleveland, Ohio, during the National Air Races there, Sept. 3-5, according to Eighth Air
Force headquarters at Carswell AF base, Ft. Worth. Three bombers of the Seventh Bomb Group,
commanded by Col. John Roberts, will fly over the city each day."

The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in span and weight by the one-off Hughes H-4 Hercules. It has the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft. The B-36 was capable of intercontinental flight without refueling.

Entering service in 1948, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was replaced by the jet-powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress beginning in 1955. All but four aircraft have been scrapped.

Complete Record: Probably dating to 1949, this short home movie shows a family's visit to what appears to be the National Air Races air show. The film is significant because it shows a B-36 Bomber, also known as the Peacemaker, on the ground (1:12) and in the air (2:30). The aircraft shown has the insignia of the 7th Bomb Wing and the motto "Mors Ab Alto" which means "Death from Above" (1:26). The National Air Races flags are seen at (1:33). Some of the other imagery seen in the film includes a young woman wearing sunglasses (00:17), a parachutist gliding to earth (00:42), Meteor jet aircraft (1:09), and a massive flyover of aircraft (01:48) including B-29 bombers (2:14). An article from 1949 states: "Air Force B-36 bombers will be featured in the aerial armada over Cleveland, Ohio, during the National Air Races there, Sept. 3-5, according to Eighth Air Force headquarters at Carswell AF base, Ft. Worth. Three bombers of the Seventh Bomb Group, commanded by Col. John Roberts, will fly over the city each day." The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in span and weight by the one-off Hughes H-4 Hercules. It has the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft. The B-36 was capable of intercontinental flight without refueling. Entering service in 1948, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was replaced by the jet-powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress beginning in 1955. All but four aircraft have been scrapped.