Convair B-36 Peacemaker

The Convair B-36 was a massive intercontinental strategic bomber developed for the U.S. Army Air Forces and later the U.S. Air Force. On its first flight, test pilots Beryl Erickson and Gus Green took the aircraft on a short maiden flight in August 1946. With a wing span of about 230 feet and a range on the order of 10,000 miles, it was one of the largest aircraft of its era.

The B-36 was originally conceived during World War II to allow the bombing of Germany directly from North America in the event that Britain fell and forward bases were lost. Although the war ended before it entered service, the aircraft's extraordinary range made it central to early Cold War strategic deterrence.

A total of several hundred B-36 bombers were delivered to the Air Force, where they formed the backbone of Strategic Air Command's long-range nuclear strike force in the late 1940s and 1950s. The piston-and-jet-powered giant was eventually replaced by all-jet bombers such as the Boeing B-52.