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The Last of Its Kind ...
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| This is not the story of a boy and his dog, it's much more compelling than that. This is the story of a WB-50 and its pilot. This particular pilot graduated from an institute of higher learning associated with the United States Navy, but found his way to the US Air Force. Arriving at the 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, he began a long association with the WB-50D. He flew many, many, weather reconnaissance and atmospheric sampling sorties in the WB-50 throughout the world. One aircraft he often flew was tail number 49-0310, one of the newer B-50s. |
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| Here
we see 310, in the center of the picture, on a ramp full of WB-50D's
at McClellan. You can see that the external fuel tanks are not installed, but the "bug catcher" atmospheric sampling device is clearly visible on top of the aircraft. |
| The
pilot in our story, Colonel Pat Hanavan, USAF (Ret), became a test
engineer
at Wright-Patterson AFB after he was finished with his weather
reconnaissance flying. One day his boss was discussing some
upcoming test programs, and wondering out loud what type aircraft would
be best suited for the task. Pat knew that the last WB-50D's had
recently been delivered to Davis-Monthan. He suggested that
perhaps one of these would fit the bill. Next thing he knew, he
was on his way to Arizona. After reviewing the various aircraft
records, and physically inspecting the aircraft, 310 was selected to
fly
again. Configured for the test programs, and designated as a
JB-50D, 49-0310 was the last flying B-50 in the USAF, and Pat Hanavan
the last fully qualified B-50 Instructor Pilot. When it came time
for 310 to again head into retirement in
1968,
it was identified to regain its
Weather marking, and join the USAF Museum. Until
recently, it was very visibly displayed in the outdoor area.
(By the way, the USAF Museum is now
known as the National Museum of the
Air Force)
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| Whenever
Pat went by the museum, he'd be sure to take a look at "his"
aircraft. Earlier this year he noticed that 310 was gone!
More than a little curious, Pat contacted the museum, and found out
that 310 was moved into the new Cold War display in the brand new
museum building. Additionally, it was undergoing some
restoration. After hearing Pat's history with the aircraft, he,
and his family, were invited in for a private tour. |
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A chance to show your wife the other lady in your life |
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A chance to discuss the restoration efforts |
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Would
you like to look inside? Silly question...
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The crew chief always kept her cleaner than this, but it's still home... |
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Here
you can see that the "bug catcher" is missing
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Col Hanavan has stayed in touch with the folks from the museum. He is looking for a dropsonde operator or special equipment operator who could assist the museum restorers in accurately reconstructing the sampling equipment, which has been lost over the last 37 years. If you think you could help, contact him at: PatHanavan@aol.com |
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Looking
good in retirement, keeping history alive
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