Paris in Retrospect

Abstract

NO visitor to the Twenty‐fourth International Air Show at Le Bourget would deny that the two most spectacular exhibits were provided by the United States of America. Small and insignificant as it must have appeared to many, the Mercury Capsule in which Commander Shepard of the U.S. Navy made his sub‐orbital ballistic flight on May 5 was shown throughout the period of the Show and attracted a steady stream of interested viewers. Significant as this item was, however, the first place for achievement combined with showmanship must be awarded to the record‐breaking Convair B.58 Hustler of the U.S. Strategic Air Command which made the flight from New York to Paris in 3 hours, 19 minutes and 41 seconds. The flight involved two air‐to‐air refuelling sessions, carried out with the assistance of Boeing KC. 135s— the tanker versions of the Boeing 707 civil transport. If we attempt for a moment to relegate the two more obvious features of this achievement—the blunt reminder of the supersonic capabilities of the Strategic Air Command and the purely theatrical attraction of world‐wide interest to the Salon in general, and the American exhibits in particular—we are left with the uncomfortable reminder that the United States is now in possession of a large, supersonic, operational aircraft, capable of transatlantic flights, albeit for the present requiring the assistance of in‐flight refuelling. Details of a number of Convair projects have been published which show how this bomber could be adapted to a passenger carrying role, and although the aircraft would require some major modifications it could provide a useful link with successful civil supersonic transport. There is no doubt that if the American industry decides to construct a light alloy Mach 2 plus airliner, then the seeds of its success will have been nurtured by the experience gained from the Convair B.58. In a final reference to this magnificent aircraft, we must express our sorrow at the tragic loss of the record‐breaking Hustler and its crew, on June 3 while participating in the Show. Some eye‐witnesses contend that the pilot carried out a form of flick roll following his passage over the airfield, and although this has not been officially denied, it is readily apparent that such a manoeuvre, carried out at low‐level in an aircraft equipped with what amounts to a huge under‐fuselage pod, could only be regarded as hazardous in the extreme.

Citation

(1961), "Paris in Retrospect", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 33 No. 7, pp. 187-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb033429