B-36 Peacemaker Museum facts for kids
The B-36 Peacemaker Museum is a non-profit group. Its main goal is to save and share the rich history of aviation in North Texas. They work hard to preserve important aircraft and stories for everyone to learn from.
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The B-36 Peacemaker Museum
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Why the Museum Started
The museum was first created to protect and display a very special airplane. This was the last Convair B-36 ever made. Out of 386 B-36 planes built between 1945 and 1954, only four are still complete today.
The specific plane the museum wanted to save was the B-36-J-III 52-2827. It was nicknamed City of Fort Worth. This giant aircraft was built in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1954. The Air Force received it on August 14, 1954. It was retired from service on February 12, 1959.
The Plane's Journey and Restoration
After its retirement, the City of Fort Worth was displayed at Amon Carter Field. This airport later became Greater Southwest International Airport. It stayed there from 1959 until the late 1970s. Then, it was moved to Carswell Air Force Base.
Being outside in the Texas weather caused the huge plane to slowly get damaged. In the early 1990s, the aircraft was taken apart. It was then moved indoors to a hangar. This space was kindly given by Lockheed Aircraft, where the plane was originally built.
A group of dedicated volunteers worked hard to restore the plane. Many of these volunteers were retired Convair employees. They had even worked on the original B-36 assembly line. They spent an amazing 40,000 hours fixing up the aircraft!
Moving the Giant Plane to Arizona
The B-36 aircraft is officially owned by the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). However, it was on loan to the B-36 Peacemaker Museum. In 2006, it was decided that the Peacemaker Museum did not have enough resources. They couldn't properly restore and show the aircraft.
So, the plane was carefully moved by truck to the Pima Air & Space Museum (PASM). This museum is located in Tucson, Arizona. There, the plane was restored further. It is now on display for visitors to see. The dry climate in Tucson is much better for outdoor aircraft displays. It helps prevent the kind of damage that happened in Fort Worth.
Since the National Museum of the United States Air Force still owns the aircraft, the future plans for the B-36 Peacemaker Museum are still being decided.
