[quote="sandiego89"][quote="Spectre_I"][quote="carseneau"]As part of the restoration team I was able to view the cockpit areas on the B-58 during a maintenance inspection. It's been a while but as I recall the front and rear cockpits are pretty well striped but not sawsall striped as we have seen in some other aircraft. Entry was made through the rear canopy (very heavy) and we were able to crawl through the center cockpit to the front. Pilot and co-pilot seats were in the front cockpit and seat was still in the rear but center section was modified to hold various banks of electronic test equipment as I was told 666 was used as a test bed for what I don't know. There were dozens of cannon plugs wrapped in plastic bags secured with rubber bands when electronics were removed.
Your team is very fortunate to have found a replacement front gear. Hopefully main bogie and be repaired for static. Always hoped to be able to put her back on her feet but we didn't really have a decent way to lift her up to get the bogie repaired not to mention the time and money thing.[/quote]
Hello! 666 was a test bed for the noise suppression exhausts for the XB-70. After that, off to electrician school. Were you there when the gear got busted? We have our theory, but we'd love to talk to a witness.
[url=http://s411.photobucket.com/user/Spectre_I/media/B-58/066testnoise%20testing_i_zpsl943bgsd.jpg.html][img]http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/Spectre_I/B-58/066testnoise%20testing_i_zpsl943bgsd.jpg[/img][/url][/quote]
Great bonus photo of the "Tijuana Taxi" school bus! You see her in many XB-70 and B-1 trials, often driving alongside in taxi tests.
"Noise suppression" on the XB-70 may be a relative term
...would have loved to hear her (or a B-58) in real life. Old family friends were stationed at B-58 base and reported they would beat up the base on a regular basis- they definitely knew when they were flying![/quote]
Spectre, I was not there when the nose gear was broken. The story I heard was that the Hustler had been on static for many years on a street corner on the base not far from the museum. The plan was to tow the aircraft and a local farmer stepped up with a tractor to do the tow. The years on outdoor static had seized the pivot of the nose gear and it snapped when they tried to make a turn during the tow. That is the story I heard but I wasn't there. If anyone knows it to be inaccurate, I would be pleased to be corrected.