Lucky Lady II
Lucky Lady II | |
---|---|
Lucky Lady II (46-0010, below) being refuelled by a KB-29M (above) | |
Type | Boeing B-50A Superfortress
|
Construction number | 15730 |
Serial | 46-0010 |
Owners and operators | United States Air Force |
In service | 1948–1950 |
Fate | Badly damaged in accident – fuselage preserved |
Preserved at | Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California
|
Lucky Lady II is a
The Lucky Lady II was a B-50 of the
Bearing a total crew of 14, the aircraft started its round-the-world trip at 12:21 p.m. on February 26, 1949. It took off from Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth, Texas, and headed east toward the Atlantic Ocean.
After flying 23,452 mi (37,742 km), the aircraft passed the control tower back at Carswell on March 2 at 10:22 am, marking the end of the circumnavigation, and landed there at 10:31 a.m. after having been in the air for 94 hours and one minute, landing two minutes before the estimated time of arrival calculated at take-off.[1]
En route, the aircraft was refueled four times by
The aircraft flew at altitudes between 10,000 to 20,000 ft (3,000 to 6,100 m) and completed the trip around the world at an average ground speed of 249 mph (401 km/h; 216 kn).[1]
General
The aircraft's crew were each awarded the
Another B-50 named Global Queen had taken off on February 25 with the same mission, but was forced to land at
Other aircraft named Lucky Lady
Lucky Lady II was the name of a B-17 of the 338th Bomb Squadron, which was shot down near
Lucky Lady II was also one of three similarly named aircraft, each of which was part of a historic circumnavigation on behalf of the United States Air Force:
Lucky Lady I was one of three
Lucky Lady I, commanded by First Lieutenant A.M. Neal, together with Gas Gobbler, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel R.W. Kline, completed the 20,000 mi (32,000 km; 17,000 nmi) flight in 15 days, after making eight stops along the way and flying for 103 hours and 50 minutes.[2]
Lucky Lady III was one of three
Status
The plane later suffered an accident, and only the fuselage was preserved.[citation needed] The fuselage of the aircraft, designated B-50A-5BO 46-0010, is on display at
See also
- Operation Power Flite – B-52 around-the-world simulated bombing mission in 1957, with a total time airborne of 45 hours and 19 minutes
- Coronet Bat – B-1B around-the-world bombing mission in 1995, with a total time airborne of 36 hours and 13 minutes
References
- ^ a b c d e f Waggoner, Walter H. (March 3, 1949). "First in History; High Officials Greet the Plane as It Ends Hop at Fort Worth". nytimes. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Lucky Ladies I, II AND III". afhso.af.mil. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "BOEING KB-29M AND B-29MR". nationalmuseum.af.mil. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Boeing TB-29N Superfortress 45-21705, 01 Mar 1949". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ Smith, Richard K. "Seventy-Five Years of lnflight Refueling Highlights, 1923–1998 S" (PDF). afhso.af.mil. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Flying & Static Aircraft". planesoffame.org. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
External links
- Factsheets: Boeing B-50A Lucky Lady II – National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
- The short film 15 AF Heritage – High Strategy – Bomber and Tankers Team (1980) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.