Produced by the Stanley Aviation Corp. as part of their contract for Convair, “Escape and Survive” details the development of the escape capsule for the B-58 Hustler. Convair’s B-58 was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight, and that aspect posed a unique challenge for aircrew survival. The solution was a large crew capsule that would eliminate the effects of wind blast.
The B-58 aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the 1960s. It used a delta wing, which was also employed by Convair fighters such as the F-102, with four General Electric J79 engines in pods under the wing. It carried a nuclear weapon and fuel in a large pod under the fuselage rather than in an internal bomb bay.
Replacing the Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber, it was originally intended to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet fighters. The B-58 received a great deal of notoriety due to its sonic boom, which was often heard by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.
The introduction of highly accurate Soviet surface-to-air missiles forced the B-58 into a low-level penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value, and it was never employed to deliver conventional bombs. This led to a brief operational career between 1960 and 1970, when the B-58 was succeeded by the smaller, swing-wing FB-111A.
Stanley Aviation Inc. was founded in 1948 by Robert M. Stanley, a former Naval Aviator, with considerable experience in the Aviation field. Mr. Stanley had been the Vice President of Engineering at Bell Aircraft, participating in many flight test and engineering programs including the Bell X-1, and X-2 programs. The company designed and built many diverse products prior to entering into the escape and egress engineering field.
See our friend’s website, http://www.ejectionsite.com/stanley/, for more information about the Stanley Aviation Corp. and the B-58 survival system.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2K. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
