AIRLINES: KEEP 'EM FLYING

Air Classics, Sep 2004

Since another B-36 had been housed in the museum, the Air Force had to figure out what to do with old 571. An ad was placed in Trade-A-Plane advertising the B-36 for sale at the near-free price of $2500! However, the buyer had to dismantle or remove the giant from the base at his own expense.

A collector in Ohio purchased the aircraft and then dismantled it bit by bit and moved them to his remote collection where they remained stored and open to the elements to this day. To my knowledge, it is the only B-36 that was once displayed as a museum piece to end its life thusly. Fortunately, other B-36s survive - the one at the USAF Museum and others at Castle AFB, Offutt AFB, and a fourth which is being restored by enthusiasts in Texas.

Ray Bottom, Jr.

Col. USAF (Ret.)