USAF Lucky Lady II 46-0010
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements.
It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for the United States Air Force.
Not as well known as its direct predecessor, the B-50 was in USAF service for nearly 20 years.
After its primary service with SAC ended, B-50 airframes were modified into aerial tankers for Tactical Air Command (KB-50) and as weather reconnaissance aircraft (WB-50) for the Air Weather Service.
Both the tanker and hurricane hunter versions were retired in March 1965 due to metal fatigue and corrosion found in the wreckage of KB-50J, 48-065, which crashed on 14 October 1964
Aircraft on display[]
From the 370 produced only 5 B-50 aircraft survive today, :
- B-50A Superfortress, s/n ' Lucky Lady II (46-0010)
Lucky Lady II (46-0010)
- Is disassembled and the fuselage is stored outside
- at Planes of Fame in Chino, California.
- WB-50D Superfortress, s/n (49-0310)
- At the National Museum of the United States Air Force
WB-50D (49-0310)
- at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
- WB-50D Superfortress, s/n (49-0351)
- at the Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.
49-0351
- This was the last B-50 which was flown, being delivered to MASDC at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona on 6 October 1965.
- It was put on display at the Castle Air Museum in 1980.
- KB-50J Superfortress, s/n (49-0372)
- at the Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to
KB-50J Superfortress, s/n (49-0372)
- Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona.
