64 Votes (4.35 Average) and 8,964 Views  

AALF —
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AALF —

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William Crooker
I hate special effects photos. Maybe on drugs it looks cool.
Phil PrestonPhoto Uploader
It's a photo process called High Dynamic Range. Not a "special effect, William. That would be like something from a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. You'll be seeing more HDR processing in the future if you own a new 4K television set. Till then just look the other way.
Larry Toler
Looks cool to me, Phil. What aircraft is it? I see two props, a jet engine, and a drop tank.
96flstc
Maybe KB50-J ??
Greg Byington
It is a KB-50J, SN: 49-0372. I have a couple of shots of it posted in my FA gallery. Here is a link to one of them with more info:
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/729112-0e88a6395281d62f5070d49a064b135c2a388cb4/user/byingtongh/sort/date/page/9
Paul Wisgerhof
Appears to be a B-50 used as a test bed for the jet engines used on the B-47.
Mark Ryalls
Thanks for the information Greg and the link.
Greg Byington
You bet, Mark!
Graham Bwdn
Little too much HDR for my eye but a great shot none the less.
jthyland
B-29 with the bigger R4630 engines.
Revisions to the B-50 (from its predecessor B-29) would boost top speed to just under 400 mph (644 km/h). Changes included:
More powerful engines
Redesigned engine nacelles and engine mounts
Enlarged vertical tail and rudder (to maintain adequate yaw control during engine-out conditions)
Reinforced wing structure (required due to increased engine mass, larger gyroscopic forces from larger propellers, greater fuel load, and revised landing gear loading)
Revised routing for engine gases (cooling, intake, exhaust and intercooler ducts; also oil lines)
Upgraded remote turret fire-control equipment
Landing gear strengthened and takeoff weight increased from 133,500 lb / 60,555 kg to 173,000 lb / 78,471 kg
Increased fuel capacity with underwing fuel tanks being added.[14]
Improvements to flight control systems (the B-29 was difficult to fly; with increased weights the B-50 would have been more so).
Nose wheel steering rather than a castering nose wheel as on the B-29

Redesigned with a large upper fuselage grafted on, the B-50 design would form the basis for the Boeing 377 series of airliners and C-97/KC-97 military transports, with 816 of the KC-97 built. The B-29 and B-50 were phased out with introduction of the jet-powered B-47 Stratojet. The B-50 was nicknamed "Andy Gump" because the redesigned engine nacelles reminded aircrew of the chinless newspaper comic character popular at the time.
William Tucker
The KB-50J had J-47 jet engine pods under each wing for added speed when refueling jets. The pods beneath the wingtips housed hoses for the probe-and-drogue refueling system. 112 B-50s were converted to KB-50J specifications.
brian dubey
My historical guess is it is a B-50 with the jet engine and the extra built in fuel tanks on each wing. The B-29 was used as the test aircraft for adding jet engines not for the B-47 but for the next generation of bomber the B-36
Jeff Davis
What is the windscreen doing on the mounting pylon of the outboard "drop tank"? Was there a man in that pod during flight??
cliff731
Jeff Davis - No, not a man inside nor a crew station located there. More likely that's a clear glazing over a light... a wingtip taxi light perhaps.
Ross Meyer
Its a KC-97
Greg Byington
Phil, while I do like your pic, I don't understand what "AALF" means. You have it on all your pics, but it isn't a Reg/SN number, nor is it the ICAO code for the aircraft type. So, what is it?

And Ross, if you had read the earlier comments you would know that this aircraft is NOT a KC-97. It is a KB-50J.
donald kosmin
this is a KB50-J with (2) GE J47'S & (4) 4360'S. is a refueling tanker (converted B29) last aircraft I worked on in 1959 @ langley air force base Virginia.
Phil PrestonPhoto Uploader
Beats hell out of me, Greg. I didn't put AALF there. Might be something Flightaware tags on for some reason.
Greg Byington
Hmmm... That is curious about AALF. I wonder why that is. In any case, this is a nice pic, Phil.
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