S1 - S2 Take Off Performance Monitoring System B-47 SAC Interim Test; Conference Conducted By 3908 Strategic Standardization Group, 16-18 August 1960, Barksdale Air Force Base, La

Barksdale Air Force Base, LA: 3908 Strategic Standardization Group, 1960. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Spiral bound. Good. 9-hole punched. Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 10.75 inches. Pages stapled at upper left corner. Front page partially detached, strengthened with clear tape. 21 sheets with information on one side only. Variable pagination. Illustration. S1S2 Acceleration Monitor System. Due to changing operational commitments, CINCSAC is vitally interested in establishing and maintaining a jet aircraft takeoff performance monitoring systems which offers the highest possible degree of accuracy and effectiveness. With this in mind, the decision was made in May 1960 to test the time vs. speed system which is FAA approved and has been employed by the airlines for approximately three years. This system is based on a timed acceleration check between two indicated airspeeds, which can be compared against a pre-computed acceleration rate taken from charted values prior to takeoff. The system is adaptable to all aircraft and was tested by eighteen (18) units in SAC. Six (6) units each for B047, B-52, and KC-135 aircraft participated in the test which lasted approximately three (3) months and included minimum interval takeoffs. The reports were so favorable that it was decided to implement the program on a SAC-wide basis, with the ultimate intention of incorporating it in the flight manuals as a primary system. With this idea in mind, the 3908th SSG was host at a conference on 16 August 1960, wherein the attached procedures and interim check list changes were formulated to implement the system. Ink comments and changes noted on a number of pages. The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) was an American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. The primary mission of the B-47 was as a nuclear bomber capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union. Development of the B-47 can be traced back to a requirement expressed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in 1943 for a reconnaissance bomber that harnessed newly developed jet propulsion. Another key innovation adopted during the development process was the swept wing, drawing upon captured German research. With its engines carried in nacelles underneath the wing, the B-47 represented a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design, and contributed to the development of modern jet airliners. Suitably impressed, in April 1946, the USAAF ordered two prototypes, designated "XB-47"; on 17 December 1947, the first prototype performed its maiden flight. Facing off competition such as the North American XB-45, Convair XB-46 and Martin XB-48, a formal contract for 10 B-47A bombers was signed on 3 September 1948. This would be soon followed by much larger contracts. During 1951, the B-47 entered operational service with the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), becoming a mainstay of its bomber strength by the late 1950s. Over 2,000 were manufactured to meet the Air Force's demands, driven by the tensions of the Cold War. The B-47 was in service as a strategic bomber until 1965, at which point it had largely been supplanted by more capable aircraft, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The B-47 was also adapted to perform a number of other roles and functions, including photographic reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, and weather reconnaissance. While never seeing combat as a bomber, reconnaissance RB-47s would occasionally come under fire near or within Soviet air space. The type remained in service as a reconnaissance aircraft until 1969. A few served as flying testbeds up until 1977.

On 1 August 1961 the 3908th Strategic Standardization Group that provided command level standardization/evaluation of SAC aircrews merged with the 1st Radar Bomb Scoring Group, with the 1CEVG Radar Bomb Scoring Division acquiring the previous RBS Group's personnel, electronic equipment, and mission. 1CEVG RBS personnel managed Combat Skyspot operations during the Vietnam War.