Air Force·Weapon system retired·In Memoriam
B-58 Hustler Defensive Systems Operator
Served: 1960–1970
Ran ECM, fuel/CG management, and most copilot duties from an isolated rear cockpit on a Mach 2 nuclear bomber.
The Story
Aviation historians Gunston and Gilchrist call the DSO's station "the most complicated of any aircraft of the era." The DSO essentially had to learn to be a backup pilot — without a yoke, without a stick, without an artificial horizon in his line of sight.
Epitaph
“Mach 2 in a bathtub of dials. No stick. No window. Ten years and gone.”
Sources
- Wikipedia — Convair B-58 Hustleren.wikipedia.org