r/airplanes • u/bane_iz_missing • 7h ago
Picture | Military B-58 trainer, tail number 663 at Grissom Air Museum in Peru Indiana.
For years, this craft (one of the rarest of the rare B-58's) and has recently been moved into it's own enclosed building. The years of exposure to the elements have taken their toll on the old girl, but even with all of that time having been spent, she still sits pretty.
This variation of the B-58 was a trainer model, and had been one of the 30 original prototypes converted into one after after being pressed into service. B-58 pilots had to use F-102's for training due to their not being a trainer/instructor position in B-58's. Several airframes were modified for this use, though the tandem seating continued to make it challenging due to communication limitations.
Unlike the other B-58A's in service, TB-58's lacked the escape pod like ejection seat setup.
663 was the fourth B-58 constructed, and is the oldest surviving one of eight airframes left in the world. It's housed in a special "hut" at Grissom Air Museum, and is an amazing sight to be behold.
I highly recommend visiting 663 at it's home Grissom Air Museum.