My daddy worked on this project. He was a nuclear physicist, his name was Barry Spears. Cool plane.

THERE IS ONE PARKED AT THE ENTRANCE TO MOJAVE INT. AIRPORT CA.

I believe the major reason for the NB-36 was to verify that a nuclear reactor could maintain stability despite the flight vibration/shock environments. Conceivably, vibration could cause displacements in the position of the reactor control rods resulting in the reactor going super-critical. Ground tests, analyses, and simulation can only go so far in resolving this issue but only flight testing would put the matter to bed. I am sure the government was close to 100% sure no reactor incidents would occur but there is always some element of risk.

Hullo: A friend who completed his dad's contract at Oak Ridge searched for the NB-36. he was told it was so radioactive, it was dismantled (perhaps by robotic devices), and buried in the ground somewhere around Oak Ridge. That is the usual thing...bury it and not know if there is an Aquifir nearby or under it. Anybody want to trade photos of this aircraft, I only one or two not good quality, can trade for what you have. I have loads of all kinds of aircraft photography.
Dave

shame there isnt one in a museum

There were two NB-36s built. One was non-radioactive and, I think, scrapped in Ft Worth in 1958. The second, the nuclear test-bed, is parked somewhere far away from civilization...like a National Nuclear lab somewhere...does anybody know?

i flew one of these....back in the day.

Was the NB-36H rebuilt in Ft. Worth? Tornado damage suggests that. Or, was it done in Southern California?

I worked at Convair from 1955-1959 on the NB-36H as an electronics tec. We also had a 3 mega watt reactor which we did many tests on various equipment used by Nasa.

I started my days at Consolidated- Vultee with the B-36D and then went on to the C-T29B/C followed by the C-440 and later on the C-880/C-880M finishing my aircraft time with the C990/C990A. I retired from Convair after a long time with Atlas and AtlasII at both Harlingen TX.and Vandenberg AFB CA, Presently am doing research on writting an artical on all of Convair/Canadair a branch of G-D Turbo-Proped aircraft along with pictures and 1:144 scale models of same. I'm well into the whole line of Convair aircraft prior to WW2 and during same I presently have most of all the models produced and some I produced myself. I guess one could say I'm well into Aviation History. Maybe I might be hearing from you sometime. By the way the C-990 was leftout on the Convair Aircraft page 3 for 1960 thru 1962 period.