This is the nose section of a B-47 that was used in the filming of the move ’Strategic Air Command‘, starring Jimmy Stewart as Col. Robert ”Dutch“ Holland and June Allyson as his wife Sally. Holland was a WWII era flyer who was a famous and highly paid pitcher with the Saint Louis Cardinals baseball team. He was called up for active duty in the Strategic Air Command, where he flew the B-36 bomber. Holland eventually gave up baseball to fly the new B-47 jet bomber, but after a long overseas mission, an injury from a previous crash landing was aggravated, and Holland was grounded and no longer able to pitch.

The movie features fantastic flying scenes from the 1950s, with long sequences of B-36 footage, early jet fighters, and a B-47 scramble where several Stratojets take off in sequence. Of all the movies made about bombers, this is, by far, the best there is. The B-47 nose section is now on display at the March Field Museum in Riverside, California. I do not know the history of this nose section. It might have been a trainer or test article, but more likely, it was built for the movie. In any case, it is fascinating to study.