Snoopy’s Fuzzy Nose ::::: Convair B-58 Hustler
I’ve had one eyeball on three derelict Cold War aircraft (this B-58 and 2 B-52s) on the fringes of Edwards AFB for about 10 years. Last year one of my past students, Noel Kerns, slipped in under the radar there to night shoot them. Since then a number of other night shooters (Stephen Freskos, Amy Heiden, Calvin Caneda, to name a few) have made the trek as well. Last full moon I was thrilled to be able to make my own statement here. Thanks to my current student, Ron Pinkerton, for driving!
This B-58 (named Snoopy because of its enlarged, drooped, fiberglas nose, once filled with experimental radar test gear) is one of only 8 survivors. The other 7 are lovingly restored examples, on display in major aviation museums, but poor Snoopy here is relegated to a slow death, forgotten in the high desert, miles from the nearest habitation. Tragic really, but at the same time, it’s the only B-58 that I’ll ever be able to get this intimate with. For me, the mach 2-capable Hustler is one of the most beautifully ballistic aircraft ever built, easily one of my top 5, all-time favorites, so I didn’t have any trouble spending 6 relaxing hours contemplating it’s sexy lines while my long exposures burned in. This is about 25 minutes worth of stacked exposures, lit only by the moon. Many more to come. B-58 history on Wikipedia.
