The Slice
Cold War Missile
12/4/2024 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Learn about a Cold War-era missile and what it was like to be the pilot carrying it through the air.
Learn about a Cold War-era missile and what it was like to be the pilot carrying it through the air.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
The Slice is a local public television program presented by PBS North
The Slice
Cold War Missile
12/4/2024 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Learn about a Cold War-era missile and what it was like to be the pilot carrying it through the air.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThis is our full scale model of a Genie nuclear missile.
Nine feet long, 850 pounds, one on each wing.
The best bomber killing weapon that the Air Force had.
It could not be jammed.
It could not be decoyed.
No matter what the bomber did, this was going to get it.
Part of the preflight included checking it for the knics, scratches.
I can remember going out to the barn with our safety officer, and I have been in the cockpit.
I've flown it.
But there was a different feeling about walking into this thing and coming up to that airplane with that AIR-2 1.7 kilotons of nuclear weapon, one under each wing that I was about to control.
We did the preflight, so we walk around the airplane.
You were running your hands over a nuclear weapon.
Checking that the safety pin is in, making sure that the fins were tied down and wouldn't be flopping in flight.
It was a real moment in time.
You know, I've been a dual fighter pilot, but now all of a sudden, Im more than that Im assigned to this airplane, this nuclear weapon on board.
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The Slice is a local public television program presented by PBS North