Pipe Creek Township in Grissom Air Force Base in Miami County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Convair B-58 "Texas Hustler" Rocket Sled

— Grissom Air Museum —

Convair B-58 Rocket Sled Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, September 5, 2026

1. Convair B-58 Rocket Sled Marker

Inscription. The only one of its kind in existence, this B-58 Rocket Sled (referred to as "The Texas Hustler") was designed and tested at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico in the early 1950's to develop and evaluate emergency ejection seat systems for the B-58 Hustler program. The world's first supersonic strategic bomber could fly faster and higher than any Soviet fighter airplane of that era, but those capabilities presented significant dangers to the crew.

Convair built this scale model of a B-58 fuselage to test a variety of emergency egress (ejection) systems. Mounted on a test track and accelerated to supersonic speed by use of rocket motors, Air Force engineers ejected a succession of crash dummies and then live bears out of the sled before trying it out on a human. The worst job in the Air Force at that time may have been unstrapping a live bear after he had survived a supersonic ejection. Testing led to the creation of an innovative individual crew ejection capsule, which enveloped and protected a crewman from the elements and wind forces at speeds up to Mach 2 and altitudes up to 70,000’. (Be sure and visit our Crew Ejection

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Capsule exhibit, inside the Museum.)

With the withdrawal of the B-58 from frontline service in 1969, this rocket sled was used for other testing programs at Holloman until being donated to the 8th Air Force Museum, Barksdale AFB Louisiana. The Rocket Sled was trucked here in March, 2018 by Guyer Movers of Peru and is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

This exhibit is the property of the US Air Force and maintained through your participation in the Grissom Air Museum donor program.

Erected 2018 by Grissom Air Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military.

Location. 40° 40.133′ N, 86° 7.763′ W. Marker is in Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, in Miami County. It is in Pipe Creek Township. It is at the intersection of West Hoosier Boulevard and U.S. 31, on the right when traveling west on West Hoosier Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 W Hoosier Boulevard, Peru IN 46970, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana.

Convair B-58 Rocket Sled and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, September 5, 2026

2. Convair B-58 Rocket Sled and Marker

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Grumman F-14B (here, next to this marker); Douglas TA-4J (a few steps from this marker); Safe Ramp Tower (a few steps from this marker); North American Aviation F-100C (within shouting distance of this marker); Bell Aircraft Corporation UH-1H-BF (within shouting distance of this marker); Boeing EC-135L (within shouting distance of this marker); EC-135L (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grissom Air Force Base.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.