Air Force commander. The 9th flew three B-29s in the formation. During August 1948, the 9th received two more B-36As for a total of nine wing assigned B-36s. On 17 December, four B-36s from the 9th took part in a SAC maximum effort mission. A total of ten wing bombers flew missions to key cities in the United States. Those flights gave the American public their first look at the world's largest bomber. By October 1948, the wing possessed a total of 18 of the B-36A aircraft. Of those, the 9th Bombardment Squadron had five. On 19 November, the 9th transferred their final B-29 to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas. That transfer left the 9th an all B-36 squadron. In January 1949, the United States had a new President, Harry S. Truman, and the 9th participated in the B-36 formation to commemorate the inauguration at Washington D.C. On 15 February the 9th, along with the wing, flew a sixteen ship formation commemorating air'progress in an aerial review over Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. That formation was the largest B-36 formation to date of the world's largest bomber. In August 1950, the unit began participating in simulated bombing missions to Limestone Air Force Base, Maine at the rate of one per day. Maximum training requirements would be met on the missions along with fighter exercises. The missions would consist of simulated radar bombing of St Louis, Missouri. The exercise was very successful and the aircraft recovered at Carswell on 24 August 1950. In early 1950, Convair began conversion of the B-36As to the RB-36A reconnaissance configuration, and in August, the squadron began receiving the twin-turbojet fitted B-36D. In December 1950 the unit took part in flight to Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico. This was the first time wing B-36s had landed in Puerto Rico. Next, the 9th along with the wing participated in a special training mission to the United Kingdom, landing at RAF Lakenheath. The purpose of the mission was to evaluate the B-36D under simulated war plan conditions. This marked the first time that B-36s had flown outside US territory. The flight carried out a simulated night radar bombing attack on Helgoland, on the German coast. The aircraft returned to Carswell on 20 January In June 1951 three bomber crews were assigned to the Convair-operated Air Force Plant 4 at Fort Worth temporarily