Purpose of aerial photographers

My uncle was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base and was killed when the B-50A planed crashed on a practice bomb drop. The year was 1950.
He was an aerial photographer. I have several questions to ask, please don't think them dumb.
1. Why would you need an aerial photographer on a practice bomb drop? I guess you needed to make sure the bomb dropped on target, or something else? I just don't understand.
2. Is there a B 50 anywhere that allows visitors to go inside the plane? I would like to see what the inside of the plane looked like.......not just a hull, but some semblance of what it looked like at the time.
3. If there isn't a B-50A, what is the next nearest plane like the B-50 and is there some place I can go to tour that plane?
4. How often were practice bomb drops done? Was this in preparation or fear of a nuclear attack? I mean they weren't using new technology (or were they) because it was an older plane?

Sorry if my questions seem naive. I just want to know more.
Thanks,
Sheilah Broughton

 

The B-50A is just an upgraded B-29 - the B-50's original designation was "B-29D" - with most of the modifications being external.

Answer to Questions #1 & #4
The B-50 in question, B-50A-10-BO Superfortress, 46-021 , c/n 15741(PLEASE NOTE - The serial number is sometimes given as 46-0021), was assigned to the 3200th Medium and Heavy Bomber Test Squadron of the 3200th Proof Test Group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200th_Proof_Test_Group So, there is a distinct possibility that they were testing new technology. As to why a photography was along...Given the nature of the 3200th, I can think of many reasons ranging from photographing/recording ongoing tests to photographing the tests from a B-50 acting as an observer aircraft.

Answer to Questions #2 & #3
Surviving airframes can be found on their respective Wiki pages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Boeing_B-29_Superfortresses#B-29_survivors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-50_Superfortress#Aircraft_on_display


Crash Information online:

The date varies(just like the serial number), and is given either as January 5th or January 6th, 1950.
http://www3.gendisasters.com/florida/18192/b-50-crash-in-choctawhatchee-bay-fl-jan-1950
http://fishingdestinguide.com/gpsCHOCTAWHATCHEEBAY.html
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=98663
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?SN=46-0021&Submit4=Go

Photo of the aircraft in question - doubtful:
http://www.edwards.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/061025-F-1234S-032.jpg
Although the top B-50 is identified by the USAF as 46-021, it is clearly 46-041. Further, it is correctly identified(for 46-041) as a B-50A-20-BO, and 46-021 was a -10.

Various(and good quality images) of the B-50 can be found here:
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/photos/media_search.asp?q=b-50&page=1

 

Hi,
Thank you so, so, so much for the info but if you answered question #1, I completely missed it. Why were aerial photographers needed?
Thanks,
Sheilah Broughton

 

This may help with your question.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_reconnaissance_in_World_War_II

 

Sorry, it seems that I accidentally deleted that part of my response.

Since the B-50 was with the 3200th Proof Test Group, the photographer could have been along for several reasons, such as:
- To photograph and record a test being performed by the B-50.
- The B-50 was being used as an observer aircraft and the photographer was along to photograph and record a test being performed by another aircraft.
- Just spitballing here(as I am not sure of this), but, if he was receiving flight pay, he was required to fly so many hours per month.

 

Hi,
Thanks for being patient with my request. I don't think it was option #2 above because there were no other planes involved in his particular practice drop. I'm guessing it was option #1 but I don't know. There is a part of my uncle's story that has not been told or is not part of the recorded events. He was not even suppose to have been on this particular flight. He was asked by a friend to fill in for him so that he (the friend) could go home for a family emergency...........that's the way my uncle was, always willing to help someone out. There were so many other family events that happened during the six week time frame surrounding his death............it was a terrible time for my family, not just because of the death of my uncle but also for other reasons. Our family was never the same. I'm trying to write a book about the entire story.........I don't know if I will ever finish it and even if I do, I might do nothing more than publish it for my children to pass down. I do have the actual reports, documents, testimonies etc. of the remaining crew members because there was an investigation...........my uncle survived the crash.His leg was messed up and he had a bad gash on his head and was unconscious but breathing.One of this fellow crew members pulled him over to the tail of the plane and laid him across it so that he could swim to the life raft and get help but by the time he got there and turned around,the plane had already sunk.