Eisenhower-Era Planes Still Defending U.S.

Newsmax ^ | April 3, 2007 | Dave Eberhart

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“...Someone should tell President Bush that he, and not Congress, controls military spending...”

Please tell us all that you’re not that ignorant of the Constitution!

[alarm rider]

Agreed. The Buff is still a nasty deal, and the A-10 is being updated, it’s not “sexy” to fighter jocks, but it kills real nice and often.\. The C-130 is an aircraft that will never be obsolete, love em’, now and then.

[Candor7]

The B-52s of today are NOT what they were when they first equipped Strategic Air Command ( Remember SAC?).

They have had so many air frame modifications and smart upgrades electronically, that a pilot who left SAC in 1960 would hardly recognize today's cockpit control clusters outside the major maneuvering items.

B-52s? They should just build more new ones and add the laser anti-missle system to a few.

All this talk in the news about our ancient planes is a mere warm up for Dem pork.

[PAR35]

I don’t think the Navy plans to fight with Old Ironsides today though, would you want to?

It will be the most powerful ship at sea after EMPs fry everyone's electronics.

[3D-JOY]

I guess you are saying...”Follow the money”!

[Jack Deth]

BUFs (B-52s) and KC-135s Tankers will always be around. The AF is planning to re-furb the few BUFs left with four of the same fuel sipping GE turbo-fan engines that are now on most KC-135s.

And would have done so sooner if Clinton hadn't gutted the Military's Reserve, long-reach and nuclear deterance and sent that money to government set-asides!

My AF Reserve Unit has had GE upgraded KC-135s for nearly three years and though the planes are nearly as old (52) as I am, they are very low maintenace and fly like a dream!


Jack.

[Jack Deth]

Hi, Lokibob:

The first plane I ever turned a wrench and scraped a knuckle on was the C-130, back in 1973. I had no choice, I was at Little Rock, AFB. The biggest Herky patch on the planet.

A simple, straightforward aircraft that performs many, many tasks superbly well. It was also based on the initial design of the C-4 Waco glider from WWII.

I’ve worked E and F Model C-130s all around the world on TDYs and in the Reserves. The plane isn’t that Maintenance Intensive, compaerd to the later C-141s and C-5s. It may be slow, but it gets the job done and has paid for itself many times over through the years.

Jack.