Posted on 12/26/2013 8:48:58 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (carrying on the name from the B-17 “Flying Fortress” and B-29 “Superfortress”) first entered USAF in 1955. The current variant of the BUFF is the ‘H’ model which entered service in 1963, so unless there is a crew person on board older than 49 years, the airframe is older!
Current plans are for the B-52 to remain flying through 2040 due to its ability to ‘loiter’ and its best-of-class 80% at last measurement. As of January 2013, 78 of the original 744 B-52 aircraft (a/c) were operational in the U.S. Air Force with an inflation-adjusted fly-away (original) cost of $81 million. No matter what you say about the several upgrades for each and every a/c (it is said that there are dials that have been disconnected for YEARS, this is one defense contract that has been a spectacular success!
Roger that. Best movie ever made.
At Ellsworth, we called this just another day at the office.
Interesting photo. I wonder what that under wing pod is between engines 6 and 7 is. Never seen that before on a 52.
B-52s out of Omaha flew low and slow across southern Iowa in the mid 1960s when I was in high school. One kid in our study hall looked out the window of the library when a Buff sailed by and yelled, “Air Raid...”
Grew up on Barksdale and did High School at Ellsworth. I know the sounds well.
Bookmark.
During Gulf I, my office was on the Chicopee MA line and we had C5’s and all sorts of other planes taking off and landing every five minutes or so.
It was amusing to see folks from other offices come to our office for meetings. For the first couple of hours, they would stop and look up—just a little scared—at the shaking of the building and the noise.
Our folks wouldnt even pick up their heads.
I loved that.
Cool...thanks for the link. Merry Christmas!
The B52 on display at the Air Force Academy has a black underbelly, IIRC.
“I love to watch when those babies come flying in lowwwww !”
________
Jet exhaust frying chickens in the barnyard.
LOL!!! Gen. "Buck" Turgidson - great catch! One of my favorite movie scenes. For those in the dark, a reference to Stanley Kubrik's 1964 film, "Dr. Strangelove".
Twenty-some miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, is the Kansas National Guard bombing range. My work took me to the area often, so I got to see a lot of aircraft doing unusual things.
Once I was working under the dashboard of a truck at Kanopolis Lake, and a B-52 came over less than 100 feet in the air. The noise rattled me out of the truck and onto the ground.
(They are supposed to come no lower than 500 feet.)
Another time I was heading east on I-70 and saw one cross the highway at an altitude less than it’s own length. I was about a mile away, but I’ll bet some drivers had the poop scared out of them right underneath the BUFF.
HA! Chuck Norris still rules!
I was stationed on Guam back in the late 1980’s. I know the sound well myself!
The bedroom scene when the Pentagon is trying to find Buck and have him come to the war room asap and the gal in the bikini answers....
Take care of your bodily fluids, Patriot!
Not too long ago I was visiting a buddy manning a domestic airline company air-to-ground VHF radio at past 7 pm. I overheard distress call full of squelch almost unintelligible, “this is N1620#!@#$$ (whatever) I’m on emergency. Please advise radar frequency.” My buddy didn’t know what to say so I picked up the mike, it was Cessna 182 flying VFR piloted by a USAF pilot encountering severe thunderstorm in his usual route wherever he came from. I didn’t ask why the heck he was still up there at past sunset but I gave the approach/departure freq right away, monitored him on radio he landed okay at USAF base destination.
Flying a hangglider in Alamogodo New Mexico at about 12K
Had a flight of four F-15s from Holloman pass about 1000 feet below me.
Don’t think they even saw me. (yes, our takeoff area is marked on sectionals)
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