This:
Posted on 04/15/2012 6:32:45 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Along with the ICBM, it was one of the defining pieces of military technology during the Cold War: the B-52 bomber.
Those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s knew the B-52 Stratofortress as a central figure in the anxiety that flowed from the protracted staring match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know that the Strategic Air Command was ready at a moment's notice to scramble its B-52s to counter any potential nuclear attack. On the other hand, if the bombers were flying that mission, well, things might well have ended badly for everyone.
But while the nuclear-tinged Cold War has come and, thankfully, gone, the B-52 is still going strong. And this after a half-century of service.
It was 60 years ago today, on April 15, 1952, that a B-52 prototype built by Boeing took off on its maiden flight. The 1950s-vintage B-52s are no longer in the U.S. Air Force inventory, but the 90 or so that remain on active duty (a total of 744 were built, counting all models) aren't that much younger. They're all the H model of the B-52, delivered between May 1961 and October 1962. That means the youngest is on the cusp of its 50th birthday.
That feat of longevity reflects both regular maintenance and timely upgrades -- in the late 1980s, for instance, GPS capabilities were incorporated into the navigation system.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cnet.com ...
Never, ever felt anxiety.
Just immense pride and the B-52 was a VERY big symbol of that.
Fly on, BUFF.
There are already cases of pilots flying the same aircraft, by tail number than their grandfather had flown. :) But not really the same airplane. New avionics a couple of times, not counting all the different EW fits. They've removed the tail gun. (Only took 20-30 years or so, but they just about had it approved, when some sergeant shot down a MiG over North Vietnam. :) But it made me sick to see a BUFF in a maintenance hanger at Tinker about 10 years ago, with no tail gun, just a rather ugly fairing. They haven't scrapped the guns, nor done anything to preclude remounting them, AFAIK.
This:
I went through Engineering college using them.
But I like my computer, thank you very much. I've even simulated a BUFF on one. A somewhat crude 2 dimensional model. Sufficient for demonstrating you fly with an automatic terrain following system.
They should have the same components, but I can hear the fan, which the H models have and none of the others did. Of course the most distinctive fan sound is that of the C-5. But they are re-engining those,at least the B and C models, so they may sound different soon. Or not. The ones from the Reserve unit at Lackland still sound the same to me. I can tell when one is in the pattern at Ft. Hood, from inside my house.
Yes, I remember those flights. (We lived on a ranger station in SE Montana.) You could feel the vibrations as it approached, and then it would appear over the crest of the hill flying so low you could almost touch it, disappearing almost immediately over the next mountain. Very impressive flying.
OH Yeah!
Great post! Every word rings true.
Great pic! many thanks..
An elderly gentleman in his 80's) in my new parish is retired USAF..he was a navigator on 52s..I'm just getting to know him..will have to get him reminiscing....
could dig some shock-and-awe.
Thank you for mentioning post 17. I had not noticed it when I saw the article. I’ll tuck the info away for future reference.
Thanks for mentioning the OREs. I’d forgotten about seeing them, and fortunately, I saw several of them take place. They were truly mesmerizing every time I watched them. I took pictures of a number of them but, alas, that camera was stolen with the film inside.
Quick sidebar. While coming home from a Browns game a few years ago on the Shoreway the same time as the Airshow was in progress I looked out the window and directly in front of me was a F-117 making an approach to Burke Airport at what seemed to be a hundred feet off the deck. It was almost totally noiseless, until it went past.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.