FReepers track down Bob McCown, creator of B-52 image: "Terrorists have won the toss..."

Bob McCown/Zoftware by Design ^ | 09/30/2001 | Bob McCowan

[RonDog]

Hi there
You're apparently here because youre interested in the above image. Well, here's the history of it.

On the 21st of this month, I ran across a message somewhere on usenet that said something along the lines of "Well, looks like the terrorists lost the toss". This sat in my head for a bit, and I morphed it into the "The terrorists have won the toss, and have elected to receive". Now all I needed was a good photo of a 52 or something. Originally, I had intended to find an image I had seen before of a 52 doing a carpet bombing mission from about 300 feet. I couldnt find that one, but found the one below. A bit of cut/paste/etc in photoshop, and I had the image.

I mailed it out to a dozen or so of my friends, and posted it on one website, the Dead Goat Saloon. How it spread from there is anybody's guess. Ive recieved dozens of emails about it.

Free Republic has a long thread about searching for me. :)

Original Image

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Webbed by Bob McCown/Zoftware by Design 9/30/01

[RonDog]

See also:
"The Terrorists have won the toss and have elected to receive!" B-52 photo: Who created this?
Posted on 09/29/2001 17:01:51 PDT by RonDog

Congratulations to ALL the FReepers who helped track down Bob McCown, and the original B-52 photograph from Barksdale Air Force Base!

[MinuteGal]

That's one helluva V-formation!

Leni

[habs4ever]

That's a blast Ron, it would make a fantastic t-shirt.

[RasterMaster]

Very Cool....well done, indeed.

[The Right Stuff]

Love ya Bob! Good snooping, RD!

[Josiah6]

Just wondering if anyone knows if everything on the ground around the B-52 actually fits into it.

It's pretty awesome.

[constitution]

There has never been a sand storm as in the background in Bossier City, La.[maybe Dyess?]

[RonDog]

Here is the ORIGINAL (un-retouched) image, from the previous thread:

Mr. Buff. If you want to kill peaple and break things, send only the very best.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/b-52_11.jpg from Federation of American Scientists

[dalebert]

It also draws attention to the fact that the terrorists chose the wrong targets.

[TKEman]

Any hope of getting the spelling error corrected?

[dighton]

Not quite that many, if this is correct -- but more than enough.

So the B-52 can carry a maximum of either 51 or 45 munitions, depending on which pylon is mounted under the wings. However, the AGM-28 pylon is no longer used, so the B-52 currently carries on HSABs, limiting the external load to 18 bombs, or a total of 45 bombs.

[JulieRNR21]

BRAVO! So glad that we know the source of this great image & message.

I've had several Freepers ask for the source of this graphic which was forwarded to me in an email. I would like to contact the original source. Perhaps some Freeper can help.

[RonDog]

That's a blast Ron, it would make a fantastic t-shirt.

Good idea! And, I know JUST the gal...

[JAWs]

Dumb question- what's that big white thing in front of the nose of the plane?

[wysiwyg]

If you read the sign on the building behind the buff, you'll notice that the photo was taken at Barksdale AFB, GWB's first stop on the 11th. Cool.

[wysiwyg]

Dumb question- what's that big white thing in front of the nose of the plane?

Not a dumb question. It's a rotary launcher for cruise missiles.

[RonDog]

Any hope of getting the spelling error corrected?

Already done by LBGA. From the previous thread

Hey RonDog! Nice to see you! I can't help any more than to show the pic that was posted on 9/25 that I saved. I always send pics of current events and editorial comment to my son, so I saved it when it was first posted, I think by Teacup.

Here is the one that showed up on RaceBannon's thread on 9/27 (also shown at the top of this thread):

Here is the one that was created on 9/25 and posted:

Here is my correction of that 9/25 pic. I only corrected it because I didn't want my son to "i" comes before "e" EVEN after "c." ;-)

Notice on the 9/25 pic the sig in the lower right corner is blurry, but apparently says "Bob." In the one you posted, it looks to me like the sig was corrected because the background is different, but it probably is the same "Bob."

I could tell that the one you posted was not the one I corrected and posted to RaceBannon's thread when his didn't show up because the "e" is in front of the tail on mine and the "d" is in front of the tail on the one you posted here.

I first saw the original pic without the text on Yahoo Photos the day before it was posted here. It was a file photo, one of many of our war planes and ships which I looked through when trying to find a pic for the "Warm and Fuzzy" thread. Obviously, someone else saw those pics on Yahoo and was super creative.

[JAWs]

Thanks. I thought I had something to do with cruise missles, but wasn't sure.