Posted on 04/26/2015 1:13:04 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
It was at the vanguard of aviation technology in the 1950s, and it's still going strong today: meet the B-52 Stratofortress.The B-52 heavy bomber continues to show that old doesn't have to mean outdated, even in an era of rapid technological change. Just the opposite: through good maintenance and occasional updates, vintage tech can hold its own against flashier but more expensive, and more finicky, next-generation (and next-next-next-generation, even) designs.
The very first flight of a Boeing B-52 took place 60 years ago this weekend.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
Payload of 70,000 pounds. Damn that’s a load of Twinkies!
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I was in I Corps 1969-70, and although I never saw, smelled or heard them, I still remember seeing the flashes and feeling the detonations. Awesome stuff.
During Desert Storm, while 6 miles south of the Kuwait border at Al Khafji, I woke up one morning with my cot halfway outside my tent.
If every purchase the Gubbmint made was as good as the B-52, the M2 .50 cal, and the M1911 .45 our taxes would still be 1%.
I had one of those...felt football, spring-loaded punter.
The first time me and some other guys heard a B-52 strike, we thought it was a hell of a thunder storm.
Or Planet Claire.
Or In the Basement.
Actually the Air Force has already said it is flying till 2040 or 2045. One date is for the BUFF and the other is for the 135/707 special mission aircraft, but I always forget which is which.
It's a heck of an aircraft.
/johnny
I hauled material into Minot Air Force base and saw the Buffs practicing take offs and landings, up close
Cover your ears
His description of an Arclight Strike by B-52s was positively terrifying. He said he was in fear for his life from over five miles away. He said that the thing than scared him the most was the water seemed to 'bounce'.
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I was at Eglin one night when they practiced (at least I think they were practicing) a scramble. Eglin was a SAC base in the late 50s and early 60s.
Eight of them in a row. That is 64 jet engines wide open at the same time.
The BUFF: Someone over 30 you can TRUST. . .
Not on range OR payload. . .although landing a BUFF on a carrier would be a trick. I prefer our method of dealing with carriers: 72 HARPOONS in about a minute. . .
Babysat these babies on Guam as a Security Forces troop for two and a half years. Loved being near them, loved to see them load up and take off. I agree: The old girls will probably outlast me.
And of course, sadly, there's one of the most spectacular videos of one crashing during an air show...caused by pilot error/arrogance/stupidity
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