The most detailed and thorough video of the B-52 Stratofortress ever made. Lt Col Bohl and his crew, give us an access all areas to the most iconic bomber ever flown!! It's amazing the size of this aircraft!!!
Excellent video. I learned a lot. The airframes of these remaining 76 operational B-52H's are 60 years old. We designed the B-52G/H in 1956 for high-altitude bombing. But in 1961, in the middle of the Cold War, we redesigned the structure to meet SAC's new more severe usage and service life requirments. These notably included low level terrain avoidance training, often under extreme gust and maneuver conditions. The main reason for the continuing structural longevity is that the usage has not been as severe as was projected. As Chief of Structures Technology at Boeing-Wichita at the time of the redesign. I am honored to say I chose the materials, the analysis methods, and the limiting stress levels for the redesicn. I am now 95 and I am thrilled to see these planes still flying, and projected to do so for many more years.
@@ErikJohnston Love to. Erik, I am sick of reading artcles about the B-52 evolvement and structural longevity that are incorrect and writen by "experts" who don't know the facts.
Father was one of the first Gunners on B52. In 63 trained at Castle AFB and directly shipped to Limestone AFB in 1964. Gave 28 years of service and was involved in many raids over N Vietnam in the late 60's. From Northern tier bases Limestone, Plattsburgh, Fairchild and back to Castle as an instructor. He never set foot in Vietnam. He flew out of Thailand and Guam. Eventually became a Gunner Instructor back at Castle and then Warner Robins AFB. This job was not talked about in our home as he did not bring his work home. But provided us with a proper upbringing and all that kids would ever need, an education and a safe place to grow up. Peace is our Profession. He was very proud of his profession.
@@ERICREDGE The Crew Chief is a "jack of all trades, but master of none". They perform alot of the frequent routine maintenance task (oil/hydraulic service, ground fueling, filling liquid oxygen tanks, recover/launch aircraft, maintain maintenance records, etc) but have the knowledge to call in a specialist for more specific tasks.
I was a crew cheif on a B-52g model at first then on the H model at Castle AFB in California. I think the base was closed in 96. I served between 1978-1983. This video brings back many memories of years past. I’m very proud of my service and of the Buff itself. It truly seems to be a durable platform protecting our country and our Allie’s. I’m amazed by your ability to video the aircraft, because I would have been in jail if we did it back then. Thank you guys for this great presentation and your service to this great country!
The Civil War veteran the LtCol was talking about was Albert Woolson, who was born in 1850 and died in 1956, after the B-52 entered service. He lived to see the early days of the space age.
Hmmm .... Sputnik was 1957, so the best he might have from the "Space Age" was some 16mm film from a V2 or Redstone rocket or some flight film from the X15 if any were released that early. Being in the Army at 10 years old had to be tough.
@@machtschnell7452 Albert, born 1850, enlisted as a drummer boy in Company C, 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment on October 10, 1864, becoming the company's drummer.
Sir, thank you very much for this tour. I am a retired B-52H CC/ supervisor. I spent the my last 7 1/2 years of my 20 year career on the B-52H at Ellsworth in several supervisory positions to include NCIOC of the Alert Pads and Line Chief. I have not been on or near a B- 52H since late September of 1985 when I started out processing and terminal leave to retirement at midnight on Dec. 31, 1985. Keep up the good work Sir.
The B-52 is one aircraft that caused many MIG-21/23 pilots and crews to sleep in place waiting for the "Yankees" to attack. Thank you so much Erick for this great video.
I didn't know this was going to happen, I would have loved to be present. I entered SAC in June 61. Initial training B47 Amarillo till Nov 61. Assigned to my home state at Wurtsmith AFB, Oscoda, Mich. When I arrived for duty the very first thing I touched when I got on the flight line was one brand spanking new B52H, tail number 60001. I was proud to be there for the first one when it still had the new car smell all over her. I was 18 then and am 78 now and can't believe that these fellows as you put it are going to outlive me by many a years. I am also happy with the engine change and can't wait to hear em run. I am very tired right now and have to go to bed but I will be back tomorrow to see what you have put together and I am excited to see what you have to say. Would you believe we washed and waxed those babies back then? lol. They glistened when came to us and not a scratch on them anywhere. I have a million stories about this plane and the relationships we had with the crews back then. I loved LeMay and the way he handled this extraordinary gift we gave to the USA. I have already met a pilot of one that was the son of our A/C on the original planes and I wouldn't be surprised if there won't be some great grand kids soon. To this very day I am so proud of seeing 001 shining on the line with "The State of Michigan" written on her side. I wish you could have seen her when she came to be as these first 15 we got don't look anything like they do today. And when my son who is a Hawg pilot first set in one that came to Tucson for storage called me and said "Dad, I sat in this thing and it really smelled." LOL And of course he commented on the glass cockpit, you know, the instruments all had the little glass plates on them. I see you have a nav member in this and in our days we had green screens not like the Garmin stuff. 😂 Anyway thanks for doing this and I can't wait for the update tomorrow when I see what you have put together. Oh by the way, the H my son sat in down in AMARG was 023 do you know if it was removed back to service. I was really upset they decided to move that bird into storage as it was a very famous made headlines when Walter Kronkite was following back and forth across the US trying to find a place to put it down. This was the one that Chuck Fisher took up trying to find heavy winds to see what the vertical stabilizer would take and he found it. Ripped that baby right off but eventually got her on the ground. That guy was hard on aircraft which he should be with his job. We sent one of the planes I worked on down to Boeing for a wing change and the Cuban crises hit then so Chuck brought it back to us right away. As I watched him touch down it was great to see her again but all of a sudden fire was coming out of the front gear and bottom line is the circuit breaker for the anti skid was off and you know the rest of that story. I miss him too. Good night
Amazing story, Sir! Hard to say thank you for your service amd not try to buy your dinner so o could hear some more stories…I’m 74 and Vietnam Vet from Battle Creek, MI
@@poolfool31021 thank you for your service sir. I am always taken aback by our service members but especially the war you were in. I was broken hearted about those people who served in those rice fields and villages which we had to bomb to save our soldiers. The Buffs were not understood when they came on the scene and most certainly SAC wasn't understood. I entered the USAF thinking that I was going in the air force as a mechanic on bomber aircraft and it was promised to me if I would sign up just before graduation of my senior year. And they kept their promise and gave me everything I asked for. Problem is I didn't know what to ask for. So for instance, I didn't think about things like you had to be ready to go anywhere in the world and so we had to get shots for the whole world and that was not fun.. Many stories about that. Also, they wanted to be sure your teeth were in the best of shape so they scheduled 2 appointments because they could only numb one side of the face at a time. Once they got you numbed up, they went to town and fixed all the current problems and drilled out what they thought wasn't up to standards. Funny part was when you left the first appointment you got to wondering what the other side was like. Three things you will never forget even when you're 78, is your recruiters name, the name of your first dentist in the air force and sleep deprived means.
The Buff was much more than people realized and was assigned to an organization that most people never understood. The Buff was never used for it's purpose and I lay that on Gen Lamay and his knowledge of his organization, Strategic Air Command, SAC. Thank God for him and his command that worked so well that eventually ended the need for it.
As I said above I watched the tailless B52 land from my back yard. I was an AF brat myself and our Capehart housing neighborhood backed right up to the flight line. Well actually a good 3/4 to 1 mile buffer of underbrush between our back yard and the north end of runway 18.
Stuff like this is why TV and Hollywood is failing. I just spent almost two hours looking at aircraft parts. Like This Old House, but aircraft. People I know freaking love it. Grateful to all involved.
The best B-52 walkaround I've seen! I was in BUFs in the 70s as nav, radar nav, copilot, and pilot. Many changes since then in the weapon systems but the plane remains essentially the same. We carried 500 and 750 pounders. The D model could carry up to 108 internally and externally although more common was 84. The G could only carry 27 internally. Nukes included internal gravity bombs then later internal and external SRAM missiles. Also the AGM-28 Hounddog, one under each wing. It was powered by a jet engine which made the B-52 a 10 engine airplane. We also had the Quail decoy missiles -- 4 internal. This is a great airplane and it never let me down in 5000 hours flying it.
My Dad was a crew chief on these for the 7th OMS at then called Carswell AFB in Fort Worth,Texas..before he retired in 82' with 25+ years..I know he made at least senior Master Sgt and maybe Chief Master Sgt..it was 7 0r 8 stripes..6 on bottom and 1 or 2 up top..I remember watching these fly in and out of Carswell all day everyday it seems back then along with F-4's and the new back then F-16's from General Dynamics..now its a Joint Reserve Base for I guess all military branches..it was strictly Air Force way back then..excellent video here..I have been this close to one back then when rules were a little looser ! haha ! This is really good stuff..Thank you for this !
I was assigned to the 28th FMS welding shop from August 1976 to December 1979. Would be great to hear from anyone there at the same time I was. My wife and I were out there last month. Went to the museum at EAFB, so many good memories. Proud to have been a part of SAC.
I was a Crew Chief on B-52H 1017 at Ellsworth AFB 1981-1985. What an awesome experience, she is a beautiful weapons delivery system which is still an excellent platform.
Thanks for the great video guys!! Excellent tour. Not much has changed on the old Buff in all these years! I was a B-52 G/H Crew Chief 1985 - 1995. Wurtsmith AFB, MI and Fairchild AFB, WA. Deployed to Saudi with the G models in 1991 for Desert Storm; 1708th Bomb Wing. We bombed non stop for many many days and nights and our mission capable rate of flyable aircraft was around 98-99%. Amazing aircraft, but you gotta keep it flying or it gets stubborn. When the last modern bomber the Air Force has goes to the bone yard for retirement, the B-52 will do the fly over! Proud to have served, and I'm very proud of todays B-52 aircrews and maintainers! Keep em flying boys and girls!!
The engineering and aerodynamics of the B-52 continued to impress the wold for over 70 years. How not to love this giant? Thanks to the patriots for the excellent video.😍🗽
I flew as an Aircraft Commander on the Buff (after flying as a T-38 IP) from 1987-1991 and found this video to be outstanding and a highly informative walk down memory lane. Well done!!!
I was a child when father was in the air force and he often took me to the base. The C119 was the first aircraft I was introduced to. A vivid memory was him walking me under the fuselage and being terrified it was going to crush beneath its own weight with me under it. I got over that quickly and loved crawling around in any aircraft and dreaming of flying them. Often he'd bring home empty instrument panels from crashed ones and my pretending to fly them. You brought back a lot of memories, and I thank you for it. Great presentation.
This is the best Walkaround yet! I’ve read loads of books and watched RU-vid videos about the ‘52 until the cows come home and it still doesn’t show those little unseen details shown here by those that drive it. Great work guys 👍
I watched, paying attention to time stamps because I wanted to tell others when to pay special attention in the movie to what was my job on those bombers. At the start I wondered how they got permission to show the interior of the plane and the Electronic Warfare station since that part was highly classified when I was flying...well...I got my answer. They "didn't". I was an "EDub" (EWO) on the H model from 1976 to 1980 at (now closed) Grand Forks AFB. That was in the days of the ALQ-117 and ALR-20. Also that FLIR and STV they talked about? Well, those were fully operational and used during our low-level missions. I get the impression that low level is no longer the B-52's mission. I still remember those "bouncing" low-level training missions at LAM (Little America) when it was HOT and turbulent! Also remember those boring 2 hour touch and goes in the traffic pattern.
Enjoyed this outstanding video! I was 6-years old, my family had just moved to NE Montana for my dad's job, and one day while in the family car, I saw this magnificent tall-tailed behemoth fly past us, parallel to the highway. It was love at first sight. I later learned that we lived just 60 miles from Glasgow AFB. Also learned that the areas around us were also used as training airspace. I saw many a B-52 over the next several years (almost every day). The D model was always my favorite...don't ask me why. It's been just over 20 years that I've seen a B-52 in flight. Sure do miss seeing them.
When the crab function of the main gear is used during landing, does it return itself to a centerline position automatically at touchdown or has it to be manually positioned ?
@@WychardNL most everything is manual on this bird. Even the emergency rope is manual. I don't think this is secret so here it goes. When you have to leave the pilots station on the ground and the passageway to the lower hatch is blocked, there is a rope for each pilot to use to get out. This is the secret part...when parked on the ground.the rope is longer than the distance from the window to the ground so, throw the rope out the window FIRST and then CLIMB down the rope to the ground. DO NOT jump out the window first and wait for the rope to stop your fall, especially if you are on concrete.
What an excellent review of the aircraft. I flew the H model from 1970 until 1975 and have about 2000 hours as copilot and aircraft commander in the F, H, D and G models. I especially appreciated the detailed cockpit review and was pleased to see the upgrades that had been installed since I flew the H model at GFAFB. Thanks again for your great photography and for including every member of the crew in this presentation.
I'm in absolute awe as to how big this sucker is, and all the guts, plumbing, wiring, and God knows what else is inside. It's overwhelming. And that's not to mention the payload. Thank you one and all for this. Fascinating!!!
Nicholas the wings are mounted at the fuselage with a positive camber which was designed for high altitude flight. When we are low to the ground we dont need to pitch up too much because the wings are already at a positive AoA.
They are either reactive pacifist or woke/snowflakes. Either way you should treat them the way you treat the gassy residue of a bean burrito, just crack a window and it's gone.
My dad was a crew chief on the original B52. And he always told myself and my brother's these buffs would still be flying long after their life span was projected. And he was right, they are still flying and protecting the U.S.A. And I am 62 years old.
First off let me say that I genuinely admire each and every one of these guys. Pilots, crew et al. Secondly, I had the great fun of being able to get my own personal walk around, in and even on top of a B-52 at what was then called "Boring" Loring Air Force base in Maine way back in 1980 when I was 16 years old. My uncle, who retired from the Air Force was at what I think was his last duty station before he retired and we drove up to see him from Ohio. He took me out around the base and then took me on a personal tour as I say around, in and even on top of one of the B-52s at the base. I literally walked around a little bit on top of it believe it or not(was that allowed? lol). My memory may fail on some of the details but I do remember imagining that the inside of these air craft must be huge and once I got on board was surprised at how cramped that particular one seemed to be(at least compared to what I initially thought) Lots of gear. My uncle was a mechanic on these in Vietnam and went on to be a chief(or whatever that position is actually called) over guys who worked on them at some point and then retired. He was very proud of his work. We then went to somewhere near the end of a base runway when he knew they would be taking off and watched them fly right over our heads. Needless to say it really left an impression on my 16 year old brain! There was a side story to this as well that was interesting. At some point he became so busy he wasn't at the base house where my aunt was at all and aircraft were taking off a lot. At some point my aunt who also worked on the base at a base store said that there was apparently a Soviet sub detected off Newfoundland and of course this base being where it was lit up and they went on some sort of alert. Sorry for the ramble, but I'll never forget my experience with the B-52!
Outstanding video, highly informative. I was a Air Force brat, spent time on many Air Force bases. My favorite was March A.F.B. in Riverside CA. 1966 to 1969 when my father retired with 29 plus years. A SAC base with B-52's and KC-135's, lots of constant alerts with launches of B-52`s running full power with minimum distance between aircraft. It was during the cold war, loud, a sight to see. You could see them fighting the jet wash from the previous aircraft to get up into the air. It's now a Reserve Base, it looks creepy now, kind of chopped up the installation living areas and other buildings. They left the humongous tarmac alone for now, guess they knew China and Russia would misbehave in the future. It could be a Cold War redux in the making, pray for peace, the world is getting dark again.
LTC Bohl, it has been 31 years since I left B-52's. Not much has changed in the cockpit. New radios, moving map display, some parachute changes, and procedural changes. I was an IP at Castle; dual qualified in G & H, conventional & nuc. You sure when flaps are down you slow to 'best flare' speed? We used to slow to 'bf+30' (crosswind & downwind), +20 base, and +10 on final. I would bust a Stan Eval 60-4 if I went below these speeds. Best flare is only approx 15 knots from stall speed! Also you talked about turning on the starters with 4 & 5 at idle. In SAC, we used to run up 4 to 90 and 5 to 85 and the copilot would then flip 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, & 8 starter switches. 'They' Must have changed the start procedure. You talked about the seat arming levers causing the 'canopy' to blow. You obviously flew some other aircraft. :) I did get to lift the pilots hatch during egress training; it was almost too heavy to lift. I'm glad I never had to manually lift it and remove it. CFIC used to have a recording of me and my student crew almost hitting the TA calibration peak while flying Hawthorne low level on a dark night. It was the scariest thing I have ever lived through! I retired with 5,000 hours.
Being from the UK 🇬🇧 and a Vet in the British Army. It's amazing to see this tour. I've seen them on runways but never got close to them. Amazing aircraft. Thankyou so much for the tour. I really enjoyed the video. Respect from the UK 🇬🇧
This video is amazing! I want to join the airforce so I can be near any of these babies. I just pray to God that my brains take me that far. Thank you all for your service!
I am a Air Force veteran, I served with the 92d Security Police squadron and worked the alert area most of my career around B-52s and KC-135A's. I knew some about the B-52 but this video is outstanding, most everything is detailed with exception of classified materials as is appropriate. I am in awe with this wonderful old aircraft that just seems to keep ticking just like the Timex watches. Our's of course carried Nuclear Weapons, sitting in a restricted area we called the bomber area, ready to launch in 15 minutes. Another name we had was the Christmas Tree as the parking stubs were set 45 Degrees from the center taxiway which led directly to the active runway. We were up north at Fairchild AFB so snow was part of the job every winter. The crews housed in a half buried Alert Building 2080 a run from the aircraft. The B-52 has a 185 foot wing span, when the crew chief was on top you could see the size of wing. The last B-52 left the Wichita plant October 26 1962 59 years ago, that would be B-62 61-0040 the last made. These bombers are going to fly until about 2040 or beyond, making it the longest serving aircraft of any type anywhere around the world. Thank You for a very detailed video from Barksdale Air Force Base. I am saving this one!!!!
Thanks for the preview!!! Watching it now! "Big Ugly Fat Fellow". Mhmmm..... LOL! I'm about 20 minutes in...it's top notch Erik, as all your stuff is!!! LOVE THIS ONE!!!
Thanks for all the work involved to put this together and post this! I’ve always loved the BUFFs (have B-52 pics up in my bedroom). My Dad (Charles Wennermark) was a B-52 Navigator/Bombardier (and instructor) from 1974-1989 at Barksdale AFB and the now closed Castle AFB. He absolutely loved watching it. I asked him how much is the same when he flew, and how much is different, and he replied, “Very little of the nav area is the same. It was interesting listening to the nav talk about what was still there but was rarely used.”
I would love to see these guys do a tour of a museum BUFF and give their familiarization of the many aspects of changes through the years especially the rear gunners station when it was manned. Thanks for the Vid.
I remember doing my first "walk-thru" of a B-52 at Westover in 1958. MOST of the bomber was tarped off as being classified SECRET or TOP SECRET --- even the cockpit was covered. Loved this full walk-thru --- thanks
99.9% of the acronyms and vocab was way over my head but this was still a super cool video to watch! Can’t imagine how long it takes to learn to fly this thing. Great job to the pilot on explaining everything!
This is fantastic! thank you! I was surprised to hear about the 2 engine go-around!. Incredible to think that this airframe is already 61yrs old has maybe another 30-40yrs of service life left in it!
Outstanding walk-around video of one of my favorite heavy bombers in the USAF inventory. I'm very fond of the B-52... having been an airman stationed at Dyess AFB, TX, back in the late 1970s. My memory is a little hazy, but I seem to recall they were assigned to the 96th Bomb Wing, SAC, headquartered at Dyess AFB. The B-52s at Dyess flew sorties around the clock when I was there. The B-52s played an important strategic deterrence role during the Cold War.
Well I was M109 artillery tank commander in the IDF army. This thing is from the 60' days. The cockpit of the B52 bomber reminds me the driver cabine in the M109 tank. But the B52 can destroy a country. To be serious this is a fascinating movie, and its very impressing to see how professional the team is!
Windows '95 crashed in front of the audience the day it was presented; yet, it's able to support an electronic warfare software platform to govern nuclear ordinance 26 years later. Ok. AMAZING B-52 tour, it's not just the general things that are interesting about the platform, it's all the other stuff and personal comments that captures the real romanticism behind this iconic aerial war machine. People who fly and maintain these beasts certainly LOVE their job -despite all the downsides, which are many-; very proud people of their craft. Thank you!
Wow! One of the most EXTENSIVE walk throughs I've ever seen. I flew these monsters over 50 years ago and even I learned a lot. This should be made a training film! Many thanks.
Quite the trip down memory lane! Bomb-Nav Systems Mechanic. 82-86. Loring AFB Maine, 42 AMS. Long live SAC! When I was on we were switching over to the OAS system from the old vacuum tube tech.(84-85-ish). The bombing/targeting computer I first trained on had punch cards for the target data. Crazy stuff. For those who did not know the OAS was originally meant for the first iteration of the B1 program that the Carter Admin Canx. The Buff was the craziest hybrid mix of old and new. Some of those panels at the Nav And RN chairs I still remember. Thanks for putting this vid together. Brought back some great memories......except for having to swap out the FLIR or STV pods during a blizzard when it was 30 deg below zero....my joints ache just thinking about it.
@@rael5469 I only remember the entire system coming as a package deal. Though It seems very plausible that the gyro(they told us it was made of Beryllium) was pieced in separately. I do remember that for the Bombing competitions we would constantly get our butts handed to us by the FB-111’s out of Griffiss AFB. I do not recall how we faired after the OAS system went in. Not even sure if they run that competition anymore. Thanks for the info!
As the B-52 was classified the production designers had to make educated guesses, but the CIA still asked how they knew so much about the workings. The same happened when Flight International magazine did some cutaway drawings at about the same time.
I did not plan to watch the entire video but I was fascinated by the complexities of that impressive machine. Back in 1976 I was a flight simulator tech for the KC-135 and I was stationed at Loring AFB in northern Maine. We had nine B-52's fully loaded with nukes on 24 hour alert. To confuse the Soviet satellites, we parked half a dozen unarmed BUFF's on the flight line next to the armed B-52's. We would shuffle the decoys around as if they were also on alert. We lived in base housing, so whenever a B-52 would take off on a training mission we could hear it loud and clear. To me, it was the sound of freedom.
I lived in base housing, Capehart, at a SAC base in the 60s. There was an engine test facility not to far from our flight line facing back yard. I became so accustomed to hearing the noise from the facility that on the nights it was quiet, I had a hard time falling asleep.
The colonel was amazing in this one ! Really appreciate his detail . Feel like o have already had my check flight . Must be a absolute first rate instructor!
My dad was a USAF pilot from 1956-1984. He flew the B-52 with the 51st Bomb Squadron, 68th Bomb Wing, SJAFB from Nov '69 to Jan '78. He flew two of his four combat tours over Vietnam in the B-52, including participation in Operation Linebacker II. He finished his career at Kelly AFB, San Antonio, from Feb '78 to Oct '84 as Chief of Flight Test and as a B-52 test pilot. He accumulated more than 4,000 hours in the B-52.
Hats off to your dad, and his time in the service, and as well as flying the second greatest plane ever made! While there have been many 'great' planes, almost all of which were made by the US manufacturers, the B-52 is leaps and bounds ahead of all others, other than the #1 plane, which to me is the SR-71. Of course, the B-52 had a lot more impact on the history of the world, with its power, long range (it hols the world record still today for the longest unrefueled flight of 12,500 miles), and its awesome pay load, and long longevity.
My dad flew 35 missions from North Field on Tinian to Japan in a B29 as the CFC gunner during WWII, and then in the late 50s he was a gunner on a B52, originally in the tail, and then moved up forward in the later models. You mentioned long flights as part of your training. I can remember he was on Chrome Dome missions that lasted for 24 hours after spending a week on the "alert" pad. And I was an eye witness, from our backyard, of a B52 making a landing without a vertical stabilizer. The plane was from the Boeing plant in KS, and had lost its "tail" over the Rockies, and landed at Blytheville AFB since the winds on that day were perfectly aligned with the runway. It landed on the runway from north to south and was being shadowed by an F100 that had been keeping an eye on it after it lost the tail. The plane had been on a flight to try to determine why so many B52s were having vertical stabilizer issues. I think they found out. By the way there several videos of that landing out on RU-vid, Here is one of them: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G7tY1tv5yBQ.html Another interesting observation was at about the 47 minute mark when the LtCol mentioned he doubted the autopilot was any better than that on a B29. The pilot of my dad's B29 once made a landing just using the autopilot, as the cables from the control yokes had received damage from flak and were severed. I believe I heard many years later that was the first autopilot landing of a B29.
I love this stuff. Some people might say "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" But to me it sounds like "everything is breaking but dear God please keep it running because this fleet is too expensive to replace."
I was surprised how much of the equipment was no longer in use, that old bird looked pretty decrepit in some respects, whilst robust still in others. Definitely mixed feelings for these fine fellows dealing with 60 year old aircraft!
I see the B-52, and I think of my great grandfather. He was a Boeing aeronautical engineer, and led the team which designed and built the B-52. He also was one of two Boeing engineers who discovered the swept back wing designs we see on all jets today. The proof of concept was the B-47 and B-52, then later incorporated into the 707.
I grew up around the B-52. Dad was a radar nav between 1954 to 1974 (60-1974 with B-52.) He helped plan the big Dec 26, 1971 downtown (that Tim Vasquez describes in his YT video). mission while we were stationed at Andersen 1971-1974. Wow, those were some wild days during Linebacker I & II. That plane right there is what forced the end of our involvement in Vietnam.
So much has changed on that aircraft in recent years. Physically it's the same aircraft built 60 years ago, but as far as it delivers weapons its a total different aircraft. No wonder the Air Force seemingly can't let it go. Everything its doing it has had to adapt to, and is doing it quite well.
That is nice to see as I worked on the B-52 and trained on the B model and was first sent to Minot AFB; then to U-tapao where I spent two years stationed at.
Remarkable tour thank you. Years ago, most of the B-52s I saw sported thick structural patches bristling with fasteners on the wings and along the fuselage. There must have been a lot of R&R activity on these airplanes in the last 50 years.
Kent all the B52s have had structural improvements done to increase their service life. Its amazing how much work they do at depot maintenance in Tinker AFB.
👏🏻👏🏻Wow what a fantastic and detailed walk around of a classic bomber! I’ve seen a few B-52’s at air shows here in the UK including an incredible half wing over at Mildehall in the 90’s but have never seen one up close inside ! Thanks to the crew for their excellent description and time! 😁👍🏻
One hour and forty three minutes of awesome. That has to be the most detailed publicly available video ever made of the BUFF. Really great job with the filming and audio.
This goes without saying, but great video, extremely informative. I have no military experience nor am I a pilot, but the B-52 has always fascinated me. If only these planes could talk. I would love to visit with the Boeing engineers who designed this aircraft, that would be an amazing conversation. I appreciate the time you as well as the service men and women took to make this video👍.
