Air Force resurrects 53-year-old B-52

[BOP]

"Bomb, bomb, bomb
Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran...."

Oh, sorry, just humming to myself.

http://wtkr.com/2015/02/23/air-forc...ld-b-52-from-desert-boneyard-for-active-duty/

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force has resurrected a B-52 bomber that had been in long-term storage at the Boneyard, the portion of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona, where the military sends aircraft that have been retired from the fleet.

The 53-year-old Stratofortress, tail number 61-1007, nicknamed the “Ghost Rider” had been in storage at the desert in the care of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) since 2008. Thousands of aircraft are stored at the Boneyard, where the dry desert environment helps preserve them. Some are scavenged to supply parts to planes still in the fleet. Others are brought back into service. Ghost Rider, after upgrades, will become the first B-52 to return to duty from the Boneyard.

 

[Larry Gude]

I thought they were all 53 years old...

 

[vraiblonde]

"Bomb, bomb, bomb
Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran...."

Oh, sorry, just humming to myself.

IF you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says, "15 miles to the LOOOOOVE SHACK!"

 

[b23hqb]

I thought they were all 53 years old...

At least. They have been operational since 1955, and expected upgrades should keep the fleet going into the 2040's. Now that's old.

 

[GURPS]

awesome

.... to many have gone to be Budweiser cans since WW II


frigging Gov. wont sell Jets to Civilians so very few have been saved to private hands

- but you can purchase a Mig 29 from a former client state, no problem

 

[RoseRed]

IF you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says, "15 miles to the LOOOOOVE SHACK!"

Watch out for the drunk chick that kept falling back into me.

 

[BigBlue]

awesome

.... to many have gone to be Budweiser cans since WW II


frigging Gov. wont sell Jets to Civilians so very few have been saved to private hands

- but you can purchase a Mig 29 from a former client state, no problem

 

[BOP]

IF you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says, "15 miles to the LOOOOOVE SHACK!"

 

[BOP]

At least. They have been operational since 1955, and expected upgrades should keep the fleet going into the 2040's. Now that's old.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-flew-Cold-War-grandfather-flew-Vietnam.html

For Air Force Captain David 'Swoop' Welsh, flying the legendary B-52 bomber is a family tradition.

The 28-year-old pilot is the third generation to fly the half-century-old aircraft; his father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs from the B-52 during the Cold War, and his grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.

And a new contract worth up to $11.9 billion is set to upgrade the loyal bomber into the 21st century, meaning a few more generations of Welsh pilots could sit in the cockpit yet.

 

[b23hqb]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-flew-Cold-War-grandfather-flew-Vietnam.html

For Air Force Captain David 'Swoop' Welsh, flying the legendary B-52 bomber is a family tradition.

The 28-year-old pilot is the third generation to fly the half-century-old aircraft; his father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs from the B-52 during the Cold War, and his grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.

And a new contract worth up to $11.9 billion is set to upgrade the loyal bomber into the 21st century, meaning a few more generations of Welsh pilots could sit in the cockpit yet.

Way cool for that family and the country.

 

[edinsomd]

*ahem*

http://www.globalplanesearch.com/warbirds/combat/

 

[BOP]

*ahem*

http://www.globalplanesearch.com/warbirds/combat/

He's like the rest of the obamaites on this board...never gets tired of being wrong.

 

[awpitt]

I thought they were all 53 years old...

Since they were produced over the course of ten years, existing B-52s can be anywhere from 53 to 63 years old.

 

[glhs837]

Since they were produced over the course of ten years, existing B-52s can be anywhere from 53 to 63 years old.

Only made'em for 10 years? Damn.

 

[b23hqb]

Only made'em for 10 years? Damn.

Typical government logic: if something really works well, is easy to maintain, and performs it's mission as an acceptable platform - stop making it. If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

 

[glhs837]

Typical government logic: if something really works well, is easy to maintain, and performs it's mission as an acceptable platform - stop making it. If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

I'm thinking back to the time we said "crap, if only we had more B-52s........", you remember that time?

 

[Ken King]

Since they were produced over the course of ten years, existing B-52s can be anywhere from 53 to 63 years old.

And current engineering analyses indicates that their service life will extend past 2040. One tough bird.

 

[Lurk]

And current engineering analyses indicates that their service life will extend past 2040. One tough bird.

And she needs a lot of tender loving care being performed by kids who weren't born when the planes themselves were already operational.

 

[glhs837]

And current engineering analyses indicates that their service life will extend past 2040. One tough bird.

Any bird from that era could be as tough, given the amounts of money spent on this one. Being part of the nuclear triad, like being a Presidential bird, comes with percs. Would like to see a graphic of the changes over time. Not sure how much original metal is left in the first ones.

 

[MMDad]

And she needs a lot of tender loving care being performed by kids whose parents weren't born when the planes themselves were already operational.

Fixed.