FlyingtheB52Part1MajorKong

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B52GEarly1990s

OKthisisthebigone.Mybigchancetosharemyexperiencesboreeveryonewithwarstories.

Itwasmyprivilegetoflyoneofthegreatclassicsofaviation.OnethatisstillaroundtodayandmaystillbearoundevenafterI'mgone.

IservedasanaircraftcommanderonB52Gsfrom19891992.Thiswasaninterestingtime.TheColdWarwasnearingitsend,buttheSovietUnionwasstillaroundandStrategicAirCommandbombersstillsatnuclearalert.ThentherewasthatlittlespatintheMiddleEast.

NewairdefensesweremakingourlivestougherbutB1swerejustbecomingoperationalandtheB2wasstilladream.Wewerestillthebackboneofthebomberforceinthosedays.Wehadtobegood,damngood,becauseourplaneswereolderthanmostofusflyingthem.Wemayhavebeenbesttrainedbomberforceever.

Thisisaprettybigtopic,soI'lltalkmoreaboutthemissionlater.InthisdiaryIjustwanttointroduceyoutotheairplane.

Firstoff,it'snota"Stratofortress".NobodycalleditaStratofortress.Itwas,andwillalwaysbe"TheBUFF".Ifyoudon'tknowwhatthatacronymmeans,I'llletyoulookitup.It'snotapoliteterm.

IflewtheB52G,orthe"Gmodel".They'renotaroundanymore.Theywereallretiredaround1993.BytreatywiththeRussianstheywereallchoppedintopiecessothattheycouldneverbeputbackintoservice.WhenIsawthembeingcutupontelevisionIcried.

TheGwasbuiltbetween1957and1959.Itwasaninterimmodelbetweentheearlier"talltail"modelsandtheHmodel,whicharetheonlyonesstillflying.The"new"oneswerebuiltin1960by

theway.

Solet'stakealookatthisthing.

B52GConfigured

Firstoff,it'ssinisterlooking.Itlookslikeitwasbuilttokillthings.....itwas.They'vehadmanypaintschemesovertheyears.Ourswerepaintedeitheraverydarkgreenoraflatblack.IfDarthVaderhadaplane,thiswouldprobablybeit.

Bythenthesleeklinesofthelate1950shavegivenwaytoallkindsofbumpsandbulgesfromcamerapodsandjammingantennas.Acloselookwouldrevealaveritable"antennafarm"alongthebellyoftheplane.

Damnit'sbig.Thatwingismassive189feettiptotip.It'sgoteightengines.Nothingelsehaseightengines.Sure,they'recrappylate50sturbojetsbutthere'seightofthem.That'scool.Eightnoisy,smokebelching,gasguzzling,waterinjectedturbojets.Nobodyusesturbojetsanymore.Evenfightershaveturbofansin1989.

Suretherearebiggerplanesbutthisthingjustseemsimpressive.Ahulkingbruteofanairplane.Itcanweighinat500,000pounds.Mostofthatisfuel.Atypicalfuelloadwas280,000pounds.Toputthatinperspective,myentire757onlyweighs200,000poundsfullyloaded.IttakesalotoffueltoflytoRussia.Another50,000poundsofthatcouldbeweapons,conventionalorotherwise.Moreonthatlater.

It'salsodifferent.There'snothingnormalaboutit.AllBoeingshavealotincommon,exceptforthisone.I'veflownthe707(KC135),727and757now.TheB52isnothinglikethem.It'sliketheoddfamilymemberthateveryonewondersiftheywereadopted.

Airplaneslookthewaytheydoforareason.Inthiscasethemassivebombbay,thepurposeforthisplane'sexistence,isthatreason.Tomakeroomforittheyhadtoputasetofmain"trucks"infrontofitandanotherbehindit.Thefrontwheelsarethesamesizeasthebacks.Thenarrowstanceofthemaingearrequiredthemtoputsmallwheelsoutatthewingtipstokeepthewingsfromtouchingtheground.

Theythenhadtoattachthewingatanupwardsanglejustsothethingcouldtakeoffandlandwiththatfunkylandinggear.Ifyoueverseeonetakeoff,thewingstartsto"fly"beforetherestoftheplane.That'salsowhytheysometimesappeartobeflyingnosedowntheyare.It'sjustdifferent.

Technologywiseitrunsthegamutfromlate1940stostateoftheartforthetime.ThebombracksandreleasemechanismarerightoutofaB17.Theradar,howeveristhesameunitastheB1.It

evenhadGPSandsatellitecommunicationswhenthosewerenewtechnologies.

Andithasguns!Howcoolisthat?Thereare4fiftycalibermachinegunsinthetail.Justlikeinallthoseoldmovies,exceptthegunnersitsinthecockpitandcontrolsthemremotely.MostlyIjustliketheideaofhavingsomethingtoshootbackwith.

Let'stakealookinside.It'shardtogetinto.Youclimbupasmallladderunderthebellyoftheplane.It'scrampedinthere.Asbigasitistheydidn'tleavemuchroomforpeople.Whatspaceisn'ttakenupbyfuelorweaponsistakenupbyelectronics.

Thecockpithasanupperandlowercompartmentwithanotherladderthatgoesbetweenthem.Thatladderistheonlyplaceyouhaveroomtostandupright.

Thetwonavigatorssitdownstairs,inthedark.Nowindows.Theyhaveejectionseatsbuttheseatsfiredownwards.Notsogoodforlowlevelmissions.

Nowindowsdownhere.

Behindthemarethe"facilities"consistingofacanwithalidonit,whichsometimesleaks.EveryB52Iflewinsmelledlikestalesweat,pissandengineoil.

UpstairstheGunnerandElectronicWarfareOfficer"EDub"sitfacingbackwards,inthedark.Theydon'thavewindowseither.Theyatleasthaveproperejectionseatsthatgoup.

MyselfandtheCopilotsitupfrontofcourse.Thereisnoflightengineer.Oddforsomethingbuiltinthe1950s.TheplanewassetupfortheAircraftCommandertoflyandtheCopilottomostlyactastheflightengineer.

ClimbingintotheAircraftCommander'sseat,it'sreasonablycomfortableforanejectionseat.After12hoursnotsomuch.

Notmuchroominhere.

Onceagainit'samixofveryoldandverynew.Italmostlookssteampunk,orlikea1950smadscientistmovie.Alotofitlookslikeitwas"tackedon"overtheyearsbecauseitwas.

Humanfactorsweren'tabigdealinthelate50'sanditshowsinthecockpit.Theyprettymuchstuckswitchesandgaugeswherevertheyhadroomforthem.OnlyIcanreachthehydraulicsystems,onlytheCopilotcanreachtheelectricalsystems.Flyingthisthingwillbeaseriousteamefforttheairlinescallit"CRM",SACcalledit"CrewConcept".

Still,itfeelsgoodsittinghere.Feelstough.Feelspowerful.Lookbackatthosemassivewingsandthoseenginepods.Grabholdofthoseeightthrottles.Itmaynotbeasleek,pointynosedfighterbutit'sawarplane.

That'sallfornow.We'llgoflyinginthenextdiary.

FlyingtheB52Part2MajorKong

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InthelastdiaryIintroducedyoutotheB52,atleastasIrememberthemfromthelate80sandearly90s.

FlyingtheB52Part1

Todaywe'regoingtotakeitoutonatrainingmission.Betterpackalunch,trainingmissionstypicallylasted12hours.Wenormallydidoneortwoaweek.

AsSACusedtosay"You'vegottobetoughtoflytheheavies".

Atrainingmissionactuallystartsthedaypriortotheflight.You'dspendthebetterpartofadaymissionplanning.Thecrewwouldstudytherouteofflight,especiallythelowleveltrainingroute(s),airrefuelingprocedures,formationproceduresandthentheAircraftCommander(me)wouldconductaformalcrewbriefing.

Onanormalmissionyoumightbedonemissionplanningby2:00PM.Ifyouwereplayinginabigexerciseitmighttakeacouplemorehourstocovereverything.

Mymemoryishazyonthis,butIthinkweshoweduponthedayoftheflight21/2hoursormorebeforetakeofftime.Daysortiestookoffaround6:30AMandnightsortiestookoffaround6:30PM.Thismeanteithergettingupatridiculousoclockorgettingtobedatludicrousoclock.Itwasprettycommontohaveadayandanightsortieinthesameweek,whichreallythrewoffyoursleepschedule."Fatigue"wasnotawordinSAC'svocabulary."Yougottabetough....."

AbuswouldtakeustoLifeSupporttocollectourflightgear,theFlightKitchenforourboxlunches,CommandPostfortheflightplan(thesewerestoredonportablecomputertapedrives).Finallywe'dheadtoBaseOperationsforourweatherbriefingandtoconductafinalcrewbrief(andalastbathroomstop!)beforeheadingouttotheairplane.

Attheplanewe'dcheckthemaintenancelogs,andthenmyselfandthecopilotwoulddotheexteriorinspection(we'deachtakeaside)whiletherestofthecrewsettledin.

Normallyyoudon'tjustjumpintoabomberfireitupandgofly.Ittakestimetoaligntheplane'snavigationalsystemsandtorunthelengthyinteriorinspectionchecklist.There'salsoagoodchanceofsomethingrequiringmaintenanceattention.Theseareoldplanesandthere'salotofthingsthatcanbreak.I'veactuallytaxiiedtotherunwaywithelectronicstechsworkingonsomepieceofequipmentintheplaneandkickedthemoutjustbeforetakeoff.

Everythinginabomberisbasedontiming.Weneedtotakeoffontimetomeetupwithourtankerontimeandtomakeourlowlevelrouteontime.There'ssomeslopbuiltintotheflightplan,butasignificantdelaywillrequiretheschedulerstostartcoordinatingnewtimesforeverything.

Onceeverythingwasreadyenginestartwasnormallybygroundaircart.We'dstartengines4and5(themostinboardoneachwing)withtheaircartandthenusethoseenginestostarttheothersix.

Withtheenginesrunningit'sanextremelynoisyairplane,bothoutsideandinside.Wealwaysworehelmetsorfullheadsetstocancelsomeofthenoise.Unlikeanairlinercockpit,theonlywaytotalkbetweencrewmemberswasbyusingtheintercom.Mycopilotsittingthreefeetawaywouldnothavebeenabletohearmetalk.Theairconditioningsystemseemedtogeneratemorenoisethancoldair.

Oncetheenginesarerunningwebringtherestofoursystemsonlineandgetreadytotaxi.Evenwiththeairconditioningonit'slikeasaunaintheairplane.MostoftheACisbeingsenttokeeptheelectronicscool.Wesweatinthecockpituntilwereachaltitude."Hey,yougottabetough....."

Thehardestpartofflyinganylargeairplaneistaxiingitontheground.TheB52especiallysobecausetherearewheelsoutonthewingtipsandyoualwayshavetokeepinmindwherethoseare.FortunatelySACbaseshadnicewidetaxiwaysandrunways.Thenosetrucksarequiteawaysbehindthecockpit,soyouhadtomakebigsquareturnslikeacitybus.Therewasnotillerforthenosewheelsteeringlikeanairlinerwouldhave.Itwasalldonethroughtherudderpedals.Therewasasettingfortaxiandalowrangefortakeoffandlandingthatlimitedhowmuchsteeringyouhad.

Neartheendoftherunwaytherewouldbeanotherpilot,sittinginatruckwitharadioandactingasasafetyobserver.Hewouldgiveusaonceoverlookingforanythingoutofplaceontheplane.Wealldidour"turninthebarrel"pullingthisduty.Onceclearedtogowe'dpulloutontotherunway.

Takeoffwasdifferentfromanyotherplane.Iftherewasacrosswind,wecouldactuallypivotthemainwheelssothattheplanewouldfaceintothewindwhilethewheelsfacedstraightdowntherunway.Whentheplanewasbrandnewthiswasactuallyclassified,andtheywouldn'tshowthelandinggearinpublicityphotos.

Theflapsarehugeandelectricallypowered(mostheaviesusehydraulicsforthis).Theflapsareactuallyaslargeasthewingonsomeairliners.Therewasonlyoneflapsetting,100percent,andittookthemafullminutetoextendorretract.

AswelinedupontherunwayI'dshiftthenosewheelsteeringtolowrange,advancethethrottlesandthenturnonthewaterinjection.Itwouldgetevennoisieras2000poundsofwaterwaspumpedintotheenginestoaugmentourthrust.

IalwaysthoughtthatwaterinjectionwassomethingWileE.CoyoteinventedtocatchtheRoadrunner.I'mprettysureitsaid"ACME"onitsomewhere.Pouringwateronafiredoesn'tseemveryintuitive,butitworks.Thewatercoolstheairgoingintotheengines.Thedenserairletsusburnmorefueltomakemorethrust.Asthewaterturnstosteam,italsogivesusmorethrust.It'ssortofapoorman'safterburner.Wesometimesreferredtoourplanesas"waterwagons"or"steamjets".

Thisalsoproducedatremendousamountofdense,blacksmoke.Ifyouweretakingoffbehindanotherbomber(sometimesascloseas12seconds)youcouldn'tseeawholelot.

Takeoff,likeeverythingelseonabomberwasacreweffort.We'duseastopwatchtomakesurewewereacceleratingproperly.Ifwedidn'tachieveacertainspeedbyacertaintimesomethingwaswrongandwewouldrejectthetakeoff.

Pilot(me):"Setdrythrust"Copilot(adjuststhrottles):"Clearedforwater"Pilot(checkswaterinjection):"Fourgoodpumps"Pilot(checksairspeed):"70knots....now"Navigator(startshisstopwatch):"Nav'stiming"Navigator:"ExpirationofS1timing.......now"Pilot(checksairspeedagain):"Committed"

OncepastS1speed(V1inthecivilianworld,SACalwayshadtobedifferent)we'regoingnomatterwhat.Wewouldn'tbeabletostopintheremainingrunwayifwehadaproblem.

Passing70knotsorso,thewingsactuallystartflyingsoIhavetostartworkingtokeepthemlevel.I'malsoholdingbackpressureontheyoketokeeptherearwheelsontherunway.Otherwisethebackwheelswillliftofffirstandwe'llbecomea480,000poundwheelbarrow(bad).Normalplanesdon'tactlikethis,bytheway.

Wealsodidn'trotatefortakeofflikeanormalplane,wewould"unstick".Whentheplane'sgoodandreadytoflyitflies.InafullyloadedGmodelwewouldbeuncomfortablyclosetotheendoftherunwaybythetimethishappened.WesometimesjokedthatitonlybecameairborneduetothecurvatureoftheEarth.

That'sonlyaslightexaggeration.Gmodelshadabadhabitofusingmorerunwaytotakeoffthanwhatthetakeoffdatapredicted.Sometimesitwoulduseeverylastbitofrunway.Ononeortwooccasionswehadtoputthethrottlesallthewaytothefirewallandoverboosttheenginesjusttogetthethingofftheground.It'sroughontheengines,butnotasroughasflyingthroughtreeswouldbe.

Oncetheplanefinallydecidesthatit'sgoingtoflytoday,itactuallycomesofftherunwayinanoselevelorevennosedownattitude.Quiteoddthefirsteverytimeyouseeit.

Onceairborne,Iwouldtapthebrakestostopthewheelsfromspinning(normalplanesdothisforyou)andcallforgearup.At1000feetI'dcallforflapsup.Astheflapsslowlycomeupthejetaccelerates.Thekeyhereistomatchouraccelerationwiththeflapposition.Toofastandweoverspeedtheflaps.Tooslowandwecouldstalltheairplane.Abouthalfwaythroughbringingtheflapsup(ittakesaminute)thewaterinjectionwouldrunoutofwater,itwouldgetabitlessnoisy,andwe'dstarttodescend.Oncetheflapswerefullyupwe'daccelerateto280knotsandstarttoclimbagain.AB52takeofflookslikearollercoasterup,down,andfinallyupagain.Normalplanesdon'tdothisnoticeatrendhere?

B52Gwaterinjectedtakeoff

ClimbperformanceinaGmodelwasprettyuninspiring.Itwilltakeagoodhalfhourorsotoreachcruisealtitude.Oncethere,we'llstartheadingforourfirsttrainingeventtoday,apracticeairrefueling,whichI'llcoverinthenextinstallment.

FlyingtheB52Part3MajorKong

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So,we'reanhourorsointoour12hourB52trainingmission.

http://www.dailykos.com/...

Nowit'stimetomeetupwithatankerandpracticesomeairrefueling.

Airrefuelingisabigpartofthebombermission.DuringtheGulfWarwewouldhavetoairrefuelthreetimestogettothetargetandback.Wepracticeditonjustabouteverytrainingsortie.

IalsofoundittobethemostdifficultmaneuverIeverhadtolearn.

Inordertopracticeairrefueling,wehavearefueling"track"scheduled.Thisisachunkofairspaceroughly100mileslong,10milesorsowideandacouplethousandfeetofaltitude.

Therearerefuelingtracksscatteredaroundthecountry.Whenthetrackisactuallybeingused,AirTrafficControlwillkeepeveryoneelseoutofthatairspace.

Firstwehavetogetthere.TheB52isprettymuchaNavigator'sairplane.ItoftenseemedlikeIwasjustthevoiceactivatedautopilotfortheNavs."Pilotflyheading325.Pilotgiveme290knotsindicated."Therewasverylittlenavigationalinformationavailabletothepilots.WejusthadtotrustthattheNavsweregettinguswhereweneededtobewhenweneededtobethere.

"Nav,wherearewe?""Well,we'relostbutwe'remakinggoodtime.""#$&^*!!!!"

Therearetwowayswecanjoinupwiththetanker(s).Ifwe'reallheadedmoreorlessinthesamedirection(maybewetookofffromthesamebase)we'lljustdoanenrouterendezvousmeetingataspecificpointataspecifictime.

Ifthetankeriscomingfromanotherbase,theymightalreadybeattherefuelingtrack,inanorbit,waitingforustogetthere.Thetankerwillmakeaturnaswecomedowntrackand,ifeverythingworksasadvertised,theywillrolloutroughly3milesaheadand1000feetaboveus.

Aquickwordabouttankers.ThetankeristheleastglamorousaircraftintheAirForceandtheonethatreallymakesustheforcewearetoday.Everybodyneedstankersupport:bombers,fighters,transports,AWACS,theNavy,theMarinesandevenNATO.Thetankerguys(andIwasonelaterinmycareer)likedtosay"Nobodykicksasswithoutourgas".

Togetthatgasweneedtocloseupthelast3milesandgetjoinedupwiththetanker.Weknowthetankerisholdingtherefuelingairspeedforourplane280knots.Wejustgoabitfasterthanthatandslowlyclimbtowardshisaltitudeasweclosethegap.Wedothisinaverycontrolledmanner,reducingourclosurerateaswegetcloser.Wedon'twantto"cowboy"ithere.Screaminginwithabunchofairspeedandunderrunningthetankerwouldbeextremelydangerous.Severalbombersandtankershavebeenlostthatwayovertheyears.

Westopourclosureabout100feetbehindandbelowthetankerinwhat'scalledthe"precontact"position.Theboomoperatorinthebackofthetankercomesontheradioandclearsmeto"contact".Notethatinwartimewemightdothisallwithouttalkingontheradioswewouldn'twantpeopletoknowwewerecoming.

Nowtheaerodynamicsoftwolargeairplanesflyingincloseformationareprettycomplicated.I'mnotanaero

engineersoI'mnotsureIcouldevenfullyexplainit.InSACwejustsimplifiedittoeachairplanepushinga"bowwave"ofairinfrontofit,kindoflikeaship.Easyenoughtoimagine.

Notaseasyasitlooks

Aswecloseinourbowwavewillverynoticeablypushuponthetanker'stail.Thetankerpilot(orautopilot)willhavetocorrectthiswithtrim.

Closinginfromprecontactisabittricky.Ihavetomoveforwardsandupwardstoapositionroughly30feetbehindthetanker.Ataround50feetI'mgoingtopassthroughhisbowwave,whichwillstopmeifIdon'thaveenoughclosure.IfIusetoomuchspeed,however,I'llcomeindangerouslyfastandtheboomoperatorwillcallfora"breakaway"maneuverandwe'llhavetogobackandstartalloveragain.

AsIcloseinIseethetipoftherefuelingboompassoverthecockpit.Wecanactuallyhearthesoundoftheairstreamgoingpastit.Therefuelingreceptacleisroughly10feetbehindwhereI'msitting.Someboomoperatorswill"reach"forusandplugusonthewayin.OtherswillwaituntilI'mgoodandsteady(hah!)inthecontactpositionbeforeconnecting.

Oncetheboomoperatorishappytheywillextendtheboomintoourreceptacleandelectrictoggleswillphysicallylatchontoit.Tworowsoflightsonthebellyofthetankerhelpmestayinpositiononesetforup/downandonesetforfore/aft.

attribution:NoneSpecified

Looksclose,don'tit?

Soundseasyhuh?That'swhatIthoughtwhenIwasahotshotT38instructorcheckingoutontheB52."ThislooksjustlikeflyingclosetrailinaT38".Exceptit'snothingatalllikeflyingclosetrailinaT38.AT38handleslikeaFerrari.AB52handleslikeadumptruck.

AB52Gisafat,wallowing,sowofanaircraftbehindthetanker.Therearenoaileronssorollcontroliseversoslow.Movetheyokeandonetwothreeokayit'sfinallyrolling.Centertheyokeandonetwothreeit'sstillrolling.....okayit'sfinallystopped.

Ifthatwasn'tbadenough,italsohaswhat'scalleda"DutchRoll",whichisn'tatypeofpastrypopularintheNetherlands.Itmeansthenoseoftheplaneistryingtomakealittlefigure8allthetime.Thatshorttail,modifiedforlowlevelflying,justdoesn'tworkaswellastheoldtalltailsdid.Evenwithtwoyawdampersandapitchdamperthenoseoftheplaneisalwayshuntingaround.Notsomuchthatyou'dnoticeituntilyougetupclosebehindthetanker.

So,justtokeepmywingslevelIhavetoconstantlysawbackandforthontheyoke.AndbecausetheplaneissounresponsiveIhavetomakemyinputsbeforeIactuallyneedthem.Verynonintuitive.Itwasn'tuntilmyeighthcheckoutridethatIeversuccessfullygothookeduptothetanker.I'msureIscaredafewboomoperatorsintheprocess.

Gettingtheleft/rightnaileddownisthetoughestpart,butIalsohavetomaintainmyverticalpositionwithinafewfeetandcontrolmyfore/aftpositionaswell.Hopefullythetankerpilotissmooth.Ifheletshisairspeeddriftthenmyjobgetsthatmuchtougher.SoinadditiontosawingtheyokeI'malsomovingitforwardandaftwhileconstantlytweakingthethrottles.

I'mtryingtostayinsidea10footboxofairspacerelativetothetankerwhilebothofusaremovingalongat280indicated,maybeatnight,maybeintheweather,maybeinturbulence.OnegoodflickofmywristandIcankill10peoplemycrewplus4inthetanker.Tellmeagainwhyracecardriversmakesomuchmoney?

IfImoveoutofposition,mybowwavewillactuallypushthetankeraround.SotherougherIget,therougherhegetsandsoon.It'seasierifthetankerisonautopilot,butwealsopracticewiththetankerpilothandflying.IfthingsgettoowildtheboomoperatorcandisconnectusorIcanpushabuttonmyyoketodisconnectus.

ThiswholetimeI'mjustlookingatthatgreatbigairplanefillingmywindscreen.Mycopilotmeanwhileisdirectingthefuelwhereitneedstogotokeepourcenterofgravitywithinlimits.Onatrainingmissionwemayonlytakeonatokenamountoffuel,justafewthousandpounds.

YeahIknowit'sanHmodel.BestpictureIcouldfind.

Onarealmissionwecaneasilytake100,000poundsoffuelwhichrequiresasolid2025minutesontheboom.Ifthatsoundslikehardworkitis.Imaginethetankergetting100,000poundslighterandusgetting100,000poundsheavier.I'vehadthethrottlestothefirewallandstillbeenfallingofftheboom.

Onatrainingsortiewemightspendanhourorsoontherefuelingtrack,cyclingbackandforthbetweencontactandprecontact.ThetankercrewneedsthepracticejustasmuchasIdo.TheboomoperatorneedsthepracticeasmuchasIdo.

Finallyit'stimetocallitquits.We'llfinishupwithapracticebreakawaymaneuver.Weneedtogetseparationbetweenthetwoaircraftanyways.

Wewoulddoabreakawayforrealifthebomberwascomingintoofastonthetankeroranytimethingsstartgettingoutofhand.Theboomoperatorcalls"Breakaway!Breakaway!Breakaway!"overtheradio,webothhitourdisconnectswitches,Ichopmypowertoidleandcallforthelandinggeardown(!).Meanwhilethetankerpilotgoestomaximumpower.Wedropawayquicklywhilethetankeracceleratesaway.

Somewhereintherethetanker'sautopilotmaydecideitcan'tkeepupwiththetrimchangesandcallitquitsthenthetankerpilotsuddenlyfindshimselfwithahandfulofoutoftrimairplanepitchingupwhiletheboomoperatorgetsafacefullofB52.Fun.

You"madeyourmoney"asanAircraftCommanderbygettingthefuel.Ifyoucouldn'tgetthefuelyoucouldn'tdoyourmission.Youeitherwouldn'tgettothetargetoryouwouldn'tgetback.

Ididn'tgetreallygoodatairrefuelinguntilaftertheGulfWar.Wespentalotoftimeontheboomduringthatthing.IgottowhereIcouldpull3enginestoidleonthesamewingandstillstayhookedup.

Whew!Thatwasalotofwork.Nexttimewe'llgettothereallygoodstufflowlevelflying.

Heykids!YoucanmakeyourveryownB52airrefuelingsimulator!Justsitatyourdeskwhileholdinga3pounddumbbellinyourlefthandlikeitwasanaircraftyoke.Nowmoveitupanddownsixinchesforthenexthour.Enjoy!

Lasttimewetalkedaboutairrefueling.

FlyingtheB52Part3

Nowit'stimetogetdownanddirty.Myfavoritepartofthebombermissionwaslowlevelflying.

Betterbuckleupit'sliabletogetbumpy.

Firstoff,whatidiotfliesahugeairplaneclosetotheground?Oh,andwedoitatnight?Areyoukiddingme?

Keepinmindthatthiswasthelate80'searly90's.WewerestilltrainingtopenetrateSovietairdefensesif,Godforbid,itevercametothat.

USAFdoctrineatthattime,bothforbombersandfighterswasthatlowwasthewaytogo.B1s,F111s,F4s,F16s,A10sallhadalowlevelmission.EvensometransportslikeC130sandC141shadspecialopsmissionsthatcalledforlowlevelflying.

Thisisancienthistoryofcourse.I'vebeenoutofthebombercommunityfor20yearsandI'msuretacticstodayarequitedifferent.

So,we'reflyingthisthingthat'sasbigasanapartmentbuildingandourmaintacticistohide.I'mimagininganelephanttiptoeingaroundandtryingtobesneaky.....

Whatdoesbeinglowgetyou?Backthenatleastitmadeithardforairdefenseradarstofindyou.Especiallyiftherewasanykindofterrain.TheSovietfightersofthedaywouldhaveatoughtimepickingyououtofthegroundclutter.Iknow,Mig29swerearoundthenbuttheywerenewandthereweren'tmanyofthem.YouwerealotmorelikelytorunintoaMig23orMig21even.Alotofthebigsurfacetoairmissiles,thetelephonepolesizedonesthatcouldreachoutandtouchyoualongwaysoff,couldn'tengageyoudownlow.Themissilesthatcouldwereshortranged.

EverseentheThunderbirdsorBlueAngelsatanairshow?They'llhaveoneguysplitoffandwhileyou'rebusywatchingtheothershe'llcomesneakingaroundlow,rightoveryourheadfromwhereyou'renotlooking.Surprise!Kindoflikethat.

Notme.Wishitwas.

Sobeinglowmadeyouhardtofindandhardtoshootiftheydidfindyou.Couldyoustillgetshot?Heckyeah.Nobody'sinvincible,nobody,wewerejusttryingtoeventheodds.

Howlowcouldwego?Atnightourequipmentwouldletusgodownto200feet.Normallywebumpedthatupafewhundredfeettohaveabiggersafetymargin.200feetisroughlyequaltoyourwingspan.Intheday?Wellweweren'treallysupposedtogolower.Someotherguysmighthavegonedownto50feetonce,soIheard.I'lldenyeverything.That'smystoryandI'mstickingwithit.

Alsonotme.

Sohowdoyoufly360knotsafewhundredfeetofftheground,atnight,inthemountains?Verycarefully.Youcangetkilleddoingthis.AB1crewwaskilledonanightlowlevelaroundthattimeframe.AfewyearsprioraB52crewskippedoffamesaandallbutonegotout.IknewtheNavigatoronthatone.Hehadburnsonthebackofhisneckfromjustbeatingthefireballoutoftheairplaneasheejected.

Ihadagoodejectionseat,buttheNavigator'sseatsfireddownwards.IfsomethinghappeneddownlowmyfirstinstinctwouldbetotradeourairspeedforaltitudeandgivetheNavsthe500feet(ormorehopefully)theyneededtogetout.Thoseguyshadtobrave.Nowindows,nocontrolsandaseatthatshootsyouattheground.

Wehadsomespecialequipmentontheplanetohelpus.TheprimarytoolwastheTerrainAvoidanceRadar.UnlikeanF111orB1,theplanecouldn'tflyitselfdownlow.IhadaTVscreeninfrontofmethatwoulddepicta"Trace".Thiswasacrosssectionoftheterrainoutaheadofus.Weadjusthowfaraheadthesystemwaslooking.TherewasalittleairplanesymbolthatI"flew"alongtheTrace.Thiswouldkeepusatourpresetterrainclearance.Wealsohadaradaraltimeter,whichtoldushowhighwewereabovewhatwasdirectlybeneathus.

Youcanseetheterraintraceinfrontofmehere.

Downstairs,theRadarNavigatorhadanexcellentterrainmappingradarthatgavehim"thebigpicture".Weworkedtogetherveryclosely.Hewouldbelookingoutaheadwiththatradarandtellingmewherethebestroutethroughtheterrainwas.

Wehadacoupleothertricksupoursleeve.Thetwo"chins"youseeunderthenoseofB52arecameras.OneisaFLIR(prettynewstuffatthetime)andtheotherisaNightVisioncamera(alsohightechin1989).IcouldbringeitheroftheseuponmyTVscreen,alongwithsomeothernavigationalinformation.

LookcloseandyoucanseetheridgelineintheFLIRpicture.

Thesewereimportantbecauseifwewereactuallyinbadguycountrywemighthavetodothiswithoursupercoolradarturnedoff.Nothingscreams"Hey!There'sabombercomingyourway!"thanblaringawaywithapowerfulradarthancanbedetectedalongwayoff.

NightVisionGoggles(NVGs)werebrandnewthenandwewerejuststartingtousethemaswell.Theseweretheheavy,firstgeneration,models.Theyclippedtothefrontofourhelmetandabatterypackvelcroedtothebackofthehelmet.Ifyouneededtoejectyouwouldhavetoremembertotakethemoffortheweightwouldsnapyourneck.Todayyoucanbuybetteronesatasportinggoodsstoreforafewhundreddollars.Backthenthiswascuttingedgestuff.

Aquicknoteaboutthepictures.TheseweretakenonIR144,alowleveltrainingroutethatgoesthroughtheBigBendregionofSouthwestTexas,NewMexicoandArizona.

ThefirsttimeIflewthisroutewasatnight.WhenIflewitinthedayIwasamazedathowsheersomeoftheterrainwas.

ThisrouteclaimedthelivesofaB1crewonanighttrainingmission.

Wenormallyflewlowlevelsbetween320and360knots.Ourtopspeeddownlowwas390,sowenormallykeptalittleinreserveincasewegotbehindandhadtomakeuptime.

Notasmuchfunatnight.

Itcouldgetverybumpydownthere.Especiallyonahotday.Thathugewingwasdesignedtoflyat50,000feet.Itwouldbeatyouupdownlow.I'dlookoutthewindowandwatchthatwingflex18feetatthetipandtheenginepodsshakingbackandforth.AfterIwhileIstoppedlookingatit.WhatIcan'tseecan'tscareme.Iftheturbulencegotsobadthatwecouldn'treadtheinstrumentswe'dcallitquits.

Italsocouldgetprettyhot.Theairconditioningwasn'tworthmuchdownlow.

Rememberthateveryoneelseontheplaneissittinginthedark.MyRadarNavigatorwouldgetairsickandthrowuponeverylowlevel.Hewashardcore.Icouldn'thavedoneit.

Mostofthelowlevelroutestookaround3to4hourstonavigate.AlotofthetrainingrouteswereupovertheDakotaswhereit'ssparselypopulated.ThemostfunoneswereoutoverUtahandNevada.MyfavoriteroutecrossedLakePowellyoucoulddropdownintothecanyonlikeLukeSkywalkerattackingtheDeathStar.

Tuckingupalongsidetheridgeline.Thisiscalled"TerrainMasking".

Normallytherewouldbeapracticebombrunattheendofthelowlevelroute.

Wedidn'tusuallygettodroprealbombsinpractice,maybeonceayearduringabigexercise.Wewouldnormallytransmitatoneontheradioandaradarsitewouldscorewhereourimaginarybombwouldhavewent.Ifweweresimulatinganuke,closecounts.

Thesitecouldalsobringuppretendthreats.Forexample,theycouldsimulatevariousmissileradarslockingontous.ThiswouldgivetheElectronicWarfareOfficer(EWOorEDub)somepracticewithhisjammers.

Oncewedidourthingwe'dclimbuptoaltitudeandtakeawelldeservedrestonthewaybackhome.Anightlowlevelwashardworkbothmentallyandphysically.Ittookthemostcrewcoordinationofanythingwedid.Wehadtokeepourselvesoutoftherocks,makeourtimeovertarget,evadethesimulatedthreatsandhitoursimulatedtarget(s).

Ofcourse,they'dhave3hoursoftouchandgolandingsscheduledforuswhenwegotback.Seriously."Yougottabetoughtoflytheheavies".

Sowouldthisstuffhaveworked?Ithinkso.AroundthattimeaRussianMig29pilotdefectedandflewhisplanetoTurkey.TheSACtacticspeopleaskedhim"DoyouthinkyoucouldinterceptaB52flying300feetatnightinthemountains?"

Thisguywasdescribedtomeasaverycocky,arrogantfighterpilot.Hewasflyingthebestplanehiscountryhadatthetime.Hisanswer?

"NOEFFINGWAY!"

Flying the B-52 - Part 1Flying the B-52 - Part 2Flying the B-52 - Part 3Flying the B-52 - Part 4