Fifty-Eight Years On - The B-52 Stratofortress

[Pong]

58 years ago, one of the most famous heavy bombers flew for the first time under the control of Alvin 'Tex' M. Johnston.

[mudpuppy]

I know its still in service; but isn't it planned to stay so for years to come? All things considered I do think the B-52 has to be the best of all the bombers...ever. With or without Slim Pickens.
Derek

[timshatz]

A bomb truck. Carries anything, anywhere. Kind of like a '57 Chevy truck they just keep upgrading. Difference between the bed in a 1957 and a 2007 is no biggie so why replace? And they're paid for.

[ToughOmbre]

She's a "Hall Of Famer", no doubt about it!

TO

[syscom3]

..... With or without Slim Pickens.

[Airframes]

Jeez! It's one and a half months younger than me, and still going, where if I was an aircraft, car or horse, I would have been scrapped or destroyed by now!

[beaupower32]

I think the plans are for it to stay in service till like 2040 or so, somewhere in there. Great planes, and nothing will ever replace it I think.

[Gnomey]

I agree beau, remarkable aircraft with a great service behind it and likely in front of it as well.

[vikingBerserker]

It amazes me they have lasted as long as they have.

[Pong]

According to Wiki, the B-52 is expected to be in service until 2040, and I'll nearly be fifty then.

[michaelmaltby]

Loved the look of the first YB-52 but General Le May didn't agree with me.
He wanted side-by-side seating.

MM

[timshatz]

I remember hearing stories from guys who flew back in the 80s. Not Buffs, just general aviation. Evidently, they were running mission parameters where the Buffs would fly at less than a 1000 feet. Story was more than one General Aviation pilot was flying through the Allegheny Mountains, about 2,000ft over the tops of the mountains and would look down to see a B52 blowing by below him on a hedge hopping run.

That must've been a site.

[michaelmaltby]

Long may they reign


MM

[beaupower32]

These are deffently great airplanes and the Air Force is doing/will be doing a great job keeping them flying for a long time.

The biggest thing going for them is the wings and those probably require the most maintance (though im not sure). The wings go through enormous flex (as much as 10 or 15 feet i think if not more) between takeoff and landing. Well the B-52 was origanally ment to fly at high altitude where wing flex was really minimum. But now with todays mission, they are doing alot of low level flight, subjecting the aircraft through more stress than what it would most likely encounter up high. So the wings take alot of punishment down low, thus requireing more maintance and inspections.

Note the pictures and how much the wing flex.

Serial 55-0104, about to touch down on the runway. Note the upward flex of the wings compared to the following picture of a B-52D sitting on its landing gear. Photographer: Brian Lockett


Serial 55-0071, runs up prior to takeoff from March AFB on March 27, 1980. Its wings are bent downward by the weight of the fuel that they contain. The extended fowler flaps reveal an expanse of green zinc chromate. Photographer: Brian Lockett

[Matt308]

Loved the look of the first YB-52 but General Le May didn't agree with me.
He wanted side-by-side seating.

MM

Note the 45 degree skin panel wrinkles in Maltby's pic. These are caused by monocoque shear stress upon the skin when the aircraft wings command a roll and the fuselage mass resists rolling forces (Newton's First Law - Objects in motion tend to remain in motion; Objects at rest tend to remain at rest.) Wonderful engineering.