Broken BONE (B-1, that is)
Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:06 pm
In honor of one of our newest members with a great background with the USAF, b1bmsgt.
I thought I would throw up some old B-1 photos I just recently rediscovered.
These were in front of the NMUSAF's restoration center back in 1995. Anybody got an idea which Serial it is and where she's at today? Maybe some background information of this BONE. I don't think this the same B-1 on display today but don't quote me on this though.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
I thought I would throw up some old B-1 photos I just recently rediscovered.
These were in front of the NMUSAF's restoration center back in 1995. Anybody got an idea which Serial it is and where she's at today? Maybe some background information of this BONE. I don't think this the same B-1 on display today but don't quote me on this though.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:26 pm
By googling "Leader of the Fleet" and "B-1" I got to http://www.zianet.com/jpage/airforce/we ... r/b-1.html and they say that the serial number for that a/c is 82-0001. ("On 4 Sept 1984, the first B-1B (82-0001) was rolled out at Rockwell's Palmdale, California plant. The manufacturer made something of the fact that the B-1B was well ahead of the similar Soviet Tu-160 ('Blackjack'). 82-0001, nicknamed 'Leader of the Fleet', made its first flight on 18 Oct 1984. This first ship was also one of two B-1Bs (with 83-0065) to wear the nickname 'Star of Abilene')". Baugher's page says that 82-0001 was scrapped at Ellsworth AFB in mid-1990.
Dave G.
Dave G.
Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:40 pm
Valkyrie wrote: Baugher's page says that 82-0001 was scrapped at Ellsworth AFB in mid-1990.
Dave G.
Obiviously there is some margin for error
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:01 pm
Wow, it sure is weird to see an aircraft that I saw being built at the plant in Palmdale, CA. (not this particular aircraft, but the B-1B in general) lying around in pieces! I can only think of the B-1 as a brand new airplane! Ours were still pretty new looking when we transferred them to the Kansas ANG in '94!
Come to think of it though, in 4 years my B-1 will be the same age that my T-33 was when I first got to Griffiss in 1982, and they seemed ancient then. I guess time really does fly. (No pun intended...)
Russ
PS: I never heard the B-1 referred to as a Bone until Roving Sands 94, an exercise I attended at Roswell, NM. That was when we were assigned a call sign on the maintenance net of "Bone"
Come to think of it though, in 4 years my B-1 will be the same age that my T-33 was when I first got to Griffiss in 1982, and they seemed ancient then. I guess time really does fly. (No pun intended...)
Russ
PS: I never heard the B-1 referred to as a Bone until Roving Sands 94, an exercise I attended at Roswell, NM. That was when we were assigned a call sign on the maintenance net of "Bone"
Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:45 am
Shay wrote:Valkyrie wrote: Baugher's page says that 82-0001 was scrapped at Ellsworth AFB in mid-1990.
Dave G.
Obiviously there is some margin for error
How so? Looks "scrapped" to me in the photos.
Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:33 am
What goes so wrong with a 10 year old airplane that it ends up in pieces on the ground at the Air Force Museum?
Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:04 am
Randy Haskin wrote:How so? Looks "scrapped" to me in the photos.
I suppose when you put it that way. In my head the reasoning for the disassembly was for transportation. Awfuly nice of them to take her apart at the production mating joints. I wished they scrapped all aircraft that way. Might leave more bits-n-pieces usable to reaassemble later.
Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis
Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:14 pm
Some of the B-1s are being retired due to fatigue cracks.
Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:24 pm
man that thing looked war weary, & we still hardly use the b-1 to this day!!