Rolling BONE

[LadyO2Pilot]

When parked they have tubes coming out of the outboard wings going down to buckets to catch the leaking hydraulic fluid.

I had never been told of this particular aspect of the BONE but found out in not so nice fashion. Years ago at a show I stood underneath talking to the pilots when the big gray plane decided to drip (a pretty big drip too).......right down on me landing, just like planned, in my cleavage. Perfect aim I guess but I was not a happy camper and the pilots were speechless and motionless trying to decide what to do to "help."

[hercules130]

Yeah the Bone is a leaky girl. She has left her image on every parking spot at Dyess, check out an aerial shot if able.

Cheers,

Gary

[Warhawk]

Yeah the Bone is a leaky girl. She has left her image on every parking spot at Dyess, check out an aerial shot if able.

Cheers,

Gary

Google Earth has an excellent shot demonstrating just that.

[mustangdriver]

When parked they have tubes coming out of the outboard wings going down to buckets to catch the leaking hydraulic fluid.

I had never been told of this particular aspect of the BONE but found out in not so nice fashion. Years ago at a show I stood underneath talking to the pilots when the big gray plane decided to drip (a pretty big drip too).......right down on me landing, just like planned, in my cleavage. Perfect aim I guess but I was not a happy camper and the pilots were speechless and motionless trying to decide what to do to "help."

.

This is currently my favorite post on WIX!!

[Steve Nelson]

the big gray plane decided to drip (a pretty big drip too).......right down on me landing, just like planned, in my cleavage.

Bowm-chicka-bow-wow....

Sorry, I felt the visual needed some musical accompaniment.

SN

[JohnB]

Yeah the Bone is a leaky girl. She has left her image on every parking spot at Dyess, check out an aerial shot if able.
Cheers,
Gary

Google Earth has an excellent shot demonstrating just that.

As the former Dyess PAO, I can attest to that having spent hours on the 10 million square feet ramp with tail spotters, tour groups, media, etc.
But, I never saw anything drip. The wheel wells and other areas were spotless...

Very well kept aircraft which doesn't deserve half the catty remarks given it by people who have only gotten as close to one as a Revell kit.

[CrewDawg]

As the former Dyess PAO, I can attest to that having spent hours on the 10 million square feet ramp with tail spotters, tour groups, media, etc.
But, I never saw anything drip. The wheel wells and other areas were spotless...

Very well kept aircraft which doesn't deserve half the catty remarks given it by people who have only gotten as close to one as a Revell kit.

I got a little closer than a Revell kit. I was a B-52G crew chief TDY to Offut, then SAC HQ and the BONE crew chiefs asked us to help offload thier ground support equipment off of the KC-135A that accompanied them. Funny thing, we carried everything we needed on the BUF, we didn't need a tanker to bring GSE. As I recall (it's been 22 years now) we had to help them lift an oil servicng cart and a hydraulic servicing cart up over the PAX seats that were in front of the cargo door on the tanker. We then got the tour of thier B-1, during which I noticed the buckets and tubes and I asked the crew chief what they were for, and I got the explation that I gave previoiusly. I can only guess that the buckets and tubes were removed during the show 'n tell's you were involved with, and then reinstalled after everyone left.

I then spent a lovely week long TDY in sunny Ellsworth AFB, S.D. in January (dumb idea, I know) also a B-1 base. So no, I never really turned wrenches on them, so maybe I don't have first hand knowledge of BONE's.

I do know that whenever we were told that PA was coming out to show the airplanes off to civillians or any other muckity mucks, it was always the cleanest plane we could muster and we usually went around and wiped everything down just before everyone arrived and prayed they didn't notice the ones that we couldn't fix before "show time".

I've been a crew chief on B-52's, KC-10's and F-16's in active duty and Reserves, every unit has it's show bird and it's turd bird. B-52's were the first planes I crewed as snot-nosed 18 year old crew chief, so they are my first love. I don't think that anyone will argue that they are a truly unique and historic aircraft. When the aircraft as a type is retired it will be over 100 years old, a feat that I will bet any money the B-1, B-2 nor any other airplane in history will ever come close to matching. Does that make the B-1 or B-2 poor designs, absolutely not. They are both very capable aircraft and have even adapted to today's missions which they were not originally designed for. The B-1 was supposed to fly into Russia flying nap of the Earth at high speed and take out their ICBM's and bombers, the B-2 was supposed to also take out the Russians, now they are both bombing terrorists out of caves, along side the B-52's.

I'm not "catty", I'm just proud of the ladies that I had the honor of taking care of as a B-52 crew chief.

[Warhawk]

Very well kept aircraft which doesn't deserve half the catty remarks given it by people who have only gotten as close to one as a Revell kit.

I most certainly wasn't being "catty" either. CrewDawg suggested looking at an aerial photo of the base if possible and I did so using Google Earth. There are clearly defined aircraft silhouettes on the ground and I simply passed it along as an expedient if anyone was interested in looking. You should give it a look see.

[LadyO2Pilot]

I don't believe any of us were "catty." As for my story....my friends know I am pretty short but there is no way that even this "squatty body" is getting under a Revell model to then be dripped upon. And I know what hydraulic fluid looks and feels like and that is what the gray beast deposited on me. And just for another aside......the BONE is one of my fav planes and in the many years past dated one of its pilots.....so no disparaging of the aircraft from me.