50th anniversary of the LAST B-52 built!

[bdk]

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the last B-52 delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Tail No. 61-040 was assigned to Minot Air Force Base, N.D., in 1962. Over the past 50 years, the airplane has had many assignments, but today it is back at Minot with the 5th Bomb Wing.

There are 76 B-52 H models in service today, and all were built in Wichita, Kan. Last month, the Wichita site celebrated this golden milestone for Tail No. 1040. The current Air Force crew from the 5th Bomb Wing flew the aircraft back to Kansas for Boeing employees and retirees to view and reminisce.

It is predicted that the remaining B-52s will be in service past 2040.

Source: Boeing

[JDK]

Any way you cut it, as a proportion of the short history of heavier than air aviation, the B-52 has some pretty remarkable milestones. If asked, I wouldn't have called this one at 50 years! Thanks bdk.

[bdk]

Certainly not a "romantic" airframe, is it? Sounds much cooler to say you flew F-4s in 'Nam. Nonetheless, it has been a mainstay for many years now, and many more to come it seems. Can you imagine any military or commercial aircraft with a 78 year service life? Even the C-47/DC-3 probably won't match that, and what an iconic aircraft that is.

[k5083]

Well, the C-47/DC-3 is already well into its 70s, and 80-year-old examples certainly will exist in commercial (and military?) service, but not as front-line airplanes in a first-rank airline or air force. This is what really stands out about the 52. For a 70-year-old aeronautical relic to be relegated to hauling cargo in the world's backwaters is one thing. But to still be a key part of the world's most advanced, expensive and extensive military -- that's unique. It's as if Delta were still flying DC-3s on the daily LGA-DCA route. Which I would love, as a regular on that flight, but my fellow px not so much.

August

[gary1954]

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the last B-52 delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Tail No. 61-040 was assigned to Minot Air Force Base, N.D., in 1962. Over the past 50 years, the airplane has had many assignments, but today it is back at Minot with the 5th Bomb Wing.

There are 76 B-52 H models in service today, and all were built in Wichita, Kan. Last month, the Wichita site celebrated this golden milestone for Tail No. 1040. The current Air Force crew from the 5th Bomb Wing flew the aircraft back to Kansas for Boeing employees and retirees to view and reminisce.

It is predicted that the remaining B-52s will be in service past 2040.

Source: Boeing

It is amazing that this airframe is still in use. Right plane for the right job

Source: gary1954
by the way I think the Source: thing is going overboard just my HO

[Stoney]

The T-6/SNJ/Harvard will be 75 next year

[Pat Carry]

Hopefully this B-52 in question will be enshrined at the NMUSAF when its flying days are over.

[bdk]

Source: gary1954
by the way I think the Source: thing is going overboard just my HO

My point was that those weren't my words. I wasn't even thinking of the photo credit thread.

[DH82EH]

26 October 1931

First flight of the deHavilland DH82 Tiger Moth!

Just over thirty years from that to the B-52!

Wow! the mind boggles at the pace of development in those days!

How many decades does it take to bring a new design to fruition these days?

Andy Scott

[whistlingdeath77]

BUFF= Big Ugly Fat F.................what a great plane

[JohnB]

The B-52 and I both arrived arounsd the same time. My father was a pilot at Larson, Washington which was the USAF acceptance center for the new planes. One of my earliest memories is hearing the engines being run late at night to meet delivery schedules. The 8-plane hangar is still there, but not used for aviation, at the renamed Grant County Airport.

I'm proud to say I've flown in one..."G" 57-6477. We had a wild ride over a Montana low-level route. The AC had to man-handle it...for part of the time.
Years later, my B-1B flight was a lot smoother and faster during our low-level run over West Texas. That, and my B-17 flight means I've flown in three generations of bombers.
Now if only I can get a ride in a B-2!

It's one of the greats....even though they did manage to ugly it up with all the later add-ons and camo paint.

Last edited by JohnB on Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

Neat story, John!

As August's noted, there are other aircraft still working that are older, but as far as we know, none working at their primary current job in their original roles - certainly the T-6 family and the Tiger Moth (as mentioned) are being used as trainers, and that is a notable achievement; but neither are the primary trainer for their air forces. Another remarkable long server is the Martin Mars, which is still working, but not as a Navy transport.

Of course while there is much to credit the B-52 design with in this achievement, as well as the crews and maintenance and development, we must also see it as perhaps the best example of that primary but usually overlooked rule of aviation success - it's not what you're designed for that matters, it whether the design can adapt to the changing requirements of the real use.

The B-52 is still being used as a heavy strategic bomber (or whatever euphemism those that write about 'warfighting' use today) by the USAF, but the nature of that task is very different - long raids on Russia or China are not on the resume any more, and in the big picture, the B-52, like most heavy, manned subsonic bombers was obsolete for that strategic role quite quickly due to missile and manned fighter development.

But any way it's cut, the B-52 is a remarkable tool.

Regards,

[The Inspector]

Neat story, John!

As August's noted, there are other aircraft still working that are older, but as far as we know, none working at their primary current job in their original roles - certainly the T-6 family and the Tiger Moth (as mentioned) are being used as trainers, and that is a notable achievement; but neither are the primary trainer for their air forces. Another remarkable long server is the Martin Mars, which is still working, but not as a Navy transport.

Of course while there is much to credit the B-52 design with in this achievement, as well as the crews and maintenance and development, we must also see it as perhaps the best example of that primary but usually overlooked rule of aviation success - it's not what you're designed for that matters, it whether the design can adapt to the changing requirements of the real use.

The B-52 is still being used as a heavy strategic bomber (or whatever euphemism those that write about 'warfighting' use today) by the USAF, but the nature of that task is very different - long raids on Russia or China are not on the resume any more, and in the big picture, the B-52, like most heavy, manned subsonic bombers was obsolete for that strategic role quite quickly due to missile and manned fighter development.

But any way it's cut, the B-52 is a remarkable tool.

Regards,

But raids flown from Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA went to hit targets in the Afghani Mountains as did B-2 missions from Dyess to Afgahanistan and back, some LOOONNG missions especially for the two person B-2 crews.

[JDK]

You've missed the point - I was saying the B-52 was designed to bomb Russia - the distance was a function of, not the aim of the tasking. The B-52 could not do that now, because it would be shot down. In other words, the original task is no longer possible.

Regards,

[The Inspector]

You've missed the point - I was saying the B-52 was designed to bomb Russia - the distance was a function of, not the aim of the tasking. The B-52 could not do that now, because it would be shot down. In other words, the original task is no longer possible.

Regards,

Oh no, I didn't miss the point when the B-52 was designed, 'missile' meant captured V-2 and some small sounding rockets. You didn't pickup on the wider implication, when the SA-2 came along it and it's offspring most assuredly bunged a spanner in the machinery just as NIKE- AJAX through ZEUS, IM-99 BOMARC, BLOODHOUND, and other western anti aircraft missiles did to Russian plans to bomb from high altitude, also turning the XB-70 into a large white pachyderm.
Except for not persecuting our now 'friends' the Russians or our business partners in China, we can still reach out over half way around the world to bring serious force to bear in a pin point manner on the bad actors which is still within the original design parameters of the old girl, it's just a shower of 750's and not a nuke. Not bad for something designed in another mindset period.