Resurrected B 52

[DavidC]

Saved from the gallows
‘Wise Guy’ flies again: B-52 resurrected from Boneyard
By: Stephen Losey   1 hour ago
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Col. Robert Burgess, 307th Operations Group commander, gives a thumbs up after flying a B-52 Stratofortress, nicknamed "Wise Guy," to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, May 14. The bomber had been at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, since 2008. It took a team of reserve and active duty airmen four months to prepare "Wise Guy" for flight after its decade-long hiatus at AMARG. (Master Sgt. Ted Daigle/Air Force)
A B-52 nicknamed “Wise Guy” this week became the second Stratofortress ever to be returned to service from the airplane cemetery known as the “Boneyard.”

Wise Guy was retired to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in 2008, where it sat under the hot sun for more than a decade. Typically, aircraft that retire there are cannibalized for parts, and the vast majority of B-52s there never fly again.

But after another B-52 was consumed in a fiery, aborted takeoff at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in 2016, the Air Force said in a release Thursday, the service needed a replacement, and the process of resurrecting Wise Guy began. It arrived at its new home at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on Tuesday.

The B-52, which had already flown more than 17,000 hours even before it arrived at the Boneyard, needed a lot of work. Barksdale’s 307th Bomb Wing, an Air Reserve wing, and 2nd Bomb Wing worked on Wise Guy, as well as Ghost Rider, which in 2015 became the first B-52 to be resurrected.

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A B-52 Stratofortress, nicknamed "Wise Guy," makes its final approach to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, May 14. The bomber was flown out of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, also known as the "Boneyard", where it had been since 2008. (Master Sgt. Ted Daigle/Air Force)
“The jet had cracks in the rear landing gear and was missing two engines,” Master Sgt. Steven Sorge, a fuel systems mechanic for the 307th Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale, said in the release. "It also needed all its fuel cells and hoses replaced, as well as its tires."

The list of Wise Guy’s woes didn’t end there. It also needed an overhaul of its egress system, to allow its aircrew to bail out in an emergency — but that system was in rough shape.

“All of our parts for repairing the ejection seats were basically in a five-gallon bucket,” Master Sgt. Greg Barnhill, egress shop supervisor for the 307th Maintenance Squadron. "It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

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Sorge said that a team of 13 to 20 maintainers were working on the B-52 at any given time.

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Air Force: Bird scare led to aborted takeoff that wrecked B-52
An aborted takeoff that went wrong wrecked a B-52H Stratofortress in a May 19, 2016, accident at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, Global Strike Command said in a Wednesday release.

By: Stephen Losey
After all the repairs were completed on the BUFF, maintainers ran a battery of tests on its engines, landing gear, fuel and egress systems to make sure it was flight worthy. The three-man aircrew then flew it “low and slow” to Barksdale.

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A B-52 Stratofortress, nicknamed "Wise Guy," taxis into Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, May 14. (Master Sgt. Ted Daigle/Air Force)
“This was a command-wide effort, with reservists and active duty offering a great deal of experience,” said Col. Robert Burgess, the commander of the 307th Operations Group, who also flew the bomber to Barksdale. “It took four months to get ready, so it was really a small effort on the aircrew side and a major effort on the maintainer side.”

After the bomber arrived, Barnhill reflected on the role he played in restoring not only Wise Guy, but also Ghost Rider in 2015.

“Bringing a bomber out of AMARG is once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I have been able to do it twice,” Barnhill said. “It’s just an honor to bring it back into service.”

When the maintainers began their work on Wise Guy, they even found a message left in its cockpit, written in black marker on a metal clipboard.

“AMARG, this is 60-034, a cold warrior that stood sentinel over America from the darkest days of the Cold War to the global fight against terror,” the note read. “Take good care of her … until we need her again.”

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A note found inside the cockpit of Wise Guy, a B-52 Stratofortress, is displayed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The jet has been at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group since 2008 and was recently flown out to be restored to active service. (Air Force)

About
this
Author
About Stephen Losey
Stephen Losey covers leadership and personnel issues as the senior reporter for Air Force Times. He comes from an Air Force family, and his investigative reports have won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover Air Force operations against the Islamic State.

 

[DavidC]

Air Force: Bird scare led to aborted takeoff that wrecked B-52
By: Stephen Losey   April 19, 2017
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[This story has been updated since it was first posted Wednesday. - Ed.]

An aborted takeoff that went wrong wrecked a B-52H Stratofortress in a May 19, 2016, accident at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, Global Strike Command said in a Wednesday release.

An accident investigation board found that the accident began when the pilot of the B-52 — which was assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing's 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron — saw birds ahead at wing level as the plane was conducting a "high-speed, heavy-weight" takeoff during a routine training mission. The co-pilot then heard and felt a " 'couple of thuds' that sounded like something hitting the aircraft," the report said.

The pilot and co-pilot then saw three of the plane's four engines on the right wing "quickly spooling back" and losing thrust necessary to safely get off the ground. The oil pressure spiked on the wing's fourth engine — which suggested to the pilot that it was also about to fail — and the plane experienced a "noticeable left-to-right yawing motion," according to the report.

The pilot began to abort the takeoff and applied the brakes, while the co-pilot deployed the drag chute, which failed to inflate properly. With 2,500 feet left in the runway, the pilot shut off the outboard engines, announced that the plane was going to "depart the prepared surface" of the runway, and then shut off the inboard engines. It skidded off the runway at about 8:32 a.m. local time, shearing off the main landing gear, and came to a rest about 300 feet from the runway. The B-52 then caught on fire. The crew conducted an emergency shutdown and left the plane through a hatch.

The accident investigation board found that the bird activity and subsequent loss of engine thrust led to the accident. The failure of the drag chute and the brakes also substantially contributed to the accident.

Global Strike Command on Thursday provided the full report to Air Force Times, and said it will be also posted on the Air Force's eFOIA reading room.

The airplane "sustained total damage," costing the Air Force $112 million. Another $1.5 million in damage was caused to airfield instrument and approach lighting. The crew was treated for minor injuries sustained while exiting the crashed plane on the ground, but there were no fatalities or damage to private property.

In a release published the day of the crash, Andersen Air Force Base officials said the B-52 was carrying inert munitions.

Global Strike Command said the plane was deployed from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota as part of the Continuous Bomber Presence mission.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

If this isn't a testament to a stable platform then I don't know what is. They must have used the outboard turbines to control yaw.

 

[DavidC]

We had one do that when the pilots inboard flap let go. It did it TWICE. I often wondered how it could still fly much less land safely but the crew did it with some help from the aircraft.

 

[DavidC]

Curious as to why Minot lost a Buff and the replacement went to Louisiana ?. We were in Minot during that time frame and never heard a word of the crash,really strange. I will have to ask the SIL but he is in missles and strangely enough doesn't know much about wings and flightlines

 

[Wiredawg]

All cool stuff! when I was around 5 years old, my dad was stationed at Lackland AFB and we lived on base. We used to come in the Prospect Hill gate, basically the one separating Lackland and Kelly AFBs. Kelly was the Logistics Center for B52s back then and I would have to hold my fingers in my ears when they were taking off. The road went right by the flightline and seemed like Kelly had a lot of business fixing/overhauling B52s in the 60s.

Sweet memories! And neat the AF bringing mothballed ones back to service.

Fly, Fight, and Win! Ron

 

[Bill Lins]

In what year did they stop building new ones-does anyone know?

 

[DavidC]

In what year did they stop building new ones-does anyone know?

Looks like Oct. 1962

 

[DavidC]

The rest of the story

B-52 Stratofortress
Published December 16, 2015

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PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 4
The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions.

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B-52 STRATOFORTRESS DVIDS page
Mission
The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,166.6 meters). It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability.

Features
In a conventional conflict, the B-52 can perform strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations.
During Desert Storm, B-52s delivered 40 percent of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces. It is highly effective when used for ocean surveillance, and can assist the U.S. Navy in anti-ship and mine-laying operations. Two B-52s, in two hours, can monitor 140,000 square miles (364,000 square kilometers) of ocean surface.

All B-52s can be equipped with two electro-optical viewing sensors, a forward-looking infrared and advanced targeting pods to augment targeting, battle assessment, and flight safety, thus further improving its combat ability.

Pilots wear night vision goggles, or NVG, to enhance their vision during night operations. Night vision goggles provide greater safety during night operations by increasing the pilot's ability to visually clear terrain, to increase the peacetime and combat situational awareness of the aircrew and visually acquire other aircraft.

B-52s are currently upgrading from the Litening Advanced Targeting Pod to the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. Sniper pods provide improved long-range target detection/identification and continuous stabilized surveillance for all missions, including close air support of ground forces. The pod’s advanced targeting and image processing technology significantly increases the combat effectiveness of the B-52 during day, night and under-the-weather conditions in the attack of ground targets with a variety of standoff weapons (i.e., laser-guided bombs, conventional bombs and GPS-guided weapons).

The use of aerial refueling gives the B-52 a range limited only by crew endurance. It has an unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles (14,080 kilometers).

Background
For more than 40 years, B-52 Stratofortresses have been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States. The B-52 is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory. This includes gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles and joint direct attack munitions. Updated with modern technology the B-52 will be capable of delivering the full complement of joint developed weapons and will continue into the 21st century as an important element of our nation's defenses. Current engineering analyses show the B-52's life span to extend beyond the year 2040.

The B-52A first flew in 1954, and the B model entered service in 1955. A total of 744 B-52s were built with the last, a B-52H, delivered in October 1962. The first of 102 B-52H's was delivered to Strategic Air Command in May 1961. The H model can carry up to 20 air launched cruise missiles. In addition, it can carry the conventional cruise missile that was launched in several contingencies during the 1990s, starting with Operation Desert Storm and culminating with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The aircraft's flexibility was evident in Operation Desert Storm and again during Operation Allied Force. B-52s struck wide-area troop concentrations, fixed installations and bunkers, and decimated the morale of Iraq's Republican Guard. On Sept. 2 to 3, 1996, two B-52Hs struck Baghdad power stations and communications facilities with 13 AGM-86C conventional air launched cruise missiles, or CALCMs, as part of Operation Desert Strike. At that time, this was the longest distance flown for a combat mission involving a 34-hour, 16,000 statute mile round trip from Barksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana.

In 2001, the B-52 contributed to the success in Operation Enduring Freedom, providing the ability to loiter high above the battlefield and provide close air support through the use of precision guided munitions.

The B-52 also played a role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 21, 2003, B-52Hs launched approximately 100 CALCMs during a night mission.

Only the H model is still in the Air Force inventory and is assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North, Dakota, and the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, which fall under Air Force Global Strike Command. The aircraft is also assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command's 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB.


General characteristics
Primary function: heavy bomber
Contractor: Boeing Military Airplane Co.
Power plant: eight Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103 turbofan
Thrust: each engine up to 17,000 pounds
Wingspan: 185 feet (56.4 meters)
Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (48.5 meters)
Height: 40 feet, 8 inches (12.4 meters)
Weight: Approximately 185,000 pounds (83,250 kilograms)
Maximum takeoff weight: 488,000 pounds (219,600 kilograms)
Fuel capacity: 312,197 pounds (141,610 kilograms)
Payload: 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms)
Speed: 650 miles per hour (Mach 0.84)
Range: 8,800 miles (7,652 nautical miles)
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,151.5 meters)
Armament: approximately 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms) mixed ordnance: bombs, mines and missiles. (Modified to carry air-launched cruise missiles)
Crew: five (aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer)
Unit cost: $84 million (fiscal 2012 constant dollars)
Initial operating capability: April 1952
Inventory: active force, 58; ANG, 0; Reserve, 18

(Current as of December 2015)

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Curious as to why Minot lost a Buff and the replacement went to Louisiana ?. We were in Minot during that time frame and never heard a word of the crash,really strange. I will have to ask the SIL but he is in missles and strangely enough doesn't know much about wings and flightlines

The missile personnel are treated similar to job control...kept in the dark and fed piles of "poo", to be polite.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

If this isn't a testament to a stable platform then I don't know what is. They must have used the outboard turbines to control yaw.



View attachment 113032

They were seconds from ejecting when a change of mind by the crew was made since they were still in the air. They wrote the book on something nobody thought would happen let alone survive. We had some training which included a whole lot more video than has been released. These guys have some of the highest polished dangling participles of anyone I know. Yaw damper is probably one of the most critical little pieces of equipment on this wonderful bird.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Curious as to why Minot lost a Buff and the replacement went to Louisiana ?. We were in Minot during that time frame and never heard a word of the crash,really strange. I will have to ask the SIL but he is in missles and strangely enough doesn't know much about wings and flightlines

Probably, like an electron, will go to where the hole is. Barksdale may have had the mission load requirement as compared to Minot, or the big dog wins.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

They were seconds from ejecting when a change of mind by the crew was made since they were still in the air. They wrote the book on something nobody thought would happen let alone survive. We had some training which included a whole lot more video than has been released. These guys have some of the highest polished dangling participles of anyone I know. Yaw damper is probably one of the most critical little pieces of equipment on this wonderful bird.

PBJ, that is classic...

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

During initial development and testing the landing gear on the BUFF was classified. All pictures released to the public were edited to show landing gear up condition only. The crosswind crab feature of the trucks was something very unique at the time. Try landing in a heavy crosswind and dip your wing into the wind to stay lined up on the runway. Ain't gonna happen with the BUFF's huge wingspan.
Here's a shot showing the crab angle at touchdown. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...F34490BE078A515EBFD3F34490BE078A5&FORM=VDQVAP

And this one: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...34490BE078A515EBFD3F34490BE078A5&&FORM=VRDGAR

And: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...63287C3A6536E421131C63287C3A6536&&FORM=VRDGAR

Try this video for the missing vertical stab Dave posted earlier: (a little added "dark" message by the producers included at the end) https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...F63A70C096182C52FB25F63A70C096182&FORM=VDQVAP

And for a quick tour: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...F77093D40CA9BF907450F77093D40CA9&&FORM=VDRVRV

 

[DavidC]

The crosswind crab system was so durable we never had to work on that part of the aircraft. It was kind of strange before takeoff and while Taxiing to see a buff body going sideways down the strip while going in a straight line. Every crew would test that system before take off.

 

[kcv67]

Was it a Montana plane? A big MT on the tail.

 

[DavidC]

Was it a Montana plane? A big MT on the tail.

"Wise Guy" served with the 5th Bomb Wing out of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota before the powerful bomber was sent to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, which handles the "boneyard" at Davis-Mothan Air Force Base in Arizona, in 2008.


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"Wise Guy" at Barksdale Air Force Base, May 14, 2019.(U.S. Air Force photo)
When it was retired, someone left a note on an internal panel hinting that "Wise Guy" might one day return to service. The message read: "AMARG, this is 60-034, a Cold Warrior that stood sentinel over America from the darkest days of the Cold War to the global fight against terror. Take good care of her... until we need her again."


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"Wise Guy" lands at Barksdale Air Force Base, May 14, 2019.(U.S. Air Force photo)
"Wise Guy" is the second B-52 to ever return from the "boneyard." The other, a bomber nicknamed "Ghost Rider," was brought back and delivered to the 307th Bomb Wing in 2015.

• The Air Force got parts from its 'boneyard' to put its biggest plane back into service

SEE ALSO: 3 Reasons The Legendary B-52 Bomber Will Outlive All Of Us

 

[DavidC]

3 Reasons The Legendary B-52 Bomber Will Outlive All Of Us
Jeff Schogol
April 25, 2018 at 05:26 PM

Analysis

Do you remember when the defense industry could actually build airplanes? Not just build airplanes, but mass produce them in large numbers?

Of course you don’t.

Over time, military aircraft have become so complicated and defense industry has become so impervious to outside forces that you probably weren’t born when the United States could actually build tough, reliable and relatively low cost airplanes.

Look no further than the B-52, also known as the “BUFF” for “Big, Ugly, Fat F*cker.” Boeing built more than 700 of the bombes between 1952 and 1962 and the Air Force expects to keep flying the BUFF until the 2050s. That means that a bomber first built during the Truman administration will still be putting warheads on foreheads about the time the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reach their halfway mark.

In comparison, the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit, which first flew in the 1980s, are both expected to be retired in the early 2030s -- more than a decade earlier than planned, according to Air Force Magazine. NASA’s Space Shuttle retired in 2011 after 30 years of service. The SR-71 Blackbird bowed out in 1990 after flying for 24 years.

Back in the day, America built things to last
As the longest serving combat aircraft in the U.S. military, the BUFF proves that when it comes to bells and whistles, less is more.

“I’m not an engineer, but I’d have to tell you that the folks that built this airplane designed an aircraft that is pretty sturdy,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere.

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B-52s took part in Operation Linebacker II over North Vietnam in 1972.Air Force photo.

Bussiere leads 8th Air Force, which is responsible for the service’s bomber fleet. He was born in 1963 – the year after the last B-52 was delivered to the Air Force.

Originally intended to be America’s nuclear bomber, the B-52 gained a new mission with the advent of GPS-guided weapons: Close air support. The BUFF has come to the aid of troops in contact in Afghanistan and Iraq with a payload of 70,000 pounds of bombs and missiles.

Although the B-52 has been updated over the years, the bomber’s core technology dates back to the 1950s and 1960s, making it totally unlike the Air Force’s newest aircraft, Bussiere told Task & Purpose on April 20.

“Essentially, we’re working today with 1960s versions of aircraft that have been modified – like other weapons systems in any service,” Bussiere said. “The fact that it has served so long and will continue to serve so long is a pretty remarkable statistic.”

One key to the B-52’s longevity is that bombers pull fewer G-forces than fighters, which are designed to “yank and bank,” he said. Also, many bombers spent years on alert with Strategic Air Command, the forerunner to U.S. Strategic Command, so they were not flying many missions.

Did someone say, ‘let’s play global thermonuclear war’?
Despite its age, the B-52 is expected to continue to shoulder the nuclear mission along with Air Force’s newest bomber the B-21 Raider. The Air Force ultimately plans to buy 100 B-21s, which are expected to begin flying in the mid-2020s.





One reason why the B-52 will outlast the newer B-2 is that the U.S. government made a “disastrous decision” to only buy 20 bombers instead of the 132 B-2s it initially intended to purchase, said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

“For too long the Air Force and the DOD has let arbitrary budget levels drive force structure—it’s time to turn that equation around and have the National Security Strategy drive force structure,” Deptula told Task & Purpose on Wednesday.

With advancements in fighters and air defense systems, the B-52 can fire “standoff” conventional and nuclear weapons from a distance without putting itself at risk, Bussiere said. The B-1 showed how this can be done during the April 13 strike against Syria by launching cruise missiles at targets while outside Syrian airspace.

Opening a can of whoop-ass on the Taliban and ISIS
The B-52 has also proven invaluable to commanders in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan because it can carry a lot of fuel and a lot of weapons, so it can loiter for a long time and provide the firepower to get U.S. troops and their allies out of danger, he said.

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A B-52 Stratofortress from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., drops live ordnance over the Nevada Test and Training Range. capabilities.Air Force/ Senior Airman Brian Ferguson.

During its 2017 rotation to the Central Command theater of operations, the 23rd Bomb Squadron flew 400 consecutive sorties against ISIS and Taliban targets before a maintenance issue cancelled a mission, breaking the B-52’s previous record for consecutive missions set during Operation Linebacker II in 1972, according to U.S. Air Forces Central Command. Not to be outdone, the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flew a total of 834 B-52 missions after arriving in theater in September 2017.

The record-setting rotations are a testament to the “robustness and ruggedness” of the B-52, the work Air Force Materiel Command has done over the decades to maintain the bomber, and the dedication of airmen to keep the B-52 flying, Bussiere said.

“If you ever have a doubt about the motivation or discipline of an airman, I’d offer you to go out on the flight line and look in the eyes of a maintainer launching a B-52,” Bussiere said. “The B-52 warriors that rotated in and out of the Middle East absolutely crushed their mission.”

 

[DHayden]

My "ex" father in law was a B-52 Crew Chief, he retired in 89 or 90 and went to work on the 747 wing attachment section at Boeing.
They seem to be pulling from the boneyard for quite a bit lately, just read they had pulled a couple CH-53 Super Stallions from the yard and had them rebuilt by Erickson Skycrane to return to Navy service. If we can put more acft in service and build our military back up with a cost savings to the tax payer I'm all for it.

https://www.defensenews.com/digital...side-contractor-gives-new-life-to-h-53-helos/

 

[DavidC]

Sitting outside this morning at the KOA at 6:45am Dakota time I hear jet engines. When I look up there's a B-52 flying at about 20k feet heading South. What a beautiful sight, I have not personally witnessed one in a very long time.