Saw a B-2 yesterday

[rich m]

Fat, Lazy Americans! I love us!

http://www.af. mil/news/factsheets/pictures/b_2.jpg

A B-2 overflew my house last evening while I was BOMBing my tire restraint.
Looked cool, but still kinda wierd.
Was louder than my truck #ad
, but nothing to compare with an F-15 blowing 100ft of afterburner flame. #ad

 

[The patriot]

I saw one a while back. I'm about a stones throw from Lakehurst NAWC, and very close to McGuire AFB and Ft. Dix.
I see lots of cargo planes, and re fuelers, but not too many B-2's. I do remember the one I saw being very loud.
Warren grove is pretty close to me too. They always have a few A-10 up in the air. Theyre pretty cool to watch practicing cannon runs. #ad

Eric

 

[Archive]

Joel... ever go east to Boardman, R6714, Okanagon/roosevelt? We run a lot of planes from NUW into those. You need to come by for a tour! Seattle ARTCC.

 

[SOLER]

Well I must say, I fly THE loudest aircraft known to man. It isn't rumble-loud, tho. It's is the mighty TWEET. It's a T-37, and we use it to train brand new pilots. It is pretty much a 6,000 pound dog-whistle. If you stand next to it when it's running, without wearing hearing protection, you will die.

I was flying it up to Whiteman Air Force base several years ago, and there was a cloud deck at 4,000 feet, and another at around 7,000 feet. We were at 5,000 feet, so not in the clouds, but between the two decks, and ATC called and told us about traffic, a B-2, just taking off from Whiteman AFB. Well, they gave us an avoidance vector, and there she was. It came into sight just as it passed 4,000 feet and broke thru that bottom cloud deck. That was the first time I had ever seen one "Up Close and Personal. " It is true, they look wierd, but pretty impressive.

Hey Joel, I was at Grand Juntion, CO (Walker Field) last weekend. I stopped there enroute to SLC, and again on the way back. I ran in to some EA-6 guys from Widby (sp) Island. If you have been there (Grand Junction) you know ole Doug. Great guy. Loves you Navy guys. Us too, but he's got more "anchor" pictures than "blue" ones.

SOLER

[This message has been edited by SOLER (edited 04-28-2001). ]

 

[Ladders]

Seen the new, improved, AF ads? They using B2's refueling in the air. NEAT!!

Probably from one of the "overseas" missions they flew.

\\BF//

 

[joel]

If you like loud, you should hear my jet. Loudest one on the carrier and no afterburner. May well be louder than the F-15, even. We have a pure turbojet engine and a curved tailpipe and at military power, it will rattle your bones! If you're curious, I fly the EA-6B Prowler.

[This message has been edited by joel (edited 04-28-2001). ]

 

[Papa Joe]

Played a lot with boomerangs when I was a kid. The B-2 is totally awesome, but subconcsciously I think it should be wobbling through the air.
Okay I'll go to my room.
Loud is relative and I don't know who the decibel king is. However, I was priveledged to be on the tarmac at Beale AFB in 1984 to see the SR-71 take off, and I assure you it got the attention of every soul within sight when he hit the throttles.

Joe

 

[RonaldLarson]

Joel, you drive an awesome weapons platform, one of the best bangs for the buck. I spent eleven fantastic days on the Carl Vinson on a tiger cruise with my son back in the late eighties. My sincere thanks for doing what you do, where you do it, and why!! There ain't no pilot like a carrier pilot! Good luck always.
Ron


------------------
'99 QC SLT 4X4, Forest Green, long box, camper/trailer pkg, 3. 55 axles, auto, CD/cassette, power seat, heated mirrors, HD xfer case, Two meter Radioshack ham transceiver (license KC7MME),Proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy!
'98 Arctic Cat 300 4X4 ATV
'00 Honda Recon ATV
'99 Grand Cherokee
NRA Life member
"Bible thumping" Rush Dittohead!

 

[joel]

Thanks ol ron, that really means a lot.

Rob - yes, I've been into BDM a time or two. Usually we use the OLY, OKAN or ROOS MOAs for our work. Personally, I prefer low level flight to the form and/or aerobatics, but that's just me. Just something about ripping along at 500 feet above the ground at 500+ mph that just gets my blood racing. The VR-1355 is one of, if not THE best low level routes in the entire country!

I'd love to come take a tour of Seattle Center one of these days.

[This message has been edited by joel (edited 04-29-2001). ]

 

[John]

Rich, those were my favorite times at Boeing... when I was machining those titanium B2 parts! YYESSSS! #ad


..... nothin' like trick, *****in', secret hardware! #ad

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by John:

..... nothin' like trick, *****in', secret hardware! #ad
[/B]

John, any neat gadgets make it on the B-2 from E-Systems? I used to work for them. We were/are a pretty big contractor, I'm certain we have some neat toys on there. #ad


SOLER, My little brother works in Pax. river. He was in a building about 1/2 mile from where a T-37 went down last year. #ad
Didnt even hear it.
Sorry to say, the pilot didnt make it. #ad

Eric



[This message has been edited by The patriot (edited 04-30-2001). ]

 

[rich m]

Originally posted by John:
Rich, those were my favorite times at Boeing... when I was machining those titanium B2 parts! YYESSSS! #ad


..... nothin' like trick, *****in', secret hardware! #ad

Being the son of a machinist (winchmaker), I really oughta know, but I don't... What do you use to cut titanium? Diamond? Titanium nitride coatings? Inquiring (note: not spelled with an "E") minds wanna know... (you can maintain the secrecy in regards to the shapes you were cutting #ad
)

 

[rich m]

Originally posted by Papa Joe:
Played a lot with boomerangs when I was a kid. The B-2 is totally awesome, but subconcsciously I think it should be wobbling through the air.

That's the same thing that niggles at the back of my mind! I'd never identified what "it" was before.

... . to see the SR-71 take off, and I assure you it got the attention of every soul within sight when he hit the throttles.

Joe

Now THERE's a afterburner flame!!!! even visible (very pale blue, like propane or alcohol, but LOTS OF IT!) in broad daylite on a bright Southern Nevada airshow day... I bet people heard/felt that big bugger clear down to Hoover Dam... #ad

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Ditto on the SR-71. Those J-58's are unreal how much power they put out, 32,000lbs of thrust EACH!. They sound awesome. Too bad our goverment is too cheap to let them keep flying. I would definatley agree the EA-6B is a Bad a** Jet. I love them. My friend was in the EA-6B squadron VAQ-209 "Star Warriors" and is now retired. I am a SEABEE so i never get close to aircraft anymore, the main motto is "If we cant truck it, F**K it!"

 

[Papa Joe]

The SR-71 burns 8,000 gallons per hour at max cruise. That's 62 gallons per minute per engine #ad

 

[joel]

Papa Joe, that's probably 8000 POUNDS per hour, not gallons. Of course, in full afterburner, 8000 gal/hour is probably about right. 8000 pounds of fuel weighs roughly 54000 pounds (that's standard jet fuel - the SR-71 uses a slightly different fuel, so the weight's different, but in the neighborhood of 6. 8 #/gal), so even a couple of hours of fuel would weigh too much. It's really not all that big of an airplane! We generally use pph rather than gallons in jet aviation. Having said that, I could be wrong... it's been known to happen before.

EMD, I'll be heading off to the "Star Warriors" in about a year.

 

[Timinator]

As a former KC-135Q nav, I recall giving the SR over 70,000 pounds of fuel many times. That was just so he could make it home. They are thirsty (and fast) birds!

 

[Papa Joe]

As I recall the Blackbird holds 12,000 gallons of fuel, 11,750 usable. This equates to 80,000 pounds of fuel. Max gross takeoff weight is 140,000. The unrefueled range is listed as 2000 miles.
It's gallons, not pounds. I thought the same thing. #ad
Joe

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Hey Joel, you a Pilot, Navigator or ECMO?, and what squadron you with now?

 

[John]

Originally posted by rich m:
What do you use to cut titanium?

At the time, we used cobalt end mills or carbide inserted face mills. Later, most cobalt end mills were substituted with a newer cutter material called Rex 20. The Rex 20 cuts almost as long before dulling, costs less and is less hazardous to tool grinders (when ground in an "open", "dry" environment). I've used titanium nitrided HSS (high speed steel) end mills on titanium however, I don't personally prefer it.

..... then there was that period when I worked in the exotic materials machining area... trick, trick stuff (material most have never even heard of) #ad
#ad


..... I sure miss the good 'ol days!