O.T.. BUFFs

JerryS · Dec 2, 2011

A few days ago when I posted some B-17 photos I said that I had also tried to snap some shots of a B-52. Finally got some today; these guys are shooting touch-and-goes at Barksdale AFB (as they do every day) and I positioned myself just off-base at the runway approach. When one of those things goes over, it suddenly gets dark and loud. It’s strange to think about it, but some of these B-52s are almost as old as the B-17 ----and I’m not talking about the model, but the planes themselves, which were built in the 1950s.
At the very beginning of Desert Storm, a group of B-52s from here (perhaps including the ones shown here) left this base, flew to Iraq/Kuwait, did their business, then returned here 30-something hours later. In that time, n’er did a wheel touch the ground.
The last two photos are of a plane I can’t identify. I’m sure there are guys here who can.

John Harmon · Dec 2, 2011

I"m not too knowledgeable of Military air craft but I think the last two photos are of a B2 Bomber.

Joseph Hunter · Dec 2, 2011

Last 2 photos are of a B1B Bomber.

Adrian Billheimer · Dec 2, 2011

I'm fairly sure your last two pics are a B-1 Lancer, the B2 is the stealth flying wing.

GordoSD · Dec 2, 2011

We called them BUF's . Big ugly f....rs. I flew top cover (TARCAP)(TARGET COMBAT AIR PATROL) for the guys out of Guam, bombing Hanoi in Dec 72. I t was really depressing to see one of them spiral down into a fireball. We (VF-92) flying F-4's the "little FRIENDS" off the USS Constellation.. The 52 Bufs spit out chaff, and flares, and had ecm pods, and they still got whacked by the old SA 2's. I met a college classmate that was flying those missions, and he thought the Phantoms were falling out of the sky too much. I guess it was relative.
It was just remarkable, flying there and not being targeted, No migs came up, no Sams fired at the little guys, and we just had to orbit and watch guys get hit and die. Still makes me want to vomit.

Larry Wallace · Dec 2, 2011

JerryS,

Yep, that's a B-1.

A little story about the BUFF's. I was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Gulf War had started that night. I was preparing my KC-135E model Stratotanker for some fuel cell work that needed to be done since my Jet always seemed to leak with large fuel loads.

My aircraft was parallel to and about 300 yards from the military runway. There were two runways that ran parallel to each other and the one furthest away was considered the civilian side. Even though it was night the place was well lit up and you could see for a considerably distance. While defueling my broke jet I saw a B-52 make his approach, landed, popped his chute, and roll down to a hot brake area where they did some checks before sending it on to it's parking spot for more maintenance.

A few minutes later a second B-52 repeated the same process, landed, popped his chute, and rolled on down to the same area as the first BUFF.

A third B-52 approached, landed, did not pop his chute but rolled on down but to a different area. I thought that was interesting, wondered briefly why but then went on doing my job.

The next day I heard that a B-52 had his tail cone shot/blown off by some sort of explosion by something the Iraqi's had been shooting at our boys.

Then I thought, oh, wow, that must have been the BUFF I saw last night! No wonder his chute did not deploy when he landed, he didn't have a chute anymore!

LW

KIP in MX · Dec 2, 2011

I grew up in the flight path of the long runway of Walker AFB in Roswell, NM and the B-52s and KC-135s were almost 24/7 over the farm. Loved to watch them. At one time the largest B-52 base, it was closed in 66 or 67 and the a/c sent to other bases.

As a retired army general said during the opening of the war in Afghanistan "The most beautiful thing in the world is looking up and seeing B-52s."
Thanks for posting the photos.

Larry Wallace · Dec 3, 2011

GordoSD,

My Dad crewed KC-135A models and was in and out of Guam, Thailand, and Okinawa in 1966. I have a picture that I assume he took of an F-4 with all kinds of white pointy thingies sticking out from underneath the wings. It's kind of a dark picture since it appears that the weather is very rainy with a lot of green down below. I also have some pictures of the F-105 Thunderchiefs off the wing tip of my Dad's Tanker. I assume these pictures are over southeast Asia. I'll never know for sure because he and ten other guys were killed during takeoff at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan, 19 May 1966. Dad was 30 years old when he died. I am 54 and it stuns me to realize how young that really is. The Vietnam war was pretty rough for a lot of you guys and all of your families. I thank God for all of you and I ask God to please be with the young kids that are phasing me out.

Bartt · Dec 3, 2011

We used to ask the captured NVA what they feared most about the Americans in Vietnam. They would go "BZZZZZZ, B-52". The 1000 lb bomb craters made a good NDP in the jungle. (Night defensive positions). The worked pretty good on reinforced bunkers. Have a goodun.

willie in mn · Dec 3, 2011

Those are sure some tough old brutes, didn't realize any were still active. IIRC, they first flew in 55 or so. Also the C-130s, still the workhorse, came on line about the same time.
Spent 63 - 65 at Eglin, Fl. Interesting to watch them do some test bomb runs at Range 52. Then a month or so later see reports in Stars & Stripes about new tactics in Nam. Awesome to see a 52 come across the range right on the deck, below radar, them pull up a bit to make the drop & scoot under the radar again.
Don't remember how many chutes they used, but watched tanks dropped from 130s, crew bail out of another, & drive it away. Most test drops successful, but a few failed.
Got a chance to get up close/personal with the very first C - 141 before it was accepted for production, think that was fall of 64.
Willie

willie in mn · Dec 3, 2011

Those are sure some tough old brutes, didn't realize any were still active. IIRC, they first flew in 55 or so. Also the C-130s, still the workhorse, came on line about the same time.
Spent 63 - 65 at Eglin, Fl. Interesting to watch them do some test bomb runs at Range 52. Then a month or so later see reports in Stars & Stripes about new tactics in Nam. Awesome to see a 52 come across the range right on the deck, below radar, them pull up a bit to make the drop & scoot under the radar again.
Don't remember how many chutes they used, but watched tanks dropped from 130s, crew bail out of another, & drive it away. Most test drops successful, but a few failed.
Got a chance to get up close/personal with the very first C - 141 before it was accepted for production, think that was fall of 64.
Willie

Oldmax · Dec 3, 2011

Sorry but the B-52's flighing now were made in the 60's they are "H" models. all the "D" models were ether scraped or shot down over Nam. I was in the 4139 SAC Wing Bergstorm AFB Austin TX from 58 to 62 worked on B-52D's and KC-135's for four years. was in FMS Repair & reclaimation shop. mostly worked on flight controls, "rigging & replacing".

Sidekick · Dec 3, 2011

I did maintenance on KC-135's and I remember watching B-52's doing low level bombing practice runs while on the ground under them and they are just amazing to watch. I always wondered what held them up in the air lol. Some pretty cool memories are coming back. I remember something about a B-1 coming in on fire one night but the details escape me. I know it was cordoned off for a few days. They did touch and goes at our base all the time and it was impossible to sleep during the night runs. Quite possibly one of the loudest aircraft out there.

buickanddeere · Dec 3, 2011

B52 will be a service for some time longer. They deliver the most bang for the buck of any bomber.
Accuracy has improved for a minimal input cost. The plain old dumb gravity bombs are being retrofitted with an external cradle with steering fins and gps.
The B52 no long has to fly directly over the target or as low. Just drop the bombs and let the GPS steer.

Rich Iowa · Dec 3, 2011

I've always loved the B-52s, never have come up with a good reason other than they're just huge awesome planes that seem to defy gravity. I went to the SAC (Strategic Air Command) Museum in Ashland, NE last spring, first time I was able to get right up beside a B-52.

Side note- I heard the term BUFFs but in reference to the Corsair A-7s, also known as flying bricks. When I was a kid my dad worked with them while in the 132nd Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard. Back then the secruity was much more relaxed and the airport had a viewing spot where you could park almost right next to the planes and runway.

oldtanker · Dec 3, 2011

LOL Willie.......they did not drop tanks.......they dropped M551 Sheridan lite armored reccon vehicles that looks like a tank. The weighed in about 16 tons, fired a 152MM round and could launch an anti tank missile through the gun tube. A real tank from back in the 60's was M48s and M60s and those were about 60 tons. Now they do low altitude extractions which that are very interesting to watch. The 551 is long gone and had never been replaced. Now all the airborne guys have to do is secure an area large enough to take a C 17 Globemaster and they can fly in the M1's.

The first air strike launched for the first gulf was a B52 mission launched from an air base in La. By the time it arrived on target the missions to take out Iraqs anti air and radar had been completed and many aircraft had flown multiple missions. That mission had the distinction of being the first mission wheels up and the longest bombing mission in the history of flight. I don't remember how many in flight refuels they did but it was more than one.

Rick

showcrop · Dec 3, 2011

There used to be a SAC base near where I live and there was a refueling wing based there. The runway ended close to the interstate there and it was not at all unusual to drive under a KC135 as it was taking off. Well one day I was driving up the interstate and I saw one rising up into the air and it was making a deafening roar like I had never heard before as it went overhead. Next day I asked friend In the air national Guard what the reason could be for the much greater noise but he didn't know. about a week later we found out about Operation Desert Storm starting and all the deployments to bases in that area. I found out that as opposed to 1/4 to 1/3 loads that the tankers usually took off with that they were taking off with every ounce that they could carry because they had to refuel a lot of aircraft over the Atlantic. The heavy loads of course took every ounce of thrust that they could produce.

GordoSD · Dec 3, 2011

The Navy had a bunch of the A-7's. They repalced the A-4/ We always called them
"SLUFS". Short Little Ugly "Flyers".

earlschieb · Dec 3, 2011

I was a Crew Chief on B52's during the end of the Viet Nam conflict, big old lumbering bird, for sure, but I think they have scrapped all of the 1950's ones haven't they, and using the early 1960's models, seem like the F. G. and H? models now?

JMS/.MN · Dec 3, 2011

Summer of "65 we were sitting on the tarmac at Pope AFB (Ft. Bragg), waiting to board a C130 for a jump, when a C141 Starlifter touched down on the other end of the runway. Surprised us how much the wings flexed on landing. That was the first jet-powered to jump from. Supposed to hold about 200 jumpers, vs 64 on the C130. I joked the drop zone would be North Carolina, South Carolina,and part of Georgia.

Goose · Dec 3, 2011

I have a friend who is a retired USAF Lt.Col. He flew the B1 bombers. His wife is a Major in an ANG KC-135 tanker squadron.

One time, she handled the boom on the tanker while he refueled his B1. I understand according to regs, husband and wife are not supposed to do that, but they did it once and got away with it.

CLTX · Dec 3, 2011

Here's a couple of photos of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, taken at the Scholes Air Show in Galveston several years ago. Hope I uploaded correctly.
C. L.

snoop-nc · Dec 3, 2011

My twisted humor wants to know if she checked engine oil and washed his windshield?

Seriously...I'm curious about that kind of prohibition. To me, it would be a "non issue" as each had a job to do, etc. Are they afraid she would give him too much/little gas?

You vets that have chimed in here deserve a sincere, hearty round of SALUTE and THANK YOU, SIR for your service.

Rick

big fred · Dec 3, 2011

Thanks for the pics. One of my first engineering design jobs at Boeing was on the B-52. We were putting the offensive avionics developed for the B-1A on the B-52 after Carter canceled the B-1. Later on worked on the proposal for the B-1B, but I had moved to another military program before the contract award. My wife worked on the B-1B, though. The B-52 is still one of my all-time favorite airplanes.

omahagreg · Dec 3, 2011

My brother in law retired from the Air Force, and stayed in Shreveport for a while after. Went to visit them, drove by close to about 50 B-52s that were parked. What an incredible sight!

Sidekick · Dec 3, 2011

Some B-52 trivia; The paint system adds about 700 pounds of weight to the aircraft and the wingtips have about 6 feet of flex.

Goose · Dec 3, 2011

Probably a matter of guilt if something went wrong. Just like a doctor will never deliver his own baby.

O.T.. BUFFs

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