Antique Warbirds

Don

Don

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A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fly over Guam after launching from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for an integrated bomber operation Aug.17, 2016. This mission marks the first time in history that all three of Air Force Global Strike Command's strategic bomber aircraft are simultaneously conducting integrated operations in the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. As of Aug. 15, the B-1 Lancer will be temporarily deployed to Guam in support of U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Smoot)

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A B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, takes off March 10, 2017, at Andersen AFB, Guam. The B-1B's are deployed to Andersen AFB as part of U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence operations. This forward deployed presence demonstrates continuing U.S. commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Most importantly, the bomber rotations provide Pacific Air Forces and PACOM commanders an extended deterrence capability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jacob Skovo)

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This is not photoshopped. It happened in early 1989 off the coast of Mexico. The U.S. carrier Ranger and B-52s were holding joint exercises. At this time Russian Bears and Badgers would locate carriers and take photos. The Air Force was playing the role of the Russians and the carrier’s fighter wing’s goal was to intercept the bombers once they were in range to escort them through the carrier air space. One F-14 had to fly in-between bomber and the carrier so that any photo from the bomber would show an American fighter. Once the Air Force found the Ranger, they kept on “buzzing” the ship and showing off. That is why you don’t see any fighters in the photo.

Two B-52s called the carrier (USS Ranger) and asked if they could do a fly-by, and the carrier air controller said yes. When the B-52s reported they were 9 kilometers out, the carrier controller said he didn't see them. The B-52s told the carrier folks to look down. The paint job on the B-52 made it hard to see from above, but as it got closer, the sailors could make it out, and the water the B-52 jets were causing to spray out. It's very, very rare for a USAF aircraft to do a fly-by below the flight deck of a carrier. But B-52s had been practicing low level flights for years, to come in under Soviet radar. In this case, the B-52 pilots asked the carrier controller if they would like the bombers come around again. The carrier guys said yes, and a lot more sailors had their cameras out this time.
 
Awesome Don. Thanks for posting that.
 
In Iraq, after the battle of Haifa street, we had a large B1 presence for a week or two....it was intense. Very crowded city environment, high rise apartments (which were shredded by Apaches and F15s)...not a great place to drop bombs normally but there was some pretty good shooting going on

The B1s are extremely loud
 
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The Lancer is still my favorite. One of the most elegant ass-kickers in the world. Able to fly in above Mach 1, hugging the earth, drop a few megatons, get out under the radar, and look good doing it.
 
Very cool. Thanks for the post.
 
concepthomes1 said:
I've got a VHS-C tape of a B1 touch and go from years ago. It was a Coca-Cola 600 airshow at the Concord Regional Airport.

True story: they had an A-10 on display and the hatch to load the primary gun was opened. I reached my hand up and slid a shell (probably dummy round) out of its belt. I got nervous and slid it back in before someone caught me taking one for a souvenir.
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This is why your finger nails glow in the dark, after touching that depleted uranium!
 
Had the chance to talk with a guy at my dad's church a while back. His job was tail gunner in B17. He flew an entire combat tour of 30+ missions (as the war went on, the magic number went from 25 to 30). Anyway, on what I remember him saying was his 27th mission, they went to the big B and got pretty shot up. The B17 limped across Europe and the channel, but due to battle damage, he was stuck in his battle position in the tail. Just as they went feet dry over England, the plane gave up the fight and broke up. The tail separated and he was stuck back there smoking his last cigarette waiting for the bang. It came, and he woke up in the hospital about a week later with nothing more than a severe concussion and possible skull fracture. Rest of the crew died.

One other gent I had the privilege to meet flew B24s. On his wall was his stuff organized by his kids. The part that really caught my eye was the fact that he flew the Ploesti raid and lived to tell about it. He said it was a novel experience to be cracking along at about 100ft agl and everybody and their aunts, uncles and cousins were shooting at them with small arms. He told me that he decided that fighters were the least of their worries and had the waist gunners start shooting back. From what he said, the plugged quite a few nazis on the ground and on the bomb run, the turrets were strafing everything they could shoot at. After all, it was an oil refinery, something was gonna burn.

Youngest son was at a USAF pilots function and the speaker was one of the Dolittle Raiders. He got face time with the guy and a picture.
 
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A 509th Bomb Wing B-2 Spirit conducts a fly-by during the Scott Air Force Base 2017 air show and open house June 11, 2017, which celebrates the base’s 100th anniversary. The B-2 is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions and represents a major milestone in the bomber modernization program. With a crew of two pilots, this aircraft brings a massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through impenetrable defenses. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Tristin English)
 
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An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress departs after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during a flight to support Operation Inherent Resolve over an undisclosed location, June 9, 2017. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Battles
 
Awesome thread Don. You always seem to know when and what to post.
 
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Outstanding! My grandson was TDY to Guam in support of the mission at that time. All I can say is TDY has sure changed since my time in the early sixties!
 
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A B-52 Stratofortress approaches a 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker during a flight in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, July 18, 2017. The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber capable of flying at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Trevor T. McBride)
 
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U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, fly with South Korean F-15 and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula, July 7. The Lancers departed Andersen Air Force Base, Guam to conduct a sequenced bilateral mission with South Korean F-15s and Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-2 fighter jets. The air forces successfully integrated and flew with one another despite inclement weather, demonstrating their ability to adapt to and overcome the elements. The mission is in response to a series of increasingly escalatory action by North Korea, including a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 3. (photo courtesy of Republic of Korea air force)
 
Not bombers, but what the hey...

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Col. Kurt Gallegos, the 944th Fighter Wing commander, leads a four-ship formation with the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-15 Strike Eagle, during his fini-flight near Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., June 2, 2017. Gallegos, a career F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot with more than 4,100 hours, was the first F-16 pilot to drop bombs in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks. His fini-flight marks the end of a 32-year Air Force career. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.)
 
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Four B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrive Feb. 6, 2017, at Andersen AFB, Guam. The 9th EBS is taking over U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence operations from the 34th EBS, assigned to Ellsworth AFB, S.D. The B-1B’s speed and superior handling characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate with mixed force packages. While deployed at Guam the B-1Bs will continue conducting flight operations where international law permit. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger)
 
Don said:
Not bombers, but what the hey...

View attachment 16600

Col. Kurt Gallegos, the 944th Fighter Wing commander, leads a four-ship formation with the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-15 Strike Eagle, during his fini-flight near Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., June 2, 2017. Gallegos, a career F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot with more than 4,100 hours, was the first F-16 pilot to drop bombs in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks. His fini-flight marks the end of a 32-year Air Force career. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.)
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Congratulations, Colonel. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
 
When I worked for the state, we had some monitoring wells down on an old USMC air field at Atlantic, NC. One day we were servicing our monitoring equipment and ran into some civilian contractors running portable radar gear. One of them told us to stick around if we wanted to see a couple B1s do a fly by. Said he couldn't tell us anything else about it except where to look.

After about 15 minutes we heard a tremendous roar. Even though we already knew where to look, we missed the first B1, but that is the one we heard. We did see the second one a split second later. They were flying very low. I learned three things that day - B1s are very loud, very fast, and very big. One of my coolest memories from that job.
 
Don said:
View attachment 16599

North American X-15A-2 carried by a NASA Boeing NB-52 mothership.(U.S. Air Force photo)
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Wow, the X-15. A rocket with wings. I had a model as a kid.

Does anyone know if there was an airshow at the Charlotte Airport yesterday, Saturday? On my way there I saw a F-18 Hornet do a fly by and a few minutes later one landed. Maybe the same one, not sure. I didn't have time to go check it out.
 
We're flying out to Oshkosh early tomorrow morning. This time, I'm taking my good camera. I'll try to get some good pics. We're coming back Thursday. Unfortunately, they are scheduled to have a formation Heritage flight of a B-2, B-1, B-52, and the only two B-29s flying today, Doc and Fifi on Thursday, the day we leave. Hopefully, if we're lucky, they'll change the schedule, they do that occasionally, and fly that formation before Thursday.
 
Don said:
Not bombers, but what the hey...

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Awesome pic. And the Warthog pilot is saying…. "40 years older and y'all still dont want none. "

The Chuck Norris of fighter planes. :)
 
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Dave951 said:
Had the chance to talk with a guy at my dad's church a while back. His job was tail gunner in B17. He flew an entire combat tour of 30+ missions (as the war went on, the magic number went from 25 to 30). Anyway, on what I remember him saying was his 27th mission, they went to the big B and got pretty shot up. The B17 limped across Europe and the channel, but due to battle damage, he was stuck in his battle position in the tail. Just as they went feet dry over England, the plane gave up the fight and broke up. The tail separated and he was stuck back there smoking his last cigarette waiting for the bang. It came, and he woke up in the hospital about a week later with nothing more than a severe concussion and possible skull fracture. Rest of the crew died.

One other gent I had the privilege to meet flew B24s. On his wall was his stuff organized by his kids. The part that really caught my eye was the fact that he flew the Ploesti raid and lived to tell about it. He said it was a novel experience to be cracking along at about 100ft agl and everybody and their aunts, uncles and cousins were shooting at them with small arms. He told me that he decided that fighters were the least of their worries and had the waist gunners start shooting back. From what he said, the plugged quite a few nazis on the ground and on the bomb run, the turrets were strafing everything they could shoot at. After all, it was an oil refinery, something was gonna burn.

Youngest son was at a USAF pilots function and the speaker was one of the Dolittle Raiders. He got face time with the guy and a picture.
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I lived in the big B for four years when I was in the Army.

Still finding bombs from WWII to this day. The most bomb city in history.
 
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Wish I'd gotten some time on one of these beasts.

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The Air Force and the Navy conduct some cool exercises, sometimes. The B-52's and the carrier was an awesome one.

The two have a history of collaboration that goes back to the days of the Army Air Forces, with Doolittle's B-25 bombers launching off the USS Hornet in April of 1942 for some Pearl Harbor payback on Tokyo.

The Marines loaned a C-130 for a feasibility study as a "super COD" for carrier replenishment at sea back in 1963. They made several no-tailhook landings and unassisted takeoffs.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
The Air Force and the Navy conduct some cool exercises, sometimes. The B-52's and the carrier was an awesome one.

The two have a history of collaboration that goes back to the days of the Army Air Forces, with Doolittle's B-25 bombers launching off the USS Hornet in April of 1942 for some Pearl Harbor payback on Tokyo.

The Marines loaned a C-130 for a feasibility study as a "super COD" for carrier replenishment at sea back in 1963. They made several no-tailhook landings and unassisted takeoffs.
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I think at one point in time they had B52s loaded up w Harpoon ASMs. They must have carried a dozen at a time on the wings and used them for anti-shipping missions. Not sure how long it lasted.


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sr30 said:
I think at one point in time they had B52s loaded up w Harpoon ASMs. They must have carried a dozen at a time on the wings and used them for anti-shipping missions. Not sure how long it lasted.
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Wouldn't surprise me. I could ask a brother of mine if he knows anything about this. He served 22 1/2 years in the Air Force and was full of all kinds of interesting trivia about stuff like this.


EDIT:

No need. Seems they did just that. Here are a few links:

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a202045.pdf

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/transforming-a-b-52-into-a-maritime-patrol-plane-1003488b345a

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Boeing Harpoon&item_type=topic
 
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Chuckman said:
The B52 is an awesome aircraft. The airframe is 60 years old and it just keeps on tickin'.

I remember them at SJAFB in Goldsboro...flying over 70, right over Wilbur's.
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Watching them fly as a kid at Mather AFB in CA along w 135s and T37s constantly overhead spurred my passion for aviation.

Used to visit friends in base housing and drive by the SAC alert ramp there, very impressive.

Bad crash at Mather in 82.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/1...mber-crashed-after-a-simulated/3131408862800/


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