B-52 in WNC?

rocketman said:
Back in the day there used to be a low level practice run between Mountain City and Boone right down Hwy 421. It used to be listed on the aeronautical charts of the area but I have no idea if it still is. For years back in my 30's I flew hang gliders off of Tater Hill (Rich Mountain). Our launch faced that valley. We saw 52's running the valley floor more than once below our launch. The launch was at 5200 feet and both times I saw them they were significantly lower than that. It was rumored back then that there was a radar beacon they used for guidance somewhere on the campus of ASU but I have no idea if that was true. What I do know is I saw B-52's flying down that valley from West to East twice. Once literally below me while I was in the air. I know that the Airforce, Navy and Marines still fly low level runs through the Linville Gorge to this day. Enough that some folks complain about it. The only thing I've ever seen in the Gorge is F-15's. My son who is an AV8-B Harrier pilot has a couple of buddies that have flown Harriers thru the Gorge.
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So there was a bomber program.........

The B-1 bomber program (a supersonic program designed to replace the B-52) was canceled by Jimmy Carter back in the day since it became a political embarrassment. The Air Force couldn't let it go, and it was re-born after Carter left office, and became a much better platform, reborn as the B-1B, affectionally called 'The Bone'. Anyway, during the time between reintroduction, the Air Force (as it sometimes/often does), developed a case of the Stupid (you know, kind of like when you hear the Air Force hates the Warthog and wants to get rid of it (as it's tried several times). The Air Force tried to 're-purpose' the B-52 into what the B-1 was supposed to be (minus the supersonic capability). They tried to refit the B-52 and use it to fly NOE (Nap-of-the-Earth) missions. Fly in fast and low, pop up, drop ordinance, and get the heck out of dodge. So, a whole generation of pilots grew out of that effort, and got a lot of people killed. Out of that effort, several incidents occurred, including the now infamously captured on video crash of the B-52 in Alaska practicing for an airshow.

This crash, took the life of a friend of mine. I went to high school with his son. Col Gunther and family were stationed in Goldsboro, he commanded the 68th Bombardment Wing AMS while in Goldsboro. https://www.lostflights.com/Military-Aviation-Archaeology/41183-USAF-Boeing-B-52G-58/ I have a lot of blue blood in my family, and I get legit mad at the Air Force every time I think about the waste.

Buzz 14. The Air Force instituted a mission profile called 'Chrome Dome' whereby multiple armed B-52s flew around the clock over Canada/North Pole to intimidate the Soviets (it worked). This program generated the crash at Goldsboro and the now famous 'lost bomb'. There was another crash up in Maryland, callsign 'Buzz 14'. The B-52 'tall-tail' version suffered from a structural defect whereby the tail could break off in severe winds. Buzz 14 crashed during a massive blizzard during a maintenance flight (very controversial decision tree, and the plane was armed). Most of the crew survived but unfortunately, one or more died due to injuries/weather exposure (another terrible, cruel waste, at least one died almost within sight of a farmhouse). Anyway, the copilot , Mack Peedin, was from Smithfield. I met him much later, and had the privilege to fly with him a number of times as we both were in Civil Air Patrol together. Parker C (Mack) Peedin, RIP.





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Chuckman said:
Really? C-5s are all gone?

man I'm old....
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Not all of them they still fly out of Dover AFB and Travis AFB in California. They are being replaced at a rate of 10 C17 to 1 C5. They did do an upgrade to the C5 M variant and they are supposed to fly until 2025 or so
 
E-6 Mercury was over Statesville the other day. I was on my porch and saw contrails... checked that FlightRadar app out of curiosity.

I had to Google the plane because I didnt know what it was.
 
Jim C. said:
Not a B-52, but I'm sorry I missed this yesterday.

www.wral.com

Did you see it? NASA uses retired spy plane to survey, improve snow forecasts

If you looked up early Wednesday afternoon and noticed a unusual looking white aircraft high up against the clear Carolina blue skies, you caught a rare glimpse of a spy plane turned science platform for NASA. It returned to Pope Airfield shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday passing over Rocky...
www.wral.com www.wral.com

View attachment 426010
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It flew over Rocky Mount about 1:10 yesterday I was outside and saw it. It was pretty cool, I thought I was seeing things or something then figured it couldn’t possibly be a U2 spy plane over CONUS at that. Only to find out it was a nasa version of it
 
CHRIS_WNC said:
I was a SATCOM contractor on Diego Garcia for a year around the time GW2 started. I loved watching the B52s take off.

CHRIS
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I had some friends get orders for DG right out of Infantry Training School. They were PISSED they found out it wasn't a Mexican resort town.
 
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Dan0311 said:
I had some friends get orders for DG right out of Infantry Training School. They were PISSED they found out it wasn't a Mexican resort town.
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It's MUCH better than a Mexican resort town.

@Radar , that's very cool. I have not seen a U2 outside of a museum. I know NOAA and NASA have a fleet they fly pretty extensively. The AF ones still stay pretty locked up and secure.
 
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