Boeing B-52G Stratofortress Minimum Interval Take Off (MITO)

[@Lancair84]

The MITO for the movie was briefed at 10 seconds because the director said that 15 seconds wouldn't look very close on film. Our crew was 8 seconds behind the aircraft in front of us and it looked very close. The turbulence was considerable before we got out of it on the fan out. (744 Bomb Squadron S-84 crew member)

[@allalbavincero]

Thank you for your services.

[@_Leouch]

My Dream was to become a pilot, unfulfiled one :P

[@johnbarnes5237]

What is the movie?

[@richardvernon317]

@@johnbarnes5237 A Gathering of Eagles 1963.

[@johnbarnes5237]

@@_Leouch Me, too. But my eye doctor told me that with 20-200 vision, color blindness and depth perception issues, there was no way.

[@fun2drive107]

All you see is black smoke from the previous bomber or tanker until you break ground. Only the H model didn't use water since it was a turbofan. 10000 pounds of water was good for about 90 seconds (I don;t have my Dash 1 anymore so from memory). I am proud to have flown these things and been fortunate to have tested a lot of mods made to them in the 80's and early 90's....

[@joekabira3986]

Fun2 Drive thank you for your service then

[@realistic272]

Not the most glamorous job in the Air Force, but reminds of my years at Castle AFB as a fuely right out of high school in the 80's. Refueling the G's took 45 minutes to 1 hour. Filling with DI water was about 1000 gallons. Thanks for sharing

[@jkanderson7]

Lewis I fueled tankers and we also used demin water - 600 gal and plenty of black smoke.

[@c.g.3931]

Didnt direct injection foul the engines after a time? What was the service interval to clean the soot?

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

@@realistic272 POL!! I was with the 3902nd SUPS LGSF out of Offutt AFB from 1980-1983.

[@garystafford6570]

I was stationed at Beale AFB in 1973, 10 years after the movie was filmed there. I got to witness several alert interval takeoffs like that and it was very impressive. I also watched the SR-71 take off many times with full AB. I was an aircraft mechanic on the KC-135Q so also got to see several air to air refuels of the SR from the boom pod on our aircraft. I am proud to have been a member of SAC before it was dissolved. "GO AIR FORCE!"

[@davidgilbertson4354]

Gary what shop were you in ? I was at BEALE 72-75 456 FMS jet shop eng cond. Went tdy to Kadena 72 and Anderson 73.

[@charleswest6372]

Yes, I was stationed at Fairchild AFB 1982, saw many 52s and others take off. Impressive.

[@davidpan5176]

One of the most underrated military movies. As a former SAC guy, I loved it.

[@paoloviti6156]

I agree fully with you! 👍👍👍

[@paaat001]

It was a victim of the politics of the times. It is a super accurate SAC portrayal.

[@zlovredniyTip]

@@paaat001 what is SAC?

[@mr.kamikaze8660]

Strategic Air Command :)@@zlovredniyTip

[@Алексей-ч7м9о]

Посмотрел этот фильм полностью😅 Понравился!!! B-52 впечатляют... Оказывается что база ВВС это не только бомберы, но и ракеты Проверяющий прилетевший на Kc-135 жёсткий

[@paulwatters9225]

I was a KC-135A pilot from '82 to '88 and, as I remember it, the target window was 9 to 15 seconds. Getting that timing down took a lot of practice! It would only have been put to use in the event of war, but naturally we had to train to that standard in peacetime.

[@davidsandell7833]

Paul Watters: My Dad was a 135A pilot as well. Flew out of Homestead and then Loring after Homestead kicked SAC out. Where did you fly from?

[@msmeyersmd8]

My Dad was a B-52 pilot out of Walker AFB in 1962. In addition to flying with his crew he was an aerial refueling trainer and check pilot. Years later, he talked about quite a few good pilots that just couldn't hack the aerial refueling in such a big airplane. My first memory is that my Dad was gone on alert at the base for a long time. My Mom drove me to the base to see him at the door of the crew alert building in his flight suit. He gave me a red toy fire engine for my 4th birthday. The adults around our neighborhood had been acting strange for awhile. I had no idea at all what was going at all. But I remember my Mom crying when she hugged Dad goodbye. I don't know how soon they needed to get tanker fuel after takeoff. I suspect not immediately as the wings were drooping from the fuel. Not immediately like today with fighters and such that need fuel soon after TO because of munitions loads. I imagine 9 second MITO in KC-135s with water injection was probably impressive as well. That's a whole lot of accelerating jet fuel on the runway at the same time. Roughly, how much fuel did you carry? After Dad's 104 flying missions from Thailand over Laos and North Vietnam in SEA. Ironically, not in a B-52? They xferred him to TAC. He flew an underpowered EB-66 that was a single pilot EW airplane with ~three people and lots of electronics in a converted bomb bay that, ironically, used probe and drogue to refuel. Then we moved to Omaha. Dad was good friends with a 135 pilot that lived across the street from us and did a lot of Looking Glass refueling. Dad had one sad story about a KC-135 crew out of Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. In the early 1960s he flew thousands of hours of Operation Chrome Dome 24 hour flights. Obviously requiring many tankers full of fuel. Based out of Roswell NM and heading South for home from over the Northern ice cap, he was informed that he would need to land at Elmendorf AFB because there was a problem with his tanker. Since they had nukes onboard, there's a lot of MP security procedures and other procedures to temporarily sign the airplane and nukes over, etc. that needed to be organized. As they approached to land there was a gigantic fire burning off of the end of a runway. That was the "problem" with his tanker. Geezus, that's got to be a horrible way to go. I've read about tanker pilots improvising and doing lot of cool things like towing F-4s or F-105s with the boom while transferring fuel until they could land at a safe AirBase. I hope those Patriots that died in Alaska are RIP. 🇺🇸

[@BMF6889]

I grew up as and Air Force brat. My dad flew B-17's in WW II, shot down, and spent 2 years as a POW. He stayed in the Air Force after the war and flew B-47's in the early 1950's and then flew B-52's in the late 1950's though1968. He may have flown them after that, but I had joined the Marine Corps in 1968 and was a platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-69. By the time I left Vietnam, dad was the Commander of Clark AFB, The Philippines where he died unexpected of a heart attack in 1971 at the age of 51. I remember growing up on Air Force bomber bases. During the Cold War, B-47's and B-52's were always on alerts and training was intense. The maintenance crews would work on the bombers all night and I remember the sounds of them testing the engines. Saw many MITO's in those days and they were an awesome sight. I also watched alert crews scramble to their bombers during practice. Amazing how quickly they were able to get started and start taxiing, but the MITO's were the best part. Those were great days, but the early model B-52's had a number of accidents. Every base we were stationed at lost a couple of B-52's. Don't know the exact number of deaths but it was not uncommon for some of the crew not to make it out before the crash. I'm 75 now and the BUFF's are still reporting for duty. An amazing bird.

[@MikeNaples]

Same here, AF brat. Dad was a 30 year veteran mostly on 52's but did crew the short lived B-58's at LRAFB. I only comment because you mentioned the maintenance crews working on the bombers all night. I remember the same. Despite base housing being ~5miles from the flight line separated by a hill you could hear those noisy J79s whine all night while being serviced. Annoying at the time yet now a fond memory.

[@dwmzmm]

In the mid to late 1960's we lived in Niceville, FL (near Eglin AFB) where my dad (USAF, Chief Master Sergeant) was in his final years before retiring and we'd have military aircraft (mostly F4 Phantoms) flying low over our neighborhood practically 24/7 preparing to land at Eglin. You know those F4's are very loud. At first the noise was annoying but we got used it. It was like one aircraft coming in low overhead every several minutes.

[@ronaldvrooman9695]

There were a lot more accidents involving B-47's, if I'm not mistaken. The B-52, while not perfect, was a major upgrade and it generally has been safer.

[@howardhamer1379]

Our crew S-84 (a Select crew) was designated to do most of the flying scenes mainly because we were scheduled for summer leave and therefore weren't on the Alert schedule during the filming. I was the EWO and at that time held a Spot Captains rank. The refueling scenes were taken in Arizona in order to get clouds in the scene. Paul Mantz flew his modified B-25 as the camera ship. He asked both the KC-135 and our B-52 to fly below 200kts IAS so he could get good pictures. Our pilot LtCol Gordon Mack complied but had to really work at it since it was much slower than normal refueling speed. The copilot Capt Blanchard is the only other crew member still around.

[@irish89055]

A good movie.. Thank you for your service sir.... The man's name is spelled Paul Mantz. I think he filmed the b-36 scenes in the movie Strategic Air Command..

[@BadSneakers]

And it was Lt Colonel Hammack. may have been called Mack for short. Second in command bedind Gen Byerly. I know because he was my father

[@BadSneakers]

I have my dad's commendation citation when leaving Beale. He was Col Charles R. Hammack and served as Chief of the Operations and Training Division and Deputy Commander for Operations at Beale from 1962-1965. I love the phrase "Colonel Hammack's outstanding professional knowledge and devotion to duty enhanced the nuclear deterrent capability of his unit and the Strategic Air Command." We had a red phone in our house. I knew to never, ever touch it

[@teenagerinsac]

BadSneakers Yep, it wasn't a link to Batman, that much you sure knew :)

[@teenagerinsac]

teenagerinsac Yes, I know- this was just a few years before the Batman craze :)

[@fastacker2]

Stealth aircraft. Nobody can see it for all the smoke. :)

[@kflyer936]

***** he was joking, fool

[@Hin11]

+Vladislav Tamashevska You don't know what you're talking about. When the water injection is exhausted, the thick smoke will stop. That happens a few minutes after water injection is initiated which occurs about 2,000 ft or less.

[@fastacker2]

Thank you, Yes, I was making a joke. it's a little thing we Americans do to pass the time. Do you not have humor where you live? I even had a smiley face on it to indicate humor.

[@AndrewOfMA]

+fastacker2 Truly it was stealth. When it was bombing Hanoi from 40,000+ feet in Viet Nam, they never saw/heard a thing until things started blowing up around them. Scared the SH-T out of them. :D

[@777Outrigger]

Yes, the old J-57 engines had water injection to increase thrust for takeoff, which made them very smoky. Water injection lasted for just over 2 minutes from takeoff, just enough time to get to 1,000' to level-off, and accelerate to get the flaps up.

[@GooglFascists]

During Desert Storm we watched several B52s take off loaded heavy. Their engines make a distinctive growling sound as they go in circles until they gain altitude. Haven't heard that in these videos yet but only B52s do it. Once you hear it you never forget it. One day I was at the end of the runway directly under the spot where those gigantic planes lifted off. It was a roar like the crack of doom and choking kerosene exhaust when those big birds passed over.

[@stevenvicino8687]

I got to watch a MITO at Loring AFB Maine. We were about 25 yards further back than this and we couldn't scream loud enough to be heard. The spacing, the spread after take-off and the smoke are real. The sound, that's something altogether different.

[@davewilson6313]

i love the reverberating sound of the enclosed studio space as they're yelling.

[@paulwatters9225]

I believe you're referring to the Buff we lost on the main ramp at Grand Forks AFB. I was a pilot in the 905th AREFS who happened to be in the vicinity when it blew (there was a short circuit in the wiring conduit in one of the fuel tanks). A number of us manned the tankers parked across from the burning aircraft in case it was decided to taxi them out of the way. I don't remember for sure how many maintenance troops (I think it was 5) were killed. Many brave folks died in the "Cold" war...

[@usafvet100]

I was a firefighter at Grand Forks AFB, ND, and wore the SAC patch with pride. SAC had a grim but important job to do in providing nuclear deterrence for 40 years until the now-defunct USSR collapsed under its own weight. A pity that the only way to do so was through MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), but the Cold War was a fight worth winning. Many thanks for your service in this fine organization.

[@jimsmith4005]

My first assignment as a brand new air traffic controller in 1970 was a SAC base in California. Those MITO takeoffs were just incredible to behold!

[@barrysullins4839]

Filmed at Beale AFB, CA in 1961. J-57 engines with water injection for extra thrust. Thus all the smoke. Beautiful.

[@old-time-family-cooking]

J57-43WB. Wrote that a few times for SOAP sample paper work.

[@chrismartin1956]

This scene was filmed at Blytheville AFB in Arkansas but the rest as you mentioned was indeed at Beale.

[@danelder6846]

​@@chrismartin1956I find no reference indicating that this was filmed at Blytheville. I was told and read that it was shot at Beale. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Gathering_of_Eagles

[@davidcavissi3198]

My father was the AC in the lead aircraft for this MITO. His best friend was AC in the second BUFF. Dad had a few standard stories about the production of this film. Rod Taylor was apparently a big hit with the crews, he'd mingle, play cards with the guys pulling alert, that sort of thing. Rock Hudson, not so much. Kept to his trailer apparently. Dad never said much about Ms. Peach, perhaps because she wasn't on base as much as her co-stars ( or, perhaps the crews kept a distance so as not to provoke the wives... ).

[@bobjohnson1587]

Rock probably felt he just didn't fit in!

[@akt56]

They don't make movies like that anymore.

[@bluemarshall6180]

akt56 Hello Grandpa...... 😆

[@TralfazConstruction]

I saw this movie at a drive-in with my parents way back when. I still remember my childhood impression of the fuel-leak emergency sequence. I've carried that impression around for decades and it's probably been twenty years since I last watched this movie.

[@TralfazConstruction]

@Paul Kowalczuk A Gathering of Eagles. Rock Hudson and Rod Taylor (1963). Enjoy!

[@janreznak881]

No CGI in this scene! What have we lost?

[@vivekpilot]

We lost the art..!!

[@ronaldvrooman9695]

Real aircraft as movie props?

[@B1900pilot]

BEST aviation sequence filmed in Hollywood history!

[@Reewen]

personally I'd say the parachute scene from "A bridge too far" takes it though that wasn't filmed in hollywood

[@oisiaa]

This video is a true pleasure for any SAC buff.

[@davidgilbertson4354]

Count me in.

[@JBSmoke1]

Reminds me of my old SAC days. MITO's were great to watch!

[@1938dmkdz]

When the ist B52G landed at Dow AFB I ran in front of it on the taxi runway I was so excited and after six months I couldn't stand them anymore. When we had alerts we had to sleep next to them.... I spent a total of two years with them and worked with Boeing to get parts for mainenance. The crew chiefs on these planes were really tops and I had alot of respect for these gentlemen, I was in SAC and I enjoyed it..

[@usafvet100]

The T33 was fitted into the H Model, the biggest external differences between the 2 models were the 2-step nacelles for the turbofans and the 20mm rotary cannon in the tail as opposed to the 4 .50s in the Gs.

[@BadSneakers]

This from the movie "Gathering of Eagles." Much of it was filmed at Beale Air Force Base in California. My father is flying one of the B52s! Thank you so much for uploading this clip! But would you had "Gathering of Eagles" as a tag? i found this by searching Minimum "Interval Take Off." Thanks again!

[@thomasharmon6444]

Thanks was wondering where it came from

[@johnking7454]

That and "Strategic Air Command" are two of my all-time favorite movies about the Air Force. I had the pleasure of watching a B-52 MITO while I was serving, it's an awesome thing to see! I've always loved the B-52 and left scale models I'd assembled hanging from the ceiling in every office I served in.

[@TommygunNG]

@@thomasharmon6444 Same here. Look at the posting date: 2008. KZbinrs were still getting on to how to do good descriptions and such. Add in no copyright strikes. No one cared. People were just amazed at being able to share a video--theirs or ripped--with everybody so easily.

[@j.o.p.enforcementagency7931]

Thanks for that answer! I love that scene. And a sulute to your dad for his service. I will be watching this film!

[@Tubetopfan1]

I got the privilage of standing beside the runway during a MITO takeoff back in 1988. This was at Blytheville AFB (later changed to Eaker AFB before the base closed). It was quite impressive! Those turbojets sure could make some noise! Besides the turbulence from the plane that took off ahead of you, the MITO was dangerous because, if you were one of the lead planes, if you had engine problems, you couldn't abort takeoff. There was was another plane rapidly approaching you from behind.

[@usafvet100]

Yes indeed, Grand Forks AFB, a bitterly cold January day such as North Dakota often offered. My shift was off duty and hanging out in the barracks when we heard the detonation and saw the fireball, we threw our parkas on and zoomed to the station, and were put to work refilling the crash trucks with water and foam, I'm amazed that we got the hydrants to work at -27F, and when it was all done we had to load the frozen hoses in pickups and take them back to the station to thaw out before we could

[@tutts999]

I can remember watching this scene as a kid in the 70's and thought it as amazing.

[@1tnrealtor]

My first assignment after graduating from Air Traffic Controller School was Columbus AFB, Miss., a SAC base at the time. This was really something to watch, I can remember the wing tips looking like they were making contact with the runway they were "flapping" so much....looked really dangerous as a young airman. Was not a member of SAC as a controller, Comm Sq...then years later working the midnight shift at Da Nang we would mark the coordinates on our radar scopes where the B52s were making bombing run to create a no fly zone.

[@tesmith47]

I was radio maintenance out of keesler too 1965

[@DontBuyChinese]

I worked at the B-52 alert facility at GFAFB, which was situated on the south end of the runways and west side of the base.

[@howardhamer1379]

The B-52 did not fall like a rock as one person commented. The glide angle for a B-52 was about 18 to 1. That is an aircraft that runs out of fuel at its maximun altitude (52,000ft) will glide160NM. This data is from my T.O. 1B-52G-1 page A8-3.

[@WhiteGangster400]

What about a fighter jet? For example an F-15 or an F-16, wouldn't they sort of fall like a rock if their engines went out since they don't have a large surface area in their wings?

[@howardhamer1379]

WhiteGangster400 The glide angle for the X-15. which had almost no wing area was 4 to 1. That is it went four feet forward for one foot down, it took about 5 minutes to glide down from 37,000ft. A F-15 or 16 would glide much better than the X-15 so its glide angle should be between 4.5 to 1 (Space Shuttle) and a Boeing 767 12 to 1. See Wikipedia "Gliding Flight".

[@stevestreet5063]

Would Rock have fallen for Rod ?

[@alexp3752]

Rod Taylor and Rock Hudson... They don't make fine stars like that anymore. This clip was from the film Gathering of Eagles.

[@dgeneeknapp3168]

Can you imagine any of the actors of that day trying to make the kinds of movies today's snow flakes find acceptable? EVERYTHING these actors said/did would trigger the hell out of these idiots today. There would be a theater of people sitting and holding puppies, or bunnies, or turkeys, or whatever the hell it is they need...the concession would need hot cocoa.

[@kirrich9441]

Rarely shown anywhere... :(

[@artist92543]

@@dgeneeknapp3168 They would need the biggest "safe spaces" EVER!

[@kirrich9441]

I was at the other end of the runway when they took off during the making of the movie and had an outstanding view!!!

[@duck_rifle5879]

Damnit what an era! I wish those were my days.

[@nowhereman841]

Let's put it this way-I stuck my head through a porthole one deck below the flight deck late one evening just in time to see an F-14 Tomcat roar off one of the waist catapults at full afterburner. I can still see the bright blue flame and hear the earsplitting roar of the TF-30's as the plane completely filled my vision less than 20 feet away from me. I was absolutely terrified-and hooked on watching night flight ops forevermore-from a far safer place.

[@tombutcher5776]

1505's. They wear that uniform well. Belt perfect!

[@danielpurcell7395]

Gig line is what that’s called. That’s when we wore starched uniforms and spit shined combat boots or low quarters. These guys today wear what look like pajamas with booties. Lol

[@rdouglas747]

From my favorite movie, "A Gathering of Eagles", with Rock Hudson!

[@BadSneakers]

+Jim Melton I was two. My dad was second in command Col Hammack, behind Gen Byerly

[@BadSneakers]

My dad is piloting of the BUFFS and I have a pic of the film crew filming this and Rock and Rod are definitely right there, but obviously they did voice overdubs.

[@videographer1KIK]

I worked on the B-52 in Andersen AFB, Guam and on the C-130 in Little Rock AFB, Arkansas! SAC STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND Persian Gulf War

[@nowlookatthat]

One great movie this is! And the late Rod Taylor 'in action'...

[@DontBuyChinese]

David, I was more on the administrative side when I was assigned to the 905th Air Refueling and 46th Bomb Squadrons which were a joint unit. I was the Chief Clerk and later the wing historian. I wrote much of the wing history of the 319th while I was there but so many years have passed I forgotten most of the details of what you are asking. I was also on the 319th FMS Corrosion Control Board.

[@daddy1racing]

I"m an ole' SAC brat and have witnessed a number of MITOs back in the day. This is one of my favorite movies along with Stewert's Strategic Air Command. Dad was with the B-58 Hustler program till it's retirement in 1969. Hustler MITOs were even more impressive with those afterburning J79s. Especially nighttime MITOs , B-58s roaring aloft 10 to 15 seconds apart, each trailing four long AB exhaust flames. Something one never forgets. After a reassignment to the 7th BW at Carswell AFB, and B-52Ds , I remember seeing 11 of those monster Boeings , MITO as they departed for Guam and Linebacker II. USAF and SAC proud. No points for second best.

[@irish89055]

Have you seen Gen Stewart flying in a B-58 here on KZbin?

[@daddy1racing]

Yes I have. My dad was assigned to the 43rd BW at Carswell AFB at the time of that flight, although he wasn't involved with Gen Stewert's flight. I was just shy of two years old at the time. Interestingly, the film Strategic Air Command shows several locations of significant in my life. My mom was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, plus dad was with the 305th at Macdill with the B-47 before the Hustler came along. I currently reside in the northern Tampa Bay area and am quite familiar with Macdill and Al Lang field , where Stewart's character was at spring training when called back to service. We also were at Carswell twice in my youth. First time with the B-58, second time , after the Hustler's retirement we went back with the 7th BW . Watching that film is like "old home " to me.

[@Scottrchrdsn]

The takeoff of the B-58 is depicted quite well in the movie "Fail Safe"; though SAC was such a prick about that movie (would not release even standard stock footage) that the movie team had to film the B-58 takeoff covertly. Most of the time SAC was quite impressive but they could also be very difficult to work with (like Gen LeMay).

[@robf93]

How can you not love a plane with eight J57s and water injection?

[@davidgilbertson4354]

J57 - 43WB trimmed a lot of these at BEALE . Always fun when you hit the water inj switch 2000 lbs more thrust. 456 FMS eng. cond. Jet 16.

[@robf93]

@@davidgilbertson4354 Cool stuff! I'm glad you had fun. I always wondered what the differences were in the minor variations of the J57; it was an excellent engine. Thank you for your service.

[@robertsullivan4773]

You can't ❤️

[@CaoimhinOMaol]

When one of the water pumps fails to work properly and you lose water-injection on the two engines on the strut. One pump feeding two engines. Or the water pump surges...water, then no water.

[@semco72057]

I have seen many of the G and H models taking off during ORI's at Minot and Barksdale AFB's and the D models during sorties going to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War.

[@stevedandy973]

GREAT movie. Back in SAC's heyday. I also wore the uniform these officers are wearing - the old 1505's. I can almost smell the jet fuel.

[@hughcapetien]

Same here, kind of cool uniforms at the time - sharp!

[@280StJohnsPl]

Hugh Lusignan Yep ! USAF 1968-72

[@captianconnorusafbr03.65]

What movie is it

[@stevedandy973]

"A Gathering of Eagles."

[@warplanner3258]

God, those were the greatest uniforms, weren't they? They were $5 a set and $1 to dry clean! No ties or coats, rank and wings easy to pin on. Head to the O Club, get shitfaced, come home, throw them in the laundry bag, put on a new set the next day.. ..rinse and repeat.

[@usafvet100]

tested the proposition. I was at the CE barracks, a short walk to Captain Nemo's Subs and Sinkers to play Galaga, and the chow hall was very handy as well. Those were the days.

[@FylthyBeest]

@sanfranciscobay Yes. It's Rock Hudson and Rod Taylor from the 1963 movie, "A Gathering of Eagles". And yes, they are standing alongside the runway during this Minimum Interval Takeoff (MITO). It was filmed, I believe, at Beale AFB, CA.

[@Lancair84]

Our crew (I was EWO) had summer leave (vacation) scheduled so when they wanted a crew to work with Paul Mantz that was not on the flying or Alert schedulte we were asked if we would give up our summer vacation. The copilot Wes Blanchard is living in NM. The squadron usually only had three ship MITOs so a five ship was unusual.

[@BadSneakers]

My dad was flying one of these BUFFs - Beale AFB, 1963 (at least that's when the movie was released.) I have a pic behind this of the film crew filming this. Note to the right of Rock and Rod - and you can see a shadow of film equipment.

[@kevinwaddell8720]

The reason for the exercise was based on the premise that Soviet missiles were inbound (30 minutes from detectable launch) to take out the base and make it totally unusable so it was a "use it or lose it" proposition for the USAF planners.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Completely unknown Minutia.

[@gallantrycross]

I was in TAC during the Vietnam War and had occasion to be stationed on a SAC base once. Man, were those guys uptight. I'm glad I never was in SAC. The best outfit I was ever with was the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing, with C-130A models during the Vietnam War. Loose and convivial. We were good, picked up a Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V", etc. The best units are those that are hip and can cut through the bullshit. The job comes first.

[@cmscms123456]

khaki uniform 1505's I miss them. Looks very cool

[@usafvet100]

@beerbrewer737 As a firefighter I had to do standby when a KC-135 was doing a rapid defuel- the truck would be parked about 50 yards from the tanker. At least one of the engines had to be at full-throttle, even with our mickey mouse ears on it was still an ear-splitting shreik. Our H-model BUFFs had turbofans- they were much quieter and not quite as smokey as the G models.

[@PlasmaCoolantLeak]

Was POL, did more than a few rapid defuels, can vouch for the noise, oi, LOL

[@northwestprof60]

More than a little weird to hear and see Rock Hudson worried about rules in the armed forces. Don't ask, don't tell, eh Rock?

[@larryl212]

The other actor... same "tribe." Ironic.

[@dmize67]

He was a Corsair mechanic in the Pacific in WWII. He served so shut the fuck up.

[@jameswebb8162]

Awesome!!! Man I loved B-52Gs!!!

[@kolbpilot]

I was in the A.F. for 8 yrs. in the '80's as a jet mech. 6 yrs. at Ellsworth where we had 'H' models, but all the '135's' were still using J57-59W's. Water injection take offs were always fun to watch. My last year & a half was at Loring which had 'G' models. MITO take offs were always impressive to watch. The pilots from about #3 on back had their hands full fighting all the turbulence from the ones ahead.

[@davidgilbertson4354]

Remember the fuel control DWI . Ever make an adjustment while in water? I have pretty exciting.😁

[@kolbpilot]

@@davidgilbertson4354 : Actually I have, once. KC-135. I didn't like the experience. Rattled all my bones. I wised up after that.

[@davenone7312]

Filmed at Beale AFB California as was Tom Hanks movie Bridge of Spies. The U-2 was in Dk-7 as was the chalkboard training scenes.

[@usafvet100]

@saptono the massive "fowler flaps" that extend from the wings' trailing edges. We had Gs and Hs at Grand Forks, the Gs' engines were J-57s, and like the ones in the video clip, they emitted a lot of smoke. They also emitted an ear-splitting high-frequency shriek that wasn't fun to be around. The H's turbofans were quieter. Inside the aircraft, It's amazing how cramped the crew's quarters are, and what little space there is is taken up with instruments, electronic and avionics gear. Those

[@davidgilbertson4354]

Exactly.

[@carlosmartinsribeirojr.1335]

best scene of the movie. great !

[@usafvet100]

Thanks for your service. Quite a rigamarole to get on the pad, wasn't it? Line badge exchange and password at the Guard Shack, then onto the pad, KC135s on the left and BUFFs on the right with a red line down the middle. Get the password of the day to cross the red line, then a final red line around each BUFF. We didn't cross that line unless the bird was on fire.

[@davidgilbertson4354]

Remember the two man policy.

[@saburusakai]

Great movie, even if they were just playing it by ear beside the runway; they were only gonna get one chance to watch a SAC scramble that close.

[@clendenenjames8804]

The b 52 is a great plane,I. Love it, when I work in Dallas I could always tell a b 52 by its large tail wing, GO GO B 52

[@Ronin4614]

Films like this were part of the curriculum at Cold War USAF SOS. The films were Hollywood hyped, and we knew that. The focus was on the leadership styles that the films portrayed.

[@FylthyBeest]

@fernfeyes Absolutely. The sound of freedom. Good for you and your spirit of patriotism.

[@hueydewylouie]

I was stationed at Travis AFB from 1965-67 (yes, there once was a SAC wing at Travis) and watched several MITOs. One day the wing commander, who was flying the last plane, almost crashed due to the turbulence. No more MITOs after that.

[@teenagerinsac]

Late sister was married to a USAF TSGT stationed at Travis 1976, next door neighbor was SMS Mc Elwain, he was NCOIC of the then Tanker squadron stationed there, there were no longer bombers there at that time. SMS Mc Elwain had formerly served as maintenance chief for AF One during the early 70's, when the 707-320 was used (Spirit Of 76)

[@tombutcher5776]

I was born at Travis Dec 1950 the son of an AF pilot! My Dad was God to me. Later on I spent 13 months in SEA and of course Air Force.

[@ringmasterjeb3453]

That is the smell of freedom, love that Flightline smell.

[@speedskiff2]

early jet engines used a total loss oiling system adding to the smoke. Newer designs took care of that. Heck, they had degreasers back then that would melt skin. Wish I could find a video of B-58 MITO.

[@blitz7341]

damn those engines make alot of smoke, really cool clip!

[@jpatt1000]

I can't believe how much smoke they used to belch out! Not just these either, all of 'em.

[@bobdehler2812]

The black smoke is from 10,000 lbs of water being used during takeoff

[@afchiefe9]

I maintained the AGM28B Hound Dog Missile you see under its wings for 11 years before they were phased out during the SALT II agreements.

[@jimrudolph4199]

Actually I think it was GAM-77 (nicknamed "Hound Dog") under the wings, the AGM-28 was (nicknamed the "Quail") carried in bombbay.

[@aclidinst]

@@jimrudolph4199 I also maintained the AGM28B, they were under the wings as the movie shows. 71-74

[@Mark_Ocain]

Water/ methanol injection... the ultimate in 'rollining coal'

[@phugwad]

Water injection, no methanol. In fact, because there was no methanol we would have to dump the water everytime the temperature dropped below freezing, so it wouldn freeze in the tank and pipes. The KC-135 used a heater in the water storage tank, so they didn't have to dump water if the temperature dropped a few degrees below freezing. I recall that, back in the 1980s, the demineralized water cost something like $1/ gallon. During the winter in California we sometimes dumped the water each night on alert and then filled the tank back up in the morning, over $1,000 per plane per dump.

[@usafvet100]

The noise and activity didn't seem to bother the jackrabbits, the base was overrun with the critters. We had a dalmation mix named "Blaze" as our station mascot, he always rode in the Asst Chief's truck when we were on a run. On the way back, there would usually be swarms of jackrabbits beneath the water tower near the station, Chief Griifis would let Blaze out to chase them around.

[@FylthyBeest]

@Evolition180 That "air pollution" kept millions of people safe during very turbulent times.

[@robw3027]

If you like SAC and the B-52, ya have to love this clip. SAC kept world peace through strength and effective deterrence. Those B-52's look sweet with the Hound Dog missiles under each wing. One can hope that SAC will be back. To those that served in SAC- many thanks.

[@veg1run]

Global Strike Command is the modern day version of SAC.

[@thomastarwater2989]

This scene is from A GATHERING OF EAGLES (1963), starring Rock Hudson as Jim Caldwell, Colonel, United States Air Force who takes command of a B-52 bomber squadron after they flunk a no-notice operation readiness inspection (ORI) and tries to shape the unit for the next ORI. The impressive cast included Mary Peach (whose Hollywood career never took off-pardon the pun), Rod Taylor, Richard Anderson, Barry Sullivan, Kevin McCarthy, Henry Silva, Robert Lansing, Robert Bray, Richard LePore, Leora Dana, Nelson Leigh, Leif Erickson, Russ Bender, and an unbilled Louise Fletcher as an airman’s wife and Brandon De Wilde (SHANE) as Bill Fowler Jr. Also unbilled were John Zaremba (EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS), Stuart Wade (MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR), Bing Russell (THE LAND UNKNOWN), , Ward Ramsey (DINOSAURUS!), and Ed Kemmer (EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). I saw this movie as a kid and ohhhh and ahhhhed at the big airplanes. Saw it again and was still impressed at the B-52s in flight. The Stratofortresses are still flying in 2023. And this is still a great movie.

[@craiglizt8074]

What a plane!

[@kolbpilot]

@Tubetopfan1 I too, had the privilage of witnessing more MITOs than I can recall during most of the 80's. 'H' models at Ellsworth (although they had water burning 'A' model tankers) & both water injection J57-59W on the 'G' model bombers & the ever present 'A' model KC-135's. I should have taken more pictures.

[@blignell]

I used to watch the MITO's from the top of the chute drying tower while doing inspection on the cable hoist to hang and dry deceleration chutes.. Ill take a rain soaked chute over a snow filled one any day. 410th FMS

[@DontBuyChinese]

Back about the same time, the USAF at GFAFB had a jet engine test cell facility in which B--52s engines were test run. Now here is something hard to believe. Right next door was a horse riding stable on base. Must have been some pretty deaf horses. I remember this very well. Do you? Also, lots of base closures during winter months (traffic conditions alpha, bravo or charlie), when sometimes non mission-essential people would be excused from work.

[@rosewhite---]

just such an awesome engineering marvel!

[@380AMS]

Yes, from a wonderful old movie film clip. But, still great! I saw our B-52s and KC-135s do this during ORI and other exercises. USAF SAC 380th SAW vet

[@MrCrapmatic]

1:27 "14 seco.." "CHECK" "Goddammit, stop interrupting!"

[@RCsportflyer22]

Everytime i watch this i think the same thing hahaha

[@colindominy]

Compared to real-world protocols .. ear / eye protection, et al .. even in the early 60s .. this footage from this great movie is nonetheless very thrilling & exciting. Could've been used for a Recruitment Drive !! Rod Taylor .. the expat Australian Actor well-known during the late 50s & on thr'out the 60s .. was a truly gifted actor, who, like the legendary George Reeves, possessed that certain special gift they call CHARISMA. He brought added-value & great cred to every role he ever played.

[@victormioduszewski4729]

Great film....That depicts the Reality of the Men and Women of the USAF and their dedication and work to protect our country way of life...

[@usafvet100]

@saptono Have had the opportunity to look up :"Able Archer," interestingly enough, this vent took place while I was stationed at Grand forks, ND, a SAC Base. Although I'm still unconvinced about the possibility of SAC delievering a pre-emptive strike, it does help understand Soviet perceptions of the period. First of all, Soviet leadership was beginning to see the handwriting on the wall, that being that the Cold War was not going in their favor. While I don't see President Reagan willingly

[@AndrewOfMA]

The B-52 may well be the most cost effective weapons systems the US ever bought. To my mind, instead of trying to come up with a new bomber, we should just build new ones, albeit with updated avionics and engines.

[@BEDT14]

Long thought that myself. Same with the A-10. The patterns should be in storage somewhere.

[@warplanner8852]

They last B-52H model rolled out in 1962 or so. They just have been refurbished since then. It is astounding for a military aircraft with its mission whose first-time flight (XB-52) was in 1952!

[@georgegonzalez2476]

The missions and the anti-aircraft technology has changed a lot since then. You might want to tweak a few things so the pilots don't have to babysit 8 engines, make it a lot stealthier, and optimized for roles other than nuclear delivery.

[@timengineman2nd714]

I'm not sure when the B-52s started to Takeoff with all 10 engines running! But they strengthen the pylons that carried the Hound Dog missiles and started firing them up to shorten their takeoff runs! After a while they even took it a step further and made it where the B-52s could refill the Hound Dog's fuel tanks (before meeting with the KC-135s)....

[@hoghogwild]

They did have that capability. Then they could shut it down, refuel the missile and launch it. . 2 Houndogs under the wings and 4 Quails decoys in the bays.

[@mpgingdl]

Thanks. I'd known the old J57s used water injection, but I never knew they were THAT smoky--it almost looks like the engines are all on fire. Any wonder why the military has long been a leader in efforts to produce cleaner engines?

[@FylthyBeest]

@olinr2007 Good for you! Seriously. How special it truly is that you were there serving. My hat's off to you. What did you mean when you stated "they lost the first one"? First film capture? I'm glad you were there to see this.

[@ironroad18]

They had to be able to take off that fast in order to get up, get their target package, and be in route well before any ICMBS or Bombers hit their base.

[@infantryattacks]

The SAC bases in CA were vulnerable to all the above, but they were particularly vulnerable to the launches of depressed-trajectory SLBMs.

[@hoghogwild]

@@infantryattacks Imagine the UK?

[@BadSneakers]

They weren't - this was a "live" exercise they were allowed to film. I have devoted a Facebook group to GOE as my dad was flying a B52 in this scene. On it, you can see a pic of the production crew filming this scene.

[@FylthyBeest]

@snidelywhiplash Thanks for the endorsement and the comments. Have you seen the early 80's Exercise Global Shield 16-ship MITO at the KZbin post, "Global Shield.mpg". Excellent amateur video shot by some of the maintainers at Griffiss AFB.

[@FylthyBeest]

@MrTravton They were never designed to be stealthy. They were designed to be killers.

[@jamesdelaroche242]

B52 pilots started the Hound Dog engines on take-off for a little extra boost.

[@michaelwthalman]

The best return on investment aircraft the U.S. has ever purchased. Hope they fly till 2040 and keep the TF33 engines.

[@cartman4885]

A great scene from a fantastic film..................

[@surchris]

Those old turbojets were smokey, but not that smokey. These B-52s are taking off with water injection.

[@BadSneakers]

Let me repeat this: they are really standing next to the runway while the planes are taking off. I'm sure the audio/voices were overdubbed. I have a picture of Hudson and Taylor and the film crew filming this. My dad is flying one of the B52s. if you're on Facebook I have devoted a fan site to this movie - just search "Gathering of Eagles the movie". If you look again at this video you can see a shadow of some of the filming equipment.

[@GamePlayWithNolan]

0:56 I think the B52 models before the H model or G had the dutch roll. I don't remember though.

[@hughcapetien]

Very familiar with this movie -"A Gathering of Eagles." Searched every where for a copy of a DVD - nothing. You can purchase a VHS version, but who in the world still owns a VCR?

[@keemez]

I do (VCR). :P